| Lyse Lafontaine | |
| Nationality: | French Canadian |
| Occupation: | Film producer |
| Alma Mater: | Université de Montréal |
| Awards: | Prix Iris Hommage |
Lyse Lafontaine (born 1942) is a Canadian film producer known for working with directors Jean-Claude Lauzon and Xavier Dolan.[1] [2] [3] She works at Lyla Films in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.[1]
Born to La Presse reporter Gaston Lafontaine,[2] Lyse studied literature at the Université de Montréal and earned her degree.[4] She married Stéphane Venne and managed the rock band Offenbach in 1972. She became a stage manager on the 1974 film The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, and married her second husband, moving to The Bahamas for two years before returning to Canada.[2]
In 1976, Lafontaine served as location manager for the film The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane, starring Jodie Foster.[5] Lafontaine met Lauzon when he was pitching his screenplay for Léolo (1992), which other producers had rejected.[1] It became the first film she produced,[3] with Aimée Danis, for which they were nominated for the Genie Award for Best Motion Picture. While in Italy during filming, Lauzon gave Lafontaine a letter thanking her for her ineptitude in business, which he considered necessary to make a film with feeling. She kept it as a cherished keepsake.[2]
Working with Dolan, she produced Laurence Anyways (2012) and served as an associate producer for Mommy (2014).[1] Dolan's Laurence Anyways was inspired by Lafontaine's ex-girlfriend Luce Baillairgé, the mother of her son Mikaël, who had a small part in Léolo.[2] With Dolan, she personally traveled to London in 2017 to work on his The Death and Life of John F. Donovan.[3]
In 2015, Lafontaine produced La Passion d’Augustine with François Tremblay,[6] winning the Québec Cinéma Award for Best Film.[7] On 1 June 2017 at the 19th Quebec Cinema Awards, she was awarded the Iris Hommage for 30 years of contributions to Quebec cinema.[8]
Her films include:[9]