Micheline Lanctôt on AllMovie

Micheline Lanctot is a world-renowned award-winning filmmaker known for her fascinating examinations of social chaos and life on the fringe of society. Prior to becoming a director, Lanctot had a successful career as an actress who worked in both French and English productions. In 1972, she won the Canadian Film Award for her portrayal of the idealistic young Bernadette in Gilles Carle's 1972 film La vrai nature de Bernadette. In 1978, she was again nominated for the award for her portrayal of Lucky in Blood and Guts. After playing a a key role in The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Lanctot gained international recognition. Disillusioned by continual offers to play cliched female roles, Lanctot moved to Hollywood for three years. The cultural void of Tinseltown did not impress her and she returned to Quebec where she resumed working with the Canadian National Film Board where she had begun her career in the animation studios. There she wrote and directed A Token Gesture (1975), an animated short about female sterotypes. Several of her later films won international awards including a silver medal at the 1980 San Sebastain Festival for L'homme a tout faire, and a 1983 Genie (the Canadian Oscar) for her exploration of teenage despair, Sonatine.