After studying law, Jean-François Lesage began his career as a journalist for Radio-Canada television in Alberta and British Columbia. In 1998, shaken by the discovery of Chinese cinema, he headed to Beijing, where he was to spend six years. This is where he directed his first creative documentary, Sweet Nights Sour Nights (2004). He followed this up with How Can You Tell if the Little Fish Are Happy? (2009) co-directed with his brother Philippe Lesage. Back in Montréal, he then made A Mile End Tale (2013), the closing film at Visions du Réel 2014, followed by A Summer Love (2015), winner of the Grand Prize for Best Canadian Feature at the RIDM. The Hidden River (2017), his fourth feature, won the Special Jury Prize (Canadian feature) at the RIDM. In 2020, his feature Prayer for a Lost Mitten won Best Canadian Documentary at Hot Docs. His most recent documentary feature is Among Mountains and Streams (2024).
Filmography
AMONG MOUNTAINSAND STREAMS, 98 min, Documentary, 2024
PRAYOR FOR A LOST MITTEN, 79 min, Documentary, 2021
THE HIDDEN RIVER, 75min, Documentary, 2017
A SUMMER LOVE, 62 min, Documentary, 2015
A MILE END TALE, 68 min, Documentary, 2013
HOW CAN YOU TELL IF THE LITTLE FISH ARE HAPPY?, 100 min, Documentary, 2009
SWEET NIGHTS SOUR NIGHTS, 52 min, Documentary, 2004