Article

Francis Mankiewicz

Published Online December 4, 2007

Last Edited March 4, 2015

Francis Mankiewicz, filmmaker (b at Shanghai, China 15 Mar 1944; d at Montréal, Qué 14 Oct 1993). His parents fled Nazi Germany, landing in France, then China and Montréal. He studied film in England at the

Mankiewicz, Francis

  Francis Mankiewicz, filmmaker (b at Shanghai, China 15 Mar 1944; d at Montréal, Qué 14 Oct 1993). His parents fled Nazi Germany, landing in France, then China and Montréal. He studied film in England at the London School of Film Technique and made industrial films after returning to Canada in 1968. With Le Temps d'une chasse (1972), the story of a hunting weekend as seen by a young boy, he made a stunning directorial debut in feature films. He then directed 2 dramas for the CBC in English and a feature film for TV in French. His next film, Les Bons débarras (1980), in which a young girl manipulates the adult world around her, was a popular and critical success. His last film, Les Portes Tourantes (1987), based on a novel by Jacques Savoie, earned 10 Genie nominations. He was a second cousin of US director Joseph Mankiewicz.