Jean-François Leblanc

Born in Lac St-Charles in 1984, Jean-François Leblanc has written and scripted several short films and series, all of which have met with notable success. In 2015, he wrote and directed THE GUY FROM WORK, which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. In 2018 and 2021, he directed both seasons of the web series THE ARENA (Canneseries, Best Series at the La Rochelle Festival), earning nominations at the Gémeaux Awards (Best Series, Best Direction). After THE PRINCE OF VAL-BÉ in 2019 (Seattle International Film Festival, Best Direction at Fantasia), he directed LANDGRAVES in 2020, written by Alexandre Auger. The film was a breakout success on the festival circuit (over 55 selections), winning 20 awards, including Best Film at Fantasia and Cinémania, and Best Direction at Trouville and Brooklyn Horror. The short film also received the prestigious Vimeo Staff Pick badge upon its online release. In 2023, Jean-François released VIRGA (a short film written by Charles Dionne), which won Best Film at both Fantasia and Horrorfest. In 2025, he directed his first feature film, VILE & MISERABLE, an adaptation of Samuel Cantin’s graphic novel, co-written with Cantin. Critically acclaimed, the film was a theatrical success and was instantly hailed by audiences as a future cult classic. He is set to release his ninth short film, A BREACH WITHIN, in 2026, which he also wrote.