Claude Gagnon

• Born — 1949 12 18

• Birthplace — Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada

• Occupation — Film director, screenwriter, editor, actor

• Spouse — Yuri Yoshimura-Gagnon

Claude Gagnon (klod ɡaɲɔ̃; born 18 December 1949) is a Canadian filmmaker and actor, who frequently works in both Canada and Japan.

A Quebec native, Gagnon first came to Japan in 1970 as photojournalist covering Expo '70 in Osaka. He met his wife, ballerina-turned-filmmaker Yuri Yoshimura, whom he married in 1973.

"My original plan was to spend six months in Japan, and then to go to Indonesia before heading to Europe. I thought I’d do my little trip like everyone else did in those days. But after six months I still didn’t understand a thing. There were very few foreigners living in Japan in those days, and I remember that if you saw a Westerner in Kyoto, you’d crossed the road to say hi and trade phone numbers. It was the era of “Peace and Love”‒‒euphoric and stimulating."

Gagnon's introduction to the film industry was as an actor, notably playing a villain in the Sonny Chiba martial arts film Return of the Street Fighter (1974).

He made his directorial debut with 1979's Keiko, a neorealist-inspired lesbian-themed drama. The film was a popular success and earned Gagnon the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award, the first foreign-born filmmaker to do so.

• Year — Title — Notes

• 1979 — Keiko

• 1982 — Larose, Pierrot and Luce

• 1985 — Pale Face

• 1988 — Kenny

• 1991 — The Pianist

• 1995 — Pour l'amour de Thomas

• 2004 — Revival Blues

• 2005 — Kamataki

• 2012 — Karakara

• 2020 — Old Buddies

• Year — Title — Role — Notes

• 1974 — Return of the Street Fighter — Don Costello

• 1976 — Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist — Joe Spencer

• 1977 — Rashamen — Smith

• Institution — Year — Category — Work — Result

• Berlin International Film Festival — 1988 — UNICEF Award — Kenny

• CIFEJ Award

• 2006 — Crystal Award — Kamataki

• César Awards — 1986 — Best French-Language Film — Pale Face

• Directors Guild of Japan — 1979 — New Directors Award — Keiko

• Genie Awards — 2000 — Best Motion Picture — Winter Stories

• Hochi Film Awards — 1979 — Special Award — Keiko

• Mar del Plata International Film Festival — 2006 — Best Film (International Competition) — Kamataki

• Montreal World Film Festival — 1985 — Best Canadian Film — Pale Face

• 1987 — Grand Prix des Amériques — Kenny

• 2005 — Grand Prix des Amériques — Kamataki

• Prize of the Ecumenical Jury

• Best Director

• People's Choice Award

• FIPRESCI Prize

• Most Popular Canadian Feature Film

• 2012 — Grand Prix des Amériques — Karakara

• Most Popular Canadian Feature Film

• Openness to the World Award

• Paris Film Festival — 1988 — Special Jury Prize — Kenny

• Prix Iris — 2013 — Best Screenplay — Karakara

• 2022 — Public Prize — Old Buddies

• Tokyo International Film Festival — 1991 — Grand Prix — The Pianist