Denys Arcand, Marie Clements, and Patricia Gallivan are among this year’s Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) Special Award honourees.
Ahead of the 22nd Annual DGC Awards Gala on Oct. 21, the organization has announced Arcand as its 2023 DGC Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.
Hailed by the DGC as “one of the working legends of Canadian cinema,” Arcand’s The Decline of the American Empire (1986) garnered Canada’s first Academy Award nomination for Best International Feature Film (Best Foreign Language Film), marking the first time the work of a Canadian director had been nominated on a Canadian production, outside of documentary or shorts. He continued that success with Oscar-winning film The Barbarian Invasions (2003) and the Oscar-nominated Jesus of Montreal (1989). Arcand, 82, released his latest satirical comedy, Testament, earlier this month.
“I am beyond honoured to announce Denys Arcand as recipient of the DGC’s Lifetime Achievement Award,” said DGC President Warren P. Sonoda, in an announcement. “Denys and Denys’ work have helped shaped the career of so many Canadian filmmakers of his generation and beyond, his art and artistry opening doors to the world and his voice redefining what’s possible in popular cinema.”
Marie Clements is the DGC Impact Award for Inclusion & Leadership honouree. Since writing, directing and producing her first feature, Red Snow, in 2019, her films have garnered 29 awards and numerous nominations. Her latest production Bones of Crows (2022) featured more than 60 Indigenous performers and saw over 50 Indigenous and BIPOC crew members work behind-the-scenes, offering many their first opportunity in senior roles.
DGC has also named Patricia Gallivan as an Honourary Life Member. Over the last three decades, Gallivan has represented DGC BC through nine rounds of collective bargaining, dating back to before the Guild’s initial contracts with producers’ associations. Her work on labour board hearings on Section 41, established the framework for collective bargaining in B.C. Recognized as a leading labour and employment lawyer, she is a fellow in the U.S. College of Labor and Employment Lawyers and former President of the Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers (CACE).
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