André Forcier
A Quebec filmmaker who paints the province's gritty margins with strokes of magic, blending everyday reality with wild fantasy.
Born 1947 (age 79)·Canadian film director and screenwriter·Birthday: July 19·Baby Boomers
Biography
André Forcier emerged from Montreal in the 1970s, quickly establishing himself as a singular, stubborn voice in Canadian cinema. Rejecting both glossy nationalism and stark realism, he crafted a filmography that feels like a secret history of Quebec, told through the eyes of its barflies, dreamers, and outcasts. His worlds are tactile and soiled, set in crumbling taverns and forgotten neighborhoods, yet they are constantly punctured by surreal, tender, or grotesque flights of fancy. This unique alchemy, often compared to Latin American magic realism but wholly his own, creates a poignant, unsentimental poetry from life's losers. Forcier has worked largely outside the mainstream, nurturing a loyal following who cherish his unwavering, eccentric vision over decades, making him a true cult auteur of the north.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
André was born in 1947, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When André Was Born
The biggest hits of 1947
#1 Movie
The Egg and I
Best Picture
Gentleman's Agreement
André's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1947Born
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1952Started school
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1960Became a teenager
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1963Could drive
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1965Could vote
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1968Turned 21
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1977Turned 30
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1987Turned 40
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 50
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 60
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 70
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 79 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Directed 'Bar Salon' (1974), a foundational film in Quebec's cinematic new wave that captured working-class life with raw authenticity.
- Crafted 'Au clair de la lune' (1983), a critically adored fantasy-drama that became a landmark of his magical realist style.
- His film 'The Countess of Baton Rouge' (2006) showcased his enduring ability to blend historical narrative with imaginative storytelling.
- Maintained a distinct, consistent artistic vision across more than a dozen feature films over five decades.
Did You Know?
His film 'Une histoire inventée' (1990) starred the celebrated French actress Fanny Ardant.
He frequently collaborates with actor and musician Michel Côté.
His work is often characterized by a 'Rabelaisian' quality, referring to a focus on the bodily and the grotesque.
“My films are for the people who drink in the taverns, not the ones who own them.”
