Born in the village of Carleton-sur-Mer in Quebec