Biography

Annie Coutu, independent filmmaker having family and company in Gatineau (Quebec), was born in Rouyn Noranda on April 16, 1972. Annie was awarded first prize for an advertisement concept in 1990 when she directed on live radio and in front of an audience her advertisement. In 1999, she decided to take a chance by directing her own script called From A Distance which was broadcast on local stations. Loving the experience but wishing to further her skills of the industry, she received via e-mail her answer: the Hollywood Film Festival was offering 4 days of conferences with people of the industry. The festival had among its jurors people like James Cameron and Quantin Tarantino as well as other major names. It looked like she was on the right path.

Back in the Outaouais, Annie worked on the set of a government training video for the CSST. Days after that, a local producer offers her the chance to do the research and direct a documentary in the series "Lignes de vie" about cancer and nutrition. Her documentary, Un Saut Sante would be broadcast on Canal Vie and TFO.

Afterwards, Annie decided to tackle on her big project: Unexpected. To do this, she started her own production company, Aïsha Productions, and in June 2000 she invested everything she had to start the action. She would present her world premiere on September 14, 2001 in Toronto where she won the Indie Spirit Award - award given simultaneously to both the movie and filmmaker. After having traveled a lot, the movie found itself in nomination in the 2003 IFCT, an international competition where the movie traveled around the world and was nominated for Best International Film.

In September 2002, Annie took the road for France to present her second world premiere project, Éfea, an off the beaten path creation. A giant surprise would be waiting for her there, she had to wait on the third day of screening of her movie to see it as all the seats were sold for the other screening days before.

Once back, she started working on a variety show called Le Garage which was broadcast on Radio-Canada. She also directed Femmes De Pouvoir, a documentary in the series "Ça Clique" which was broadcasted on APTN.

Ready to accept new challenges, she did the post-production of a hip hop videoclip called Le Son De L'Afro and also produced and directed the groups second video, Je Danse La Vie. In September 2004, she found herself at the right place at the right time to capture scenes from a spectacular stunt - a woman pilot had a man on top of her hot air balloon - a stunt which she is the only one to have filmed. From this was born A Woman's Passion, a production that was shot over the course of a year and required many months of editing.

She has worked on feature film projects like Scare Farm, Teachers Crime and is now taking her passion to a new level. She finds that a good way to change the world is by choosing projets that reflect her engagments. Sustainable Destinations and Mathias are two examples. The first one is a documentary series about travelers who want to discover a city but choose attractions that have made the choice to protect the environment. While Mathias - a feature film for the family is the story of a 12 years old boy who decides to make a difference in his country by finding simple solutions for health, environment and economic aspects of the country. He's ready for it; but will the country be ready for Mathias.
- IMDb mini biography by: Stéphane Cloutier