Biography

A film and litterature graduate of Montreal University, Marcel Jean is the author of several books on Quebec cinema (Le dictionnaire du cinéma québécois, avec Michel Coulombe, éditions Boréal, 1988 ; Le cinema québécois, éditions Boréal, 1991) and animated films (Le langage des lignes, éditions Les 400 coups, 1995; Quand le cinema d'animation rencontre le vivant, editions Les 400 coups, 2006). From 1984 to 1989 he was film critic at the Montreal daily Le Devoir. In 2007 some of his film critics were published in a book (Tout est mise en scène, editions Les 400 coups). He was curator of animation at the Cinematheque québécoise from 1996 to 1998 and in 1999 he became head of the animation studio for French program at the National Film Board of Canada. While working there he produced or coproduced several internationally awarded films, including Black Soul (Martine Chartrand, 2001), Aria (Pjotr Sapegin, 2001), Accordion (Michèle Cournoyer, 2004) and Sleeping Betty (Claude Cloutier, 2007). Marcel Jean has left the NFB in 2005. He has taught history and aestetics of film at the University of Montreal since 1986. He has also directed two fiction shorts (Le rendez-vous perprétuel, 1989; Vacheries, 1990) and three documentaries (among them, État critique, 1992). He wrote the script of Dehors novembre (Patrick Bouchard, 2005) and Les visages de Champlain (Jean-François Pouliot, 2008). Since 2005 he was invited programmer for different festivals: Festival du film d'animation d'Annecy 2005 and 2006 (France), 25FPS, International festival of experimental films and videos in Zagreb 2007 (Croatia), Ottawa International Animation Festival 2007 (Canada), Siena Short Film Festival 2008 (Italy), Rencontres internationales du cinéma d'animation de Wissembourg 2009 (France). Since 1986, Marcel Jean was a jury member in 27 national or international festivals or events.
- IMDb mini biography by: Raff 6

In June 2012, Marce Jean was appointed as the new artistic director of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

On 2014 January 2, Animafest Zagreb has announced that the Animafest Award for Outstanding Contribution to Animation Studies goes to Marcel Jean, Canadian producer, director, film theorist, critic and current Artistic Director of the Annecy international Animation Film Festival. The award will be given and presented at the Animafest festival opening ceremony on 3 June 2014.

On May 4 2015, he became CEO of the Cinematheque québecoise.