Francis Mankiewicz
- Born
- 1944 · Shanghai.
- Died
- 1993 · Montreal.
- Nationality
- Canada
- Occupation
- screenwriter · film producer · director
- Honours
- Prix Albert-Tessier
- Languages
- English
In this article
Key facts
• Name — Francis Mankiewicz • Born — 1944 3 15 • Birthplace — Shanghai, China • Died — 1993 8 14 • Place of death — Montreal, Quebec, Canada • Occupation — Film director Screenwriter Film producer • Years Active — 1972–1991 Francis Mankiewicz (March 15, 1944 in Shanghai, China – August 14, 1993 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada) was a Canadian film director, screenwriter and producer. In 1945, his family moved to Montreal, where Francis spent all his childhood. His father was a second cousin to the famous Hollywood brothers, Joseph L. Mankiewicz and Herman J. Mankiewicz.
Career
Francis Mankiewicz studied geology at McGill University and University of Montreal, and in 1966, travelled to London, England, to study filmmaking. He returned to Montreal in 1968 and assisted on several sponsored films before directing his first feature in 1972. His debut was Le temps d'une chasse, which was followed by the dysfunctional family drama Les Bons Débarras, generally regarded as his best film. He won Best Director at the Genie Awards, and the film was nominated for the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. Later he directed Love and Hate: The Story of Colin and JoAnn Thatcher, the first Canadian-produced drama to play on primetime American television. Mankiewicz died early of cancer at age 49.
Other work
• Une cause civile (Short film, 1973) • Un procès criminel (Short film, 1973) • Valentin (Short film, 1973) • L'orientation (Short film, 1974) • Expropriation (Short film, 1975) • Pointe Pelée (Short film, 1976) • What We Have Here Is a People Problem (TV movie, 1976) (Created for TV Series For the Record) • Suicide en prison (Short film aka I Was Dying Anyway, 1977) • A Matter of Choice (TV movie, 1978) (Created for TV Series For the Record) • Une journée à la Pointe Pelée (Documentary, 1978) • The Sight (Short film, 1985) • And Then You Die (TV movie, 1987) • Love and Hate: The Story of Colin and JoAnn Thatcher (TV movie, 1989) • Conspiracy of Silence (TV miniseries, 1991)
Recognition
• 1993 Gemini Award for Best Direction in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series - Conspiracy of Silence - Won • 1990 Gemini Award for Best Direction in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series - Love and Hate: The Story of Colin and JoAnn Thatcher - Won • 1989 Genie Award for Best Achievement in Direction - The Revolving Doors (Les Portes tournantes) - Nominated • 1989 Genie Award for Best Adapted Screenplay - The Revolving Doors (Les Portes tournantes) - Nominated (shared with Jacques Savoie) • 1988 Cannes Film Festival Prize of the Ecumenical Jury - Special Mention - The Revolving Doors (Les Portes tournantes) - Won • 1988 Gemini Award for Best Direction in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series - And Then You Die - Nominated • 1981 Genie Award for Best Achievement in Direction - Les bons débarras - Won • 1980 Berlin Film Festival Golden Bear - Les bons débarras - Nominated
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Shanghai.
Birth place
Montreal.
Death place
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Francis Mankiewicz, revision 1327405708 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Feature films
• The Time of the Hunt (Le Temps d'une chasse) - 1972 • A Childhood Friend (Une amie d'enfance) - 1978 • Good Riddance (Les bons débarras) - 1980 • Happy Memories (Les Beaux souvenirs) - 1981 • The Revolving Doors (Les Portes tournantes) - 1988
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Bell, Celina. Close-Ups of the Heart: Francis Mankiewicz Left a Rich Legacy. Maclean's. 49. August 30, 1993.
- 2.Handling, Piers. Francis Mankiewicz. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica.
- 3.Morris, Peter. The Film Companion. Irwin Publishing. 190–191. 1984. 0-7725-1505-0.
- 4.Festival de Cannes: Les Portes tournantes. festival-cannes.com.
- 5.IMDB.com: Awards for Good Riddance. imdb.com.
Citations
References
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 26 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Film memorabilia
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