John L'Ecuyer explained

John L'Ecuyer
Birth Date:15 November 1964
Birth Place:Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Education:Ryerson Polytechnical Institute (now Toronto Metropolitan University)

John L'Ecuyer (born November 15, 1964) is a Canadian film and television director.

Biography

Born in Montreal, L'Ecuyer later moved and studied at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in Toronto, where his classmates included screenwriter Brad Abraham. His brother Gerald L'Ecuyer is also a film and television director.[1]

L'Ecuyer's first feature, Curtis's Charm (1995), based on a short story by Jim Carroll, starred Maurice Dean Wint as Curtis, a paranoid drug addict who believes his mother-in-law has cast a voodoo spell on him, which has resulted in his being stalked by a killer squirrel.[2] It was shot on black and white 16 mm film.[3]

The film, executive produced by Atom Egoyan and Patricia Rozema, premiered at the 1995 Toronto International Film Festival,[4] where it received a special jury citation as Best Canadian Feature Film.[5]

Also at TIFF that year, L'Ecuyer's short film Use Once and Destroy (1995) received another special jury citation at the festival, for Best Canadian Short Film.[6] The short film was based on his own book, titled UseOnceAndDestroy, which was published in 1998 by Gutter Press.[7]

L'Ecuyer's other feature film credits include Saint Jude and On the Verge of a Fever, both of which premiered at TIFF.[8] [9] His feature documentary, Confessions of a Rabid Dog, won Best Social Documentary at HotDocs.[10]

In 1999, Playback called him "one of the country’s top dramatic directors."[11]

Since the 2000s, L'Ecuyer has worked primarily in television. His television work includes dozens of popular series such as ReGenesis and Murdoch Mysteries, and he has also directed over a dozen made-for-television films.

Filmography

Director

YearTitleNotes
1994It's a Beautiful Day
1994Low Life
1995Use Once and Destroy
1995Curtis's Charm
1996The Rez (TV series)
1996–1997Ready or Not (TV series)"Prince Charming" (1996)
"Second Generation" (1997)
"Saint Carla" (1997)
1997Confessions of a Rabid Dog
1997The Hunger (TV series)
1998Da Vinci's Inquest (TV series)"Known to the Ministry" (1998)
"The Stranger Inside" (1998)
1998–1999Traders (TV series)"Meltdown"
"End Games" (1998)
"Reap the Whirlwind" (1998)
"Killer Instinct" (1998)
"This World ... Then the Fireworks" (1999)
1999Cold Squad (TV series)"Deadly Games: Part I"
1999–2000The City (TV series)"Shadows" (1999)
"Obsessions" (1999)
"Swing Your Partner" (2000)
"Sweet Cherub: Part I" (2000)
"Blindside! (2000)
2000Live Through This
2000Saint Jude
2000Queer as Folk (TV series)
2001Blue Murder (TV series)"Steel Drums" (2001)
"Remington Park" (2001)
2001
2001–2002A Nero Wolfe Mystery (TV series)"Eeny Meeny Murder Moe"
"Disguise for Murder"
"Too Many Clients"
"Before I Die"
"Help Wanted, Male"
2002Tom Stone (TV series)
2002–2003Just Cause (TV series)"Tonia with a O" (2002)
"Trial by Memory" (2003)
2003Choice: The Henry Morgentaler Story
2004
2004On the Verge of a Fever (Le Goût des jeunes filles)
2005Under the Dragon's Tail
200611 Cameras (TV series)
2007In God's Country
2004–2007ReGenesis (TV series)"Baby Bomb" (2004)
"The Oldest Virus" (2004)
"Blackout" (2004)
"The Secret War" (2004)
"Resurrection" (2005)
"The Longest Night" (2005)
"Haze" (2006)
"China" (2006)
"The Cocktail" (2006)
"Our Men in Havana" (2006)
"Adrift" (2007)
2008The Guard (TV series)"Fistful of Rain" (2008)
"Body Parts" (2008)
2008The Good Times are Killing Me
2008–2011Murdoch Mysteries (TV series)"Bad Medicine" (2008)
"The Prince and the Rebel" (2008)
"The Curse of Beaton Manor" (2010)
"Monsieur Murdoch" (2011)
"Confederate Treasure" (2011)
2012The Listener (TV series)"Captain Nightfall" (2012)
2012The RiverbankTV film
2012Methadonia
2013Sorority Surrogate
2013My Daughter's Nightmare
2013The SSLSM
2014A Date with Miss Fortune
2014It Came From Above
2015Blood and Water (TV series)
2014The Other world (TV series)
2016Gangland Undercover (TV series)
2016Early Release
2016Real Detective (TV series)
2017—2019The Detectives (CBC)

Writer

YearTitleNotes
1994Low Life
1994It's a Beautiful Day
1995Use Once and Destroy
1995Curtis's Charm
1997Confessions of a Rabid Dog
2012Methadonia

Producer

YearTitleNotes
2006ReGenesis (TV series)Creative producer
2007The LimitsExecutive producer

External links

Notes and References

  1. "Filmmaker Gerald L'Ecuyer". Toronto Star, August 15, 1999.
  2. "The romance of junkie paranoia". The Globe and Mail, September 14, 1995.
  3. Web site: Playback Staff . September 11, 1995 . Special Report: Toronto International Film Festival: Curtis's Charm . December 14, 2022 . Playback.
  4. Web site: Leydon . Jim . Joe Leydon . September 25, 1995 . Curtis's Charm . December 14, 2022 . Variety.
  5. "Film fest names winners". Edmonton Journal, September 18, 1995.
  6. "Surprise winner for best Canadian film at Toronto Film Festival is Live Bait". Canadian Press, September 17, 1995.
  7. Hal Niedzviecki, "Use Once and Destroy". Quill & Quire, Fall 1998.
  8. Web site: Lazar . Dave . September 4, 2000 . St. Jude . 2024-01-17.
  9. "African cinema's moment in the sun; Continent better represented at fest than ever: Pioneering movie in Zulu among noteworthy flicks". Toronto Star, September 10, 2004.
  10. Web site: Swedko . Pam . April 6, 1998 . Hot Docs fetes winners . 2024-01-17.
  11. Web site: Staff . Playback . April 5, 1999 . Spring prep for L'Ecuyer, Cote, Lord and Paramagian movies . 2024-01-17.