Jean-Marc Vallée

Jean-Marc Vallée (; March 9, 1963 – December 25, 2021) was a Canadian filmmaker. After studying film at the , Vallée went on to make a number of critically acclaimed short films, including, (1995), and (1998).

His debut feature, Black List (1995), was nominated for nine Genie Awards, including nods for Vallée's direction and editing. His fourth feature film, C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005), received further critical acclaim and was a financial success. Due to Vallée's perfectionism, and the tight budget, the film took almost ten years to make.

He was known for his naturalistic approach to filming, encouraging actors to improvise during takes, and used natural lighting and handheld cameras. He described himself as being like "a kid on a set. A kid playing with a huge toy and having fun". He studied filmmaking at the and the . The music videos were part of a project by to produce 30 music videos in 30 days for a total budget of not over $50,000 CAD. had been founded earlier that year in May 1985 by , and , and wound up producing a total of 32 music videos, all directed during the month of August, with editing spanning September and October.

Vallée was one of four directors (along with , and ) to helm directorial duties. His music videos included Wild Touch's My Chick Is In My Bed, Glockenspiel's Odeline, Park Avenue's Don't Talk To Strangers, Angel's Angel's Evolution and New News' The Splice Of Life. The music videos later aired on Canadian television through MuchMusic.

Vallée later adopted a more personal and autobiographical tone with Magical Flowers (1995) and Magical Words (1998), awarded respectively Best Short Film at the 16th Genie Awards and the 1st Jutra Awards, in which the director explored the relationship between father and son.

1995–2005: Directorial film debut Vallée made his feature-length debut in 1995 with (Black List), which became the highest-grossing film in Quebec that year and received nine Genie Award nominations, including Best Motion Picture and Best Achievement in Direction. After these two low-budget productions, he directed two episodes of the television series The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne (2000).

During the mid-1990s, Vallée was preparing C.R.A.Z.Y. from a screenplay inspired by his own youth and that of his co-writer, François Boulay. Vallée wanted to shoot the film in the United States, but his friend Michel Côté, who also starred in Black List, convinced him to shoot in Quebec. After ten years in production, C.R.A.Z.Y. was finally released in 2005 and became one of the most successful films in Quebec history, both financially and critically.

It tells the story of Zachary Beaulieu, a young man dealing with homophobia and heterosexism while growing up with four brothers and a conservative father in 1960s and 1970s Quebec. The role of Zachary Beaulieu was portrayed by , while and starred as Zachary's parents. C.R.A.Z.Y. had its world premiere at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival and was awarded Best Canadian Feature Film. It received several accolades, including eleven Genie Awards and thirteen Jutra Awards. C.R.A.Z.Y. was also selected as Canada's official submission for the 2005 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

2009–2015: Established career The Young Victoria (2009)

After the success of C.R.A.Z.Y., Graham King and Martin Scorsese hired Jean-Marc Vallée to direct the period drama The Young Victoria. Written by Julian Fellowes, the film is based on the early life and reign of Queen Victoria, and her marriage to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The film stars Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany, Miranda Richardson, and Jim Broadbent among a large ensemble cast. Critical reception was generally positive and the film was nominated for three Academy Awards, winning the 2009 Academy Award for Best Costume Design.

(2011)

In 2011, Vallée wrote, directed, and edited , a love story which connects a man and woman living in present-day Montreal with a mother and her son in 1960s Paris. The film starred French pop star and Québécois actors , , and . It received generally positive reviews from Canadian film critics and garnered 13 nominations at the 32nd Genie Awards. American reviews were more mixed; Variety's Boyd van Hoeij saluted the film's casting, but deemed unoriginal, noting that "Vallée has taken what made C.R.A.Z.Y so successful, and simply tried to replicate it on a slightly larger scale. [Occasionally] similarities between the films... are so striking it almost feels like Vallée's ripping himself off".

Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

Vallée's next film, Dallas Buyers Club, starred Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto, and Jennifer Garner. The film is based on the true-life tale of Ron Woodroof, an electrician in Texas diagnosed with AIDS and given 30 days to live, who began smuggling alternative medicine and not-yet-approved drugs into the United States to help himself and other AIDS patients.

Wild (2014)

Vallée's film Wild, starring Reese Witherspoon, premiered on August 29, 2014, at the Telluride Film Festival, and was also featured at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8 and the San Diego Film Festival on September 24. It was released in North America on December 5, 2014. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards, Best Actress for Reese Witherspoon, and Best Supporting Actress for Laura Dern.

