Louis 19, King of the Airwaves

Louis 19, King of the Airwaves
FrenchLouis 19, le roi des ondes
Directed byMichel Poulette
Written by
  • Sylvie Bouchard
  • Émile Gaudreault
  • Michel Michaud
  • Michel Poulette
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyDaniel Jobin
Edited byDenis Papillon
Music byJean-Marie Benoît
Distributed byMalofilm
Release date
  • 1 April 1994 (1994-04-01)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageFrench
Box officeC$1.8 million (Canada)[1]

Louis 19, King of the Airwaves (French: Louis 19, le roi des ondes) is a Canadian comedy film, released in April 1994.[2]

The film stars Martin Drainville as Louis Jobin, a television fanatic who wins a contest to be on television. Unbeknownst to him, however, his prize is to become a reality show: he is followed around by a cameraman 24 hours a day for three months, and when his life doesn't make for compelling viewing, the show's producers decide to manipulate his life to make the show more exciting.[3]

The film was directed by Michel Poulette, and written by Poulette, Sylvie Bouchard, Michel Michaud and Émile Gaudreault. It won the Golden Reel Award as the year's top-grossing film in Canada.

Cast

Release

The film opened on 34 screens in Quebec on April 1, 1994.[4]

Reception

The film grossed $194,732 in its opening weekend[4] It went on to win the Golden Reel Award for the year's top-grossing film in Canada,[5] even though it was only released in Quebec, with a gross of C$1.8 million.[1]

Awards

The film won the Claude Jutra Award for the best feature film by a first-time Canadian film director.[6] It was also a nominee for Best Motion Picture,[7] but lost to Exotica.

Remake

The 1999 American film EDtv was an adaptation of Louis 19.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b Kelly, Brendan (November 2, 1994). "'Louis 19' takes Canada's B.O. crown". Daily Variety . p. 14.
  2. ^ "In new Quebec comedy, the joke's on paying public". Montreal Gazette, April 2, 1994.
  3. ^ "Film Review: Louis 19". The Globe and Mail, April 22, 1994.
  4. ^ a b Klady, Leonard (April 11, 1994). "'Major' minor; 'Spirits' down; 'Jimmy' dead". Variety. p. 12.
  5. ^ "Quebec comedy wins box office prize". Toronto Star. November 2, 1994.
  6. ^ "Quebec director wins Jutra award". The Globe and Mail, November 4, 1994.
  7. ^ "Exotica snaps up 13 Genie nominations". Hamilton Spectator, October 20, 1994.
  8. ^ "EDtv a fun, fluffy Truman Show". Montreal Gazette, March 26, 1999.