Biografia
After studying Canadian politics and international relations, Philippe Falardeau was selected in 1993 to compete in the popular TV series La course destination monde (1988), a contest where participants traveled the world creating short films. During the competition, he produced 20 films and ultimately won both the race and the IDRC Award.
In 1995, he collaborated with director Jacques Godbout to co-write Le sort de l'Amérique (1996), a documentary produced by the National Film Board of Canada.
Two years later, he returned to the NFB to direct a medium-length documentary on Chinese immigration in Canada titled Pâté chinois (1997). The film was showcased at the Montreal World Film Festival and earned the Best Screenplay Award at the Yorkton Film Festival.
In 2000, Falardeau directed his first feature film, La moitié gauche du frigo (The Left-Hand Side of the Fridge). The movie achieved significant success in Canada and was screened at numerous international festivals including Rotterdam, London, Paris, Seattle, Vancouver, and Montreal. At the Toronto Film Festival, it won the City TV Award for Best Canadian First Feature, and at the Canadian Genie Awards, it received the Claude Jutra Award. In France, the film was distributed theatrically by Pierre Grise Distribution.
Falardeau's second feature film, Congorama (2006), was a Canada/Belgium/France co-production. Released theatrically in Quebec and Europe, the film quickly won acclaim from both audiences and critics, standing out at multiple festivals. After premiering as the closing night film at the Director's Fortnight in Cannes, Congorama was also featured at festivals in San Francisco, Toronto, Pusan, Gothenburg, and New Directors/New Films at the New York MoMA. The film won five Jutra Awards, including Best Film, Best Direction, and Best Screenplay, as well as the Best Screenplay Award at the 2007 Genies.
In September 2008, his third feature, It's Not Me, I Swear! premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. It went on to win the Best Film Award and the International Jury Award in the Generation section at the 2009 Berlin Film Festival.