In May 2015, Vallée received the National Arts Centre Award, a companion award of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards, given to an artist in recognition of work of an extraordinary nature over the previous performance year.

Demolition (2015)

Vallée's next film, Demolition (2015), starred Jake Gyllenhaal and Naomi Watts, and opened the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2015.

2017–2019: HBO limited series Big Little Lies (2017–2019)

In 2017, he directed and executive-produced the acclaimed HBO miniseries Big Little Lies, winning a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special.

Sharp Objects (2018)

Vallée also directed and executive-produced all the episodes of Sharp Objects for HBO in 2018. The series was based on the novel by Gillian Flynn. In April 2021, he and Nathan Ross via Crazyrose signed a deal with HBO and HBO Max.

Unfinished projects

In 2018, Vallée was set to direct the HBO miniseries Gorilla and the Bird.

Prior to his death, Vallée finished writing the script for what frequent collaborator said "could have been his biggest" film. The project was a drama about the love story between John Lennon and Yoko Ono, for Universal Pictures. Ono herself reached out to Vallée, wanting him to direct the film after seeing Café de Flore. He officially signed on in late 2018, and developed the script over the next two years while doing reams of research and adopting "a very serious writing schedule every day."

Personal life and death Vallée was married to , a screenwriter, from 1990 until their divorce in 2006. They had two sons, Alex and Émile. Vallée was made an Officer of the Order of Canada (OC) in 2017, and an officer in the National Order of Quebec (OQ) in 2020. His son with , , played the part of Young Zachary in his 2005 film, C.R.A.Z.Y. Earlier reports on his death had been split between December 25 and 26, with Vallée's publicist giving a December 26 date of death to CNN and The Washington Post. Additionally, the preliminary coroner report did not determine an exact cause of death, despite reports from his representatives suggesting it was a suspected heart attack. His cause of death being arrhythmia would be revealed on April 13, 2022.

Following his death, the Directors Guild of Canada renamed its DGC Discovery Award for emerging filmmakers to the Jean-Marc Vallée DGC Discovery Award in his memory, and filmmaker announced the production of Cut Print Thank You Bye, a documentary film about Vallée's life and career. The Apple TV+ series Lady in the Lake, which Vallée had intended on directing, was dedicated to his memory. He is posthumously credited as one of the executive producers.

Filmography Short films Year Title Director Writer ExecutiveProducer Editor 1991 Stereotypes 1995 Magical Flowers 1998 Magical Words 2012 Little Pig

Feature films Year Title Director Writer Producer Editor 1995 Black List 1997 1999 Loser Love 2005 C.R.A.Z.Y. 2009 The Young Victoria 2011 2013 Dallas Buyers Club 2014 Wild 2015 Demolition

Television Year Title Director ExecutiveProducer Editor Notes 2017–2019 Big Little Lies 2 seasons 2018 Sharp Objects 8 episodes 2024 Lady in the Lake Posthumous release

Awards and nominations + Awards and nominations received by Vallée's films Year Title Academy Awards BAFTA Awards Golden Globe Awards Nominations Wins Nominations Wins Nominations Wins 2009 The Young Victoria 3 1 2 2 1 2013 Dallas Buyers Club 6 3 2 2 2014 Wild 2 1 1 Total 11 4 3 2 4 2

Academy Awards Year Category Title Result 2013 Best Film Editing Dallas Buyers Club

Directed Academy Award performancesUnder Vallée's direction, these actors have received Academy Award wins and nominations for their performances in their respective roles.

Genie Awards Year Category Title Result 1993 Best Live Action Short Drama Stereotypes 1996 Best DirectorBlack List Best Editing 2006 Best Motion PictureC.R.A.Z.Y. Best Director Best Original Screenplay 2012 Best Motion Picture Best Director Best Original Screenplay

Jutra Awards Year Category Title Result 1999 Best Live Action Short Film Magical Words 2006 Best FilmC.R.A.Z.Y. Best Director Best Screenplay Most Successful Film Outside Quebec 2007 2012 Best Director Most Successful Film Outside Quebec

Primetime Emmy Awards Year Category Work Result2017 Outstanding Limited SeriesBig Little Lies Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series Outstanding Picture Editing for a Limited Series 2019 Outstanding Limited SeriesSharp Objects Outstanding Picture Editing for a Limited Series

Explanatory notes