Claude Gagnon

Claude Gagnon
Born	(1949-12-18) 18 December 1949 (age 76) Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada
Occupations	Film director, screenwriter, editor, actor
Spouse	Yuri Yoshimura-Gagnon

Claude Gagnon (born 18 December 1949) is a Canadian filmmaker and actor, who frequently works in both Canada and Japan. ^{[1] [2]}

Early life

A Quebec native, Gagnon first came to Japan in 1970 as photojournalist covering Expo '70 in Osaka. He met his wife, ballerina-turned-filmmaker Yuri Yoshimura, whom he married in 1973.

"My original plan was to spend six months in Japan, and then to go to Indonesia before heading to Europe. I thought I’d do my little trip like everyone else did in those days. But after six months I still didn’t understand a thing. There were very few foreigners living in Japan in those days, and I remember that if you saw a Westerner in Kyoto, you’d crossed the road to say hi and trade phone numbers. It was the era of “Peace and Love”‒‒euphoric and stimulating." ^[2]

Career

Gagnon's introduction to the film industry was as an actor, notably playing a villain in the Sonny Chiba martial arts film Return of the Street Fighter (1974).

He made his directorial debut with 1979's Keiko , a neorealist-inspired lesbian-themed drama. The film was a popular success and earned Gagnon the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award, ^[3] the first foreign-born filmmaker to do so.

Filmography

Year	Title	Notes
1979	Keiko
1982	Larose, Pierrot and Luce
1985	Pale Face
1988	Kenny
1991	The Pianist
1995	Pour l'amour de Thomas
2004	Revival Blues
2005	Kamataki
2012	Karakara	[4]
2020	Old Buddies	[5]

Acting roles

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1974	Return of the Street Fighter	Don Costello
1976	Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist	Joe Spencer
1977	Rashamen	Smith

Awards and nominations

Institution	Year	Category	Work	Result
Berlin International Film Festival	1988	UNICEF Award	Kenny	Won
		CIFEJ Award		Won
	2006	Crystal Award	Kamataki	Won
César Awards	1986	Best French-Language Film	Pale Face	Nominated
Directors Guild of Japan	1979	New Directors Award	Keiko [3]	Won
Genie Awards	2000	Best Motion Picture	Winter Stories [6]	Nominated
Hochi Film Awards	1979	Special Award	Keiko	Won
Mar del Plata International Film Festival	2006	Best Film (International Competition)	Kamataki	Nominated
Montreal World Film Festival	1985	Best Canadian Film	Pale Face [7]	Won
	1987	Grand Prix des Amériques	Kenny	Won
	2005	Grand Prix des Amériques	Kamataki	Nominated
		Prize of the Ecumenical Jury		Won
		Best Director		Won
		People's Choice Award		Won
		FIPRESCI Prize		Won
		Most Popular Canadian Feature Film		Won
	2012	Grand Prix des Amériques	Karakara	Nominated
		Most Popular Canadian Feature Film		Won
		Openness to the World Award		Won
Paris Film Festival	1988	Special Jury Prize	Kenny	Won
Prix Iris	2013	Best Screenplay	Karakara [8]	Nominated
	2022	Public Prize	Old Buddies	Nominated
Tokyo International Film Festival	1991	Grand Prix	The Pianist	Nominated

References

1. Brendan Kelly, "Claude Gagnon keeps his friends close; The Quebec director is as steadfast in his support of Serge Losique's festival as he is in his support of the Habs". Montreal Gazette , 27 August 2012.
2. "Film director, Claude Gagnon | Japan Up Close". Japan Up Close. Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
3. "New Directors Award". Directors Guild of Japan. Archived from the original on 21 September 2010. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
4. Ronnie Scheib, "Karakara". Variety , 3 September 2012.
5. Maxime Demers, "«Les vieux chums» : une touchante sincérité". Le Journal de Montréal , 20 May 2021.
6. Kelly, Brendan (13 December 1999). "Genies bottle 'Sunshine,' 'Journey' for kudo noms". Variety . Vol. 377, no. 5. p. 8.
7. Kelly, Brendan (13 December 1999). "Genies bottle 'Sunshine,' 'Journey' for kudo noms". Variety . Vol. 377, no. 5. p. 8.
8. "Spotlight shines on Quebec cinema at the Jutra awards". CBC News .

External links

• Claude Gagnon at IMDb