François Girard
A cinematic maestro who weaves intricate, music-driven narratives, from the fractured portrait of Glenn Gould to the centuries-spanning journey of a violin.
Born 1963 (age 63)·French Canadian director and screenwriter·Birthday: January 12·Baby Boomers
Biography
François Girard approaches film like a composer structuring a symphony, with a deep fascination for the intersection of art, time, and human obsession. Emerging from Montreal's experimental video scene, he announced himself with 'Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould,' a daring, fragmented biography of the pianist that mirrored the structure of Bach's Goldberg Variations. This wasn't mere biography; it was an essay on genius and isolation. He then achieved global resonance with 'The Red Violin,' an audacious narrative that followed a single instrument across continents and centuries, winning an Oscar for its score. Girard's work consistently returns to performance—whether in the backstage drama of 'Silk' or his stunning operatic productions for the stage. He is a patient, precise filmmaker less interested in plot than in pattern, using the medium to explore how beauty and craft resonate through time.
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.
François was born in 1963, 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 François Was Born
The biggest hits of 1963
#1 Movie
Cleopatra
Best Picture
Tom Jones
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
François's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1963Born
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
1968Started school
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!
1976Became a teenager
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Could drive
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1981Could vote
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Turned 21
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1993Turned 30
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 40
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 50
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 60
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 63 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Directed and co-wrote 'The Red Violin,' which won the Academy Award for Best Original Score and 13 Genie Awards.
- Created the innovative biographical film 'Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould,' structuring it as a series of vignettes.
- Won an Emmy Award for directing the television opera 'Peter Grimes' for The Metropolitan Opera.
- Helmed the large-scale cinematic adaptation of the Chinese epic 'Song of the Phoenix.'
- Has directed acclaimed productions for major opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera and La Scala.
Did You Know?
His film 'The Red Violin' used five different languages across its various historical settings.
He initially studied music and visual arts before moving into filmmaking.
He directed a celebrated production of Wagner's 'Parsifal' for the Metropolitan Opera that was later released in cinemas worldwide.
The screenplay for 'The Red Violin' was workshopped at the Sundance Institute's writers lab.
“I am looking for the music in images and the images in music.”
