Making Movie History: Pierre Patry

It was Claude Jutra, always keen to work with friends, who brought Pierre Patry to the NFB, inviting him to assist on Les mains nettes (1958). Patry would direct a dozen films of his own, including Petit discours de la méthode ( 1963). He left early, dreaming of directing features--and by the tim he was 30, he had founded Coopératio and attained his goal. His first film, Trouble-fête (1964), was a box-office hit, announcing a new dawn for Quebec's movie industry. Patry went on to produce other features, including Michel Brault's Entre la mer et l'eau douce. Joining forces with industry peers, he helped establish the federal funding agency Telefilm Canada, but did not benefit himself. Following Les colombes (Jean-Claude Lord, 1972), his final film, he quit feature-film production and turned to the world of educational TV.