Photo credit : Getty Images

Maxime Giroux

Director | Screenwriter

Maxime Giroux began his career by making over 100 video clips for Quebecois, Canadian and French artists. He then turned to advertising and worked for prestigious brands. He now has more than 100 advertisements to his credit. Concurrently, Maxime has directed several films, including Red (Le rouge au sol) and The Days (Les jours) which won international awards (Best Short Film at TIFF, FNC, Genie Awards). Tomorrow (Demain), his first feature film, was selected for official competition at Torino and earned a special jury mention at Tübingen. Jo for Jonathan (Jo pour Jonathan), his second feature film, had its world premiere at the Locarno International Film Festival in 2010. It then screened at some forty film festivals. Along the way, it won the Prix Gilles Carle for best film at the RVCQ, the AQCC for Best film at the FNC, the Cinema and the City Award at Thessaloniki, Best Film Award at the Gotham Film Festival. He directed a short film called Head Down (La tête en bas) in 2013, before shooting his third feature film Felix & Meira in 2014, Best Canadian Film at the TIFF and official competition at the San Sebastian festival. It was then presented in more than sixty festivals where he won over twenty prizes. The film was released in theaters in several countries including Israel, France, USA, Australia, Belgium, Switzerland and Taiwan. Felix & Meira tapped as Canada’s Oscar foreign-language film contender in 2016.

In September 2018, his film The Great Darkened Days (La grande noirceur) was selected to be presented in World Premiere at TIFF. The film received 8 nominations including Best Director and Best Film and won 5 of them at the Canadian Screen Awards 2019. Maxime’s latest film NORBOURG (2022), inspired by the history of the asset management firm, CEO Christian Lacroix and VP Finances Éric Asselin, hit a box-office success and received 6 IRIS Quebec Cinéma nominations.

Most recently, Maxime collaborated on the shooting of the TV Series PLAN B (CBC) 2023 and in production of his first English film In Cold Light.

 

 

Filmographie | TV

In Cold Light

In production

Feature Film starring Maika Monroe and Troy Kotsur
Director | Screenwriter Patrick Whistler
Lithium Studios Productions & Peripheria Productions

PLAN B

2023

TV Series, English adaptation of Plan B written by Jean-François Asselin and Jacques Drolet
Director of 2 episodes (English Adaptation)
Producer KOTV | Broadcasting CBC

Norbourg

2022

Feature Film inspired by the true events of the asset management firm, CEO Christian Lacroix and VP Finances Éric Asselin
Director | Screenwriter Simon Lavoie
Production Films du Boulevard | Distribution Maison 4Tiers
*The film hit a box-office success

Awards

IRIS Awards 2022 (Quebec Cinema) – 6 Nominations including Best Director and Best Film.
FESTIVAL
Les Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma 2022 – The film was presented in premiere

The Great Darkened Days (La grande noiceur)

2018

Fiction | 94 min | Color
Director & Screenwriter
Production Metafilms | Distribution FunFilm & Les Films Seville
* Movie trailer & Interview with Maxime below

Awards

Canadian Screen Awards - 8 nominations including Best Director and Best Film and 5 Awards: Best Cinematography (Sara Mishara), Best Art Direction & Costumes (Sylvain Dion, Patricia McNeil), Best Sound (Frederic Cloutier) Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Sarah Gadon)
Gala Québec Cinéma – Iris Award : Best Cinematography (Sara Mishara) and 5 nominations : Best Picture, Best Director, Best Production Design (Sylvain Dion, Patricia McNeil), Best Sound (Luc Boudrias, Frédéric Cloutier, Stephen De Oliveira), Best Editing (Mathieu Bouchard-Malo)
Selected to be presented in World Premiere at TIFF, Canada 2018
Festival du Film de Calgary – Meilleur Film Canadien, 2019
FESTIVALS
Tokyo International Film Festival, Japan 2019
Tallinn International Film Festival, Estonia 2019
Los Cabos International Film Festival, Mexico 2019
De Vilnius International Film Festival, Lithuania 2019

Felix and Meira

2014

Fiction | 105 min | DCP | 2 :35 | couleur
Director & co-screenwriter with Alexandre Laferrière
Production Metafilms | Distribution FunFilm & Urban International
*Tapped as Canada's Oscar foreign-language film contender in 2016 and distributed in 10 countries including Israel, Italy, Germany, Poland, USA

Awards

Laureate of the Best Screenplay (Alexandre Laferrière, Maxime Giroux) & Film achieving the most success outside Quebec - Quebec Cinema Awards Canada, 2016
Best film - 16e Festival international du film d'Aubagne, France, 2015
Best Canadian Feature Film et Best Music - 27e Festival du film international de Baie-Comeau, Canada, 2015
Best Canadian Feature Film, Best Cinematography - Best Screenplay et Best Actor, 14th Whistler Film Festival, Canada, 2014
Best Actress and Best Actor - 32th Torino Film Festival, Italia, 2014
Public Award - 4e Festival Arte Mare de Bastia, Corsica, 2014
Best Actress et Prix du Best Actor - 34e Festival International du Film d'Amiens, France, 2014
Prix La Vague UNIS du Meilleur film Canadien - 28e Festival International de cinéma francophone en Acadie, Canada, 2014
La Louve d'Or - FNC, Montreal, Quebec, 2014
Prix Tobias Szpancer for the Best film in Between Judaism and Israelism section - 30th Haifa International Film Festival, Israel, 2014
Canada Goose Award for Best Canadian Feature Film - 38th TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival), Canada, 2014
Nominated for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress (Hadas Yaron), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Luzer Twersky) - Canadian Screen Awards, 2016
Nominated for: Best Director, Best Film, Best Actress in a Leading Role (Hadas Yaron), Best Cinematography and Best Art Director
FESTIVALS
12th Jewish Culture in Copenhagen, Denmark 2016
16th French Film Festival, Iceland 2016
30th Buffalo International Jewish Film Festival at the JCC, New York, USA 2016
1st Greenwich JCC Davis Film Festival, Connecticut, USA 2016
21st Vilnius International Film Festival, Lithuania 2015
39e Al cuore dei conflitti, Italia 2015
38th Sao Paulo Jewish Film Festival, Brazil 2015
19th Lima International Film Festival (Around the World in 8 Days Section), Peru 2015
7th FICS Santander, Colombia, 2015
4th Bucharest Jewish Film Festival, Romania 2015
23rd Vienna Jewish Film Festival, Austria 2015
18th UK Jewish Film Festival, United Kingdom 2015
23rd Camerimage, Turkey 2015
4th Budapest Jewish Film Festival, Hungary 2015
5th Berlin Favourites International Film Festival, Germany 2015
10th Teaneck International Film Festival, New Jersey, USA 2015
15th Nashville Jewish Film Festival, Texas, USA 2015
24th Silicon Valley Jewish Film Festival, California, USA 2015
18th Shanghai Film Festival, China 2015
1st Moscow Jewish Film Festival, Russia 2015
18th National Center for Jewish Film WOM - Kendall, USA 2015
11th White River Indie Film Festival, USA 2015
17th River Run Film Festival, Winston Salem, USA 2015
22nd Pittsburgh Jewish Film Festival, Pittsburgh, USA 2015
7th Trenton Foreign Film Festival, Trenton, USA 2015
16th Wisconsin Film Festival, Wisconsin, USA 2015
34th Minneapolis St Paul Film Festival, USA 2015
17th Sarasota Film Festival, Sarasota, USA 2015
20th Vilnius International Film Festival, Greece 2015
19th Hartford Jewish Film Festival, Hartford, USA 2015
39th Cleveland International Film Festival, Cleveland, USA 2015
1st Muestra de Cine de Quebec, Mexico, 2015
3rd Annapolis Film Festival, USA 2015
22nd Febiofest International Film Festival, Prague, Czech Republic 2015
16e Festival du film francophone, Athens, Greece 2015
32nd Miami International Film Festival, USA 2015
14th Westchester Jewish Film Festival, Pleasantville, USA 2015
19th Tampa Bay Jewish Film Festival, USA 2015
30th Festival International de Cine de Guadalajara (Panorama International Section), Mexico, 2015
4th Sun Valley Film Festival, USA 2015
3rd Jewish Film and Cultural Festival of Lisbon, Portugal 2015
25th Washington Jewish Film Festival, USA 2015
38th Goteborg International Film Festival, Sweden, 2015
25th San Diego Jewish Film Festival, USA 2015
38th Portland International Film Festival, USA 2015
16th Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, USA 2015
24th New York Jewish Film Festival, USA 2015
26th Palm Springs International Film Festival, USA 2015
16e Jerusalem Jewish Film Festival, Israel 2014
12th Whistler Film Festival, British Columbia, Canada 2014
18th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Estonia 2014
32nd Torino Film Festival (International Competition), Italia 2014
18e Cinéma du Québec à Paris, France 2014
4e Festival Arte Mare de Bastia, Corsica 2014
34e Festival International du Film d‘Amiens (International Competition), France 2014
28th Festival International du Cinéma Francophone en Acadie, Nouveau Brunswick, Canada 2014
20th Cucalorus Film Festival, North Carolina, USA 2014
26e Festival International du Film Francophone de Tübingen-Stuttgart (Horizons), Germany 2014
10th Windsor Film Festival, Ontario, Canada 2014
9th Rome Film Market, Italia 2014
38th Sao Paulo International Film Festival (International Perspective Section), Brazil 2014
16th Mumbai Film Festival (World Cinema Section), India 2014
30th Warsaw Film Festival (International Competition), Poland 2014
43e FNC (International Competition), Montreal, Quebec 2014
30th Haifa International Film Festival (International Competition), Israel 2014
50th Chicago International Film Festival, Illinois, USA 2014
28e Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur (Official Competition),
Belgium 2014
22th Hamburg Film Festival, Germany 2014
62th San Sebastian Film Festival (Official selection), Spain 2014
38th TIFF (Contemporary World Cinema competition) Ontario, Canada 2014

Head Down (La tête en bas)

2013

Fiction | 29 min | HD | 1.85:1 | Color
Director & screenwriter
Production Metafilms

Awards

Blue Angel for Best Short Film, 22th Art Film Fest, Slovak Republic, 2014 Festivals
FESTIVALS
22th Art Film Fest, International Competition of Short Films, Slovak Republic, 2014
18e Regard sur le court métrage au Saguenay, Chicoutimi, Québec, 2014
32e Rendez-vous du Cinéma Québécois, Montréal, Québec, 2014
15th MECAL, International Short Film and Animation Festival of Barcelona, Spain, 2013
28th Festival International du Film Francophone, Namur, Belgique, 2013
18th Milano Film Festival, Milano, Italia, 2013
42e Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, Montréal, Québec, 2013

Jo for Jonathan (Jo pour Johathan)

2010

Fiction | 81 min | HD | 1.85:1 | Color
Director & screenwriter
Reprise Films et Nouveau Film

Awards

Critic’s Award Official Competition – FNC Montreal, 2011
Best Film & Best Actor Awards – Gotham Film Festival, NY 2011
Gilles Carles Award for First/ second Quebec feature film, Montreal 2011
Cinema and the city award, international competition – International Film Festival of Thessaloniki 2011
Best Actor Award – Whistler Film Festival 2011

Tomorrow (Demain)

2008

Fiction | 104 min | 35 mm | 2.35 :1 | couleur
Director & screenwriter
Production: Nufilm

Awards

Jury’s Special Mention – Tübingen, Germany 2008

The Days (Les jours)

2006

Fiction | 26 min| HD | Color
Director & screenwriter
Production Nù Films

Awards

Best Canadian Film Short Cuts Award -TIFF 2006
Louve d'or for Best Short Film – Montreal FNC, 2006
Nominated for Best Short Film - Jutra Awards

Red (Le rouge au sol)

2006

Fiction | 16 min | DD | Color
Director & screenwriter
Production: Nù Films

Awards

Genie Award, Best Live Action Drama, Canada, 2007
Best Short Film Award – Festival du film francophone de Vaulx-en-Velin, Rhône, France 2007
Best Short Film Award – Toronto Short Film Festival 2006
Best Film Award – Melbourne International Film Festival, Australia 2006
Best Actor & Best Short Film Award – Milano International Film Festival, Italia 2006
Finalist at Jutra of Best short film, Montreal 2006

Maxime Giroux is a Director of over forty TV ads : SAAQ | MSSS | Élections Québec | CRCQ | LOTO_QUÉBEC | Fédération des Producteurs du Porc du Québec | Fondation Jasmin Roy | La Fondation de l’hôpital de Montréal pour enfants | Bélair Direct |Volkswagen | Plaisirs Gastronomiques | Via Rail | Mazda | Penningtons | Honda | Patrick Morin
Production: Les Enfants