The National Film Board of Canada honours the legacy of editor and filmmaker Monique Fortier

August 27, 2025 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) wishes to highlight the exceptional contribution to Canadian cinema of distinguished editor and filmmaker Monique Fortier, who passed away on August 18 at the age of 97. Her rich career spanned more than 40 years at the NFB.

The funeral service will take place on Tuesday, October 21, at the chapel of the Mount Royal Funeral Complex (visitations from 9 to 11 a.m., service from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.).

Quote

“Monique Fortier was a pioneer who paved the way for women in the filmmaking industry. Her filmmaking skills made her an outstanding editor, contributing to the development of Direct Cinema and to the success of some of the NFB’s most acclaimed films. Her inspiring legacy deserves to be celebrated.” – Suzanne Guèvremont, Government Film Commissioner and Chairperson of the NFB

Quick Facts

• Monique Fortier was the first francophone woman to direct a film at the NFB, The Hour of Independence (1963), released the same year as 30 Minutes, Mister Plummer by Anne Claire Poirier, another francophone female NFB director.

• The next year, Fortier directed La beauté même, starring Monique Miller. One of the first films made by a woman about women.

• She next devoted herself to editing, becoming a key figure in the field in Quebec and Canada. She edited many important films produced or co-produced by the NFB, including:

• • September Five at Saint-Henri (Hubert Aquin, 1962);
  • The River Schooners (Pierre Perrault, 1968);
  • César’s Bark Canoe (Bernard Gosselin, 1971);
  • Au Chic Resto Pop (Tahani Rached, 1990);
  • Tu as crié LET ME GO (Anne Claire Poirier, 1996);
  • Alias Will James (1988) and The Fate of America (1996) by Jacques Godbout;
  • The Crime of Ovide Plouffe (1984) and The Decline of the American Empire (1986) by Denys Arcand, for which she won the Genie award for Best Editing.

• In 2014, Denys Desjardins made a film portrait of Monique Fortier for the NFB’s Making Movie History series.

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