Gilles Groulx

Montreal, Québec, Canada

Gilles Groulx (August 30, 1931 in Montreal, Quebec – August 22, 1994) was a Canadian film director. He grew up in a working-class family with 14 children. After studying business in school, he went to work in an office but found the white-collar environment too stultifying. Deciding that the only way out was to become an intellectual, he attended the École du meuble de Montréal [fr] for a time and was a supporter of Borduas' automatiste movement. He also made 8 mm amateur films, which landed him a job as picture editor in the news department of the CBC. After three short personal films that confirmed his talent, he was hired by the National Film Board (NFB) at what was the beginning of the candid eye movement in 1956.