Joannie Lafrenière

Documentary filmmaker and photographer, Joannie Lafrenière loves human beings. She also enjoys the simple pleasures in life, like riding her bike down a hill and feeling the wind flow through her (...) hair, line dancing in pleasant company, lazy summer days, jigsaw puzzles comprised of less than 100 pieces, mismatched chinaware and ostentatious headgear. Her work is influenced by an anthropological approach and she uses the camera as an excuse to establish relationships with people who tickle her curiosity, and then highlight them through portraits in which humanity, staging, color and humor are central. She enjoys using the codes and aesthetics of pop culture playfully, along with the power of kitsch to avoid the trap of caricature. Holding degrees in journalism and photography, Joannie has exhibited her work internationally. In recent years, she has directed films for television, the web (with NFB), as well as many independent projects. Her three latest documentary projects, THE WOMAN WHO SAW THE BEAR, SNOWBIRDS and KING LAJOIE have been shown in major festivals across Canada and abroad. Joannie splits her time between her two passions, photography and documentary filmmaking, and her involvement with senior communities. She lives, works and plays in Montreal, Canada – but has been known to escape to faraway places.