Montreal, Friday January 11th 2019 – Today, Groupe Dazmo, founded by Iohann Martin, Andrew Lapierre and Mitsou Gélinas, as well as Paul Hurteau announce that one of its Grandé Studios spaces will be named Studio Gratien-Gélinas. With a surface area of 14 000 square feet, the space is situated in Pointe-Saint-Charles and will house both film and television productions.
A Tribute to the Grandfather of Quebecois Theatre
“My grandfather is not only a giant of the history of arts in Canada, thanks to his theatrical works, but he was equally passionate about cinema. When there was no film production industry in Montreal, he founded the Gélinas Studios, at the corner of Sainte-Catherine and Saint-Denis. He was the first one to direct the first colour, talking short film, La Dame aux Camélias, la vraie, in 1943, before tackling the first French Canadian contemporary film 10 years later—Tit-Coq ”
Mitsou Gélinas, granddaughter of Gratien Gélinas
A company working to make Montreal shine on the international stage
The Grandé Studios complex counts 12 key film studios on hand on two sites close to the Montreal core. Opened in 2016, the Pointe-Saint-Charles studios offer 182,000 square feet of production space. Standing 54 feet tall, they are some of the tallest film production studios in the country and thus contribute to making Montreal a leading producer of film while fostering a high calibre of talent in the city. The next obvious step was naming one of the studios after a major player in the history of the performing arts in Montreal.
About Gratien Gélinas
Born in 1909 in Saint-Tite, Gratien Gélinas came from parents who knew who how to tell a story and make people laugh. He cultivated his comedic talents in church halls and his acting in the heart of amateur theatre groups. This eventually led him to writing a radio series, which spurred his on-air Fridolin character in 1937. On the heels of his success, he wrote, staged, and produced a series of nine live-action Fridolinons from 1938 to 1946.
The first big star on the Quebec scene, Gratien Gélinas went on to write four plays. His resounding successes and relentless pursuit to establish a national drama scene made him a pioneer in every sense of the word. In 1957, the man who is now recognized as the grandfather of Quebec theatre started la Comédie Canadienne, an ambitious theatrical complex which now houses the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde. In 1969, he was named president of the Canadian Film Development Corporation (which is currently known as Telefilm Canada), and contributed to the film production boom in Canada. Gratien Gélinas died in 1999, leaving behind a fascinating creative legacy imbued with his complexity and profound humanity. He was a key figure amongst the historical arts giants in the country.
The Grandé Studios complex counts 12 film production studios situated close to Montreal’s downtown core. They offer production offices, workshop areas, warehouses, painting rooms and more.
Since their opening, the new studios in Pointe-Saint-Charles have hosted various U.S. productions such as X-Men (FOX), the televised series The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair (MGM) and Jack Ryan, a Tom Clancy franchise produced Paramount (Amazon). Quebecois productions like Danser pour gagner et La guerre des clans (V) have also been filmed in the studios. Starting January 12, 2019, En direct de l’univers (Radio-Canada) will permanently move into Studio Gratien-Gélinas.
