Sophie Deraspe

French-Canadian filmmaker Sophie Deraspe explored themes of identity and honesty in her first two fiercely independent feature documentaries: the "mockumentary"/critique "Missing Victor Pellerin" (2006) and "The Amina Profile" (2015), which attracted international attention. Born in Rivière-du-Loup, a city on the southern shore of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada, Deraspe studied visual art in Austria before returning to Canada in 1995 to study French literature and film at the University of Montreal. At the end of her studies in 1998, she completed her thesis project, a film called "Nothing To Do" (1998), before serving as assistant director on independent features by Canadian directors like Philippe Falardeau ("The Left Half of the Fridge," 2000). Deraspe then helmed several short features which made the rounds at Canadian and international film festivals before launching her first feature film effort, a faux documentary titled "Missing Victor Pellerin." The film, which used real figures from the Canadian art world to tell the story of an artist's mysterious disappearance, earned critical praise, and led to a second feature, "Vital Signs" (2009), about a young woman's obsession with aiding the terminally ill. A major hit on the international festival circuit, "Vital Signs" was followed by the 2011 short "La part du déterminisme" before Deraspe returned to the documentary format for "The Amina Profile." As with "Victor Pellerin," the film concerned the search for a missing person - in this case, a Syrian woman blogging about the conflict in her country - who is revealed to be the creation of a male imposter. A critical hit and audience favorite, "The Amina Profile" was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema - Documentary category at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. That same year, she returned to drama with "Les Loups" (2015), which concerned a small town's concerns over a stranger's appearance at the launch of their yearly seal hunt.