François Girard was born in Quebec, Canada, in 1963. A renowned filmmaker, Girard is best known for his work in writing and directing a wide range of projects, including feature films, plays, and operas.
In 1993, Girard's feature film Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould gained international recognition, earning four top Genie Awards. Five years later, he directed The Red Violin, which received an Academy Award for best original score, solidifying his position as a prominent figure in the international film industry. The film also won eight Genie Awards and nine Jutra Awards.
Girard's 1994 concert film Peter Gabriel's Secret World became a bestseller and earned him a Grammy Award. He also directed one of the six episodes of the acclaimed series Yo-yo Ma Inspired by Bach.
In 1997, Girard made his opera directorial debut with Oedipus Rex / Symphony of Psalms by Stravinsky and Cocteau, which received numerous awards and was named the best theatrical show of the year by The Guardian. He has also directed other notable opera works, including Lost Objects for the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Wagner's Siegfried, the Flight of Lindbergh / Seven Deadly Sins from Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht, and Kaija Saariaho's Émilie. His most recent opera work is Parsifal, which earned him and the Metropolitan Opera Company a remarkable critical success.
Girard has also worked extensively in the realm of theater, directing productions such as Alessandro Baricco's Novecento, Kafka's Trial, and Yasushi Inoue's Hunting Gun. He is currently working on a new production of Waiting for Godot.
Throughout his career, Girard has received numerous accolades, including three Herald Angel Awards for Best Production at the Edinburgh Festival.
