Arthur Lamothe, CM (December 7, 1928 – September 18, 2013) was a French-Canadian film director and film producer.

Biography

Born in Saint-Mont, France, Lamothe immigrated to Canada in 1953 and immediately got a job as a lumberjack in the Abitibi region of northern Quebec. In 1954 he began studying economic science at the Université de Montréal. During his time as a student he became interested in cinema and began writing for several film publications. After graduating in 1958 he was immediately hired as a writer for Radio-Canada. In 1961 he was hired by the NFB and wrote Dimanche d’Amérique, his first screenplay which became the first film of Gilles Carle. In 1962 he directed his first film, a short documentary entitled Bûcherons de la Manouane. He directed his first feature length fiction work in 1965 entitled Poussière sur la ville; the film was not successful and Lamothe returned to documentary films. Lamothe has only made a handful of fiction films during his career but it's his documentaries that he is best known and most respected for. Lamothe most frequently explored in his films social and economic themes, as well as activism for issues in which he passionately supported especially in regards to Aboriginal people.

In 1980 he was awarded the Prix Albert-Tessier and in 1995 was made a member of the Order of Canada.