Julien Élie
Canadian film director
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Julien Élie is a Canadian documentary filmmaker from Quebec, most noted for his films Dark Suns (Soleils noirs)[1] and The White Guard (La Guardia blanca).[2]
He began his career with a supporting role as Pierre in the 1984 film The Dog Who Stopped the War (La Guerre des tuques),[3] but later worked as a boom operator on films rather than continuing an acting career.[2]
He released his first documentary film, The One Who Knew (Celui qui savait), in 2001. The film centred on the investigation into the assassination of Rwandan politician Seth Sendashonga.[4] He followed up with The Last Meal (Le Dernier repas), about prisoners on death row in Texas, in 2003.[5]
Dark Suns and The White Guard both focused on the issue of violent crime in Mexico.[2]
His newest film, Shifting Baselines, premiered at the 2025 edition of the Visions du Réel documentary film festival.[6]
Filmography
- The One Who Knew (Celui qui savait) - 2001
- The Last Meal (Le Dernier repas) - 2003
- Dark Suns (Soleils noirs) - 2018
- The White Guard (La Guardia blanca) - 2023
- Shifting Baselines - 2025
Awards
| Award | Date | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOXA Documentary Film Festival | 2019 | Colin Low Award | Dark Suns (Soleils noirs) | Honored | [7] |
| Filmfest Hamburg | 2019 | Sichtwechsel Film Award | Won | [8] | |
| Montreal International Documentary Festival | 2018 | Grand Prize, National Feature | Won | [9] | |
| 2023 | Magnus Isacsson Award | The White Guard (La Guardia blanca) | Won | [10] | |
| Student Jury Award | Won | ||||
| Prix Iris | 2020 | Best Documentary Film | Dark Suns (Soleils noirs) | Nominated | [11] |
