Remembering Yolande Simard Perrault (1928–2019)
PRESS RELEASE
05/07/2019

Friday, July 5, 2019 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
The National Film Board of Canada was greatly saddened to learn of the death of Yolande Simard Perrault, who passed away in Montreal on July 4 at the age of 91. An archeologist by training who was passionate about botany, Yolande was the wife of filmmaker Pierre Perrault (1927–1999).
It was Yolande who instilled in her husband a profound love of her native region, Charlevoix, which ultimately led to a groundbreaking event in Quebec documentary filmmaking—Perrault would later shoot his masterpiece there, the unforgettable Pour la suite du monde, together with Michel Brault and Marcel Carrière.
“Yolande Simard Perrault was a radiant and generous woman, an inveterate dreamer and a great scholar. Far from staying in her husband’s shadow, she helped build a people’s collective memory, particularly by introducing him to the vernacular of her region and to the issue of Quebec identity. Her influence on his work is clear,” said Claude Joli-Coeur, Government Film Commissioner and Chairperson of the NFB.
Ms. Simard Perrault is the subject of Nadine Beaudet and Danic Champoux’s new documentary, Daughter of the Crater, a co-production between Les vues du fleuve and the NFB that will open in theatres in September. The film paints a portrait of a bold, determined woman who sees herself as the child of the earthshaking event that created the Charlevoix crater. She lyrically tells the story of the landscape and reveals the splendours of this corner of the country. Through letters and photos, the film centres on the unique journey of a modern woman who was ahead of her time, a woman who found freedom early in life and valued knowledge above all else.
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Media Relations
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Nadine Viau
NFB Publicist – Montreal
C.: 514-458-9745
n.viau@nfb.ca
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Lily Robert
Director, Communications and Public Affairs, NFB
C.: 514-296-8261
l.robert@nfb.ca
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About the NFB
The NFB is Canada’s public producer and distributor of award-winning documentaries, auteur animation, interactive stories and participatory experiences, working with talented creators across the country. The NFB is taking action to combat systemic racism and become a more open and diverse organization, while working to strengthen Indigenous-led production and gender equity in film and digital media. NFB productions have won more than 7,000 awards, including 12 Oscars. To access this unique content, visit NFB.ca.