Clippings of Jacque Bensimon, depicting him filming the arrival of Sephardic Jews at Dorval Airport in the 1950s.
Photo Credit : Alex Dworkin Canadian Jewish Archives
Jacques Bensimon.
Photo Credit : Alex Dworkin Canadian Jewish Archives
1943 - 2012
Jacques Bensimon
Jacques Bensimon was a writer, director and leader in Canadian film and television who fostered diversity, innovation and social engagement.
Born in Agadir, Morocco, Bensimon and his family (including his three sisters) immigrated to Montreal in 1958. He completed a Film Studies degree at New York University. In 1967, he began working at the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as an editor, director, producer and scriptwriter and quickly developed a reputation as a rising star in filmmaking. He contributed to the production of over 30 NFB films including the direction of Once Agadir (1971), a fantastical reflection on his hometown following the devastating 1960 earthquake, and 20 ans après (1977), an exploration of the challenges faced by Francophone Sephardic Jews as they began to integrate into Quebec society during the 20 years following their immigration.
Talented and bilingual, Bensimon became managing director of TFO, the French-language network of TV Ontario when it launched in 1987. During his mandate he helped to establish partnerships and co-production agreements with major television distributors around the world, like BBC, Arte and France Televisions. The exportation of much of Canada’s French-language media programming remains indebted to the work and institutional relationships fostered by Bensimon.
In 2001, Bensimon was named Government Film Commissioner and Chairperson of the National Film Board of Canada. He occupied this position until his retirement in 2006, solidifying his position as a leader in the development of Canadian film and television. He also served in key positions at the Banff Television Festival and Cinémathèque québécois. In 1998, Bensimon was named a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters from the Government of France for his accomplishments at the TFO. In 2005, he was named a member of the Order of Canada, and received an honorary doctorate in Letters from York University in Toronto.
Bensimon passed away from cancer at age 69, just months before his memoir, Agadir, un paradis dérobé, was published by Éditions L’Harmattan.
Text compiled by Stephanie Schwartz, special thanks to the Museum of Jewish Montreal.
