Michèle Cournoyer

Michèle Cournoyer (born November 14, 1943) is a Canadian animator who on March 1, 2017, received a Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts for her body of work.

Early life Born in Saint-Joseph-de-Sorel, Quebec, Cournoyer began drawing at the age of five, and started painting at 12 when she was hospitalized, and her father bought her an oil paint set. At the age of 17, she had to halt her art education when her mother became ill, with Cournoyer caring for her ailing mother and the family. Her mother died when Cournoyer was 20 years of age. After two years studying in Quebec City, she moved to Montreal, then to London to study graphic arts. Studying in London during the 1960s, she was influenced by Pop Art, the Dada movement and surrealism. During the 1970s, she worked as a set designer, art director, costume designer and screenwriter for several Quebec-based film companies.

Independent film and animation work Her first animation film, Papa! Papa! Papa! (L'Homme et l'enfant), came about when a friend had a baby and Cournoyer, fascinated by the relationship between parent and child, created a photography flip book that would evolve into this film. Her 1973 short Alfredo was made during her time in Italy. Upon returning to Quebec, she worked in film as a set designer, art director, costume designer and screenwriter, with credits on such films as Mireille Dansereau's La vie rêvée (1972) and L'arrache-coeur (1979), as well as Gilles Carle's La Mort d’un bûcheron (1973). She also made her independent films Spaghettata, Toccata, Old Orchard Beach, P.Q., and Dolorosa.

Filmography Papa! Papa! Papa! (L'Homme et l'enfant), 1969 Alfredo, 1973 Spaghettata (co-directed with Jacques Drouin), 1976 La Toccata, 1976 Old Orchard Beach P. Q., 1981 Dolorasa, 1988 A Feather Tale (La Basse-cour), 1992 An Artist (Une Artiste), 1994 The Hat (Le Chapeau), 1999 The Accordion, 2004 Robes of War (Robe de guerre), 2008 Soif, 2014

Honours In 2015, she was the subjective of a special retrospective and art exhibition at the Ottawa International Animation Film Festival.