Born in Toronto in 1969 to French parents, Noël Mitrani is a film director, producer and screenwriter. He spent his childhood going between Ontario and France. A graduate of history and philosophy at the Sorbonne, Noël directed his first short film After Shave in 1999, a comedy set in a suburban supermarket. Three other short films followed, the last of which Les Siens addresses the confusion possible between dreams and reality. In 2004, he moved to Montreal and directed his first feature film, Sur la trace d’Igor Rizzi, a black comedy starring Laurent Lucas. This film won the award for Best Canadian First Feature Film at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival. His second picture, The Kate Logan Affair, a dark and mysterious thriller starring Alexis Bledel, is widely distributed all over the world. His third picture The Military man is a drama about a former French soldier, whose trauma caused by his memories of conflict leads him towards an unhealthy relationship with women. In Après coup (2017), Mitrani dissects the insidiousness of guilt as well as the unsuspected possibilities of survival. In Cassy (2019), childhood and grieving confront some hot-button issues when sexual harassment enters the scene. Natacha Mitrani, the director’s daughter, is heartbreaking in the challenging role of Cassy.
questionnaire:
Where were you born, where did you grow up, where do you live now?
I was born in Toronto, I grew up in France, I live in Montreal
First film you made, and where and when?
After Shave, short film (1999, shot in Paris, France)
Latest film you made, and where and when?
Cassy (Montréal, 2018)
Describe your current living space.
Living with my wife and 3 kids in a 6 ½. condo in Plateau Mont-Royal. Luckily we have a backyard!
What Canadian would you challenge to make an isolation movie?
The painful experience of my friend and actress Myriam who works in CHSLD residential and long term care as a volunteer.
In the history of cinema whose isolation movie would you want to see?
Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954).
Worst thing about being in isolation?
The feeling of living in a world that has no meaning.
Best thing about being in isolation?
I can see my family constantly!
Favourite book to read in isolation?
My Lunches with Orson: Conversations between Henry Jaglom and Orson Welles.
Favourite music to listen to in isolation?
Songs of the ’70s.
Favourite movies to watch in isolation?
Classic movies from the 50s, 60s & 70s.
Favourite meal in isolation?
Mixed salad and cheese
What’s the last best thing you cooked?
Coconut macaroons.
Any other question you’d like to answer?
Question: Will the world change for the better or for the worse after this crisis?
Answer: I need to think about it a little…
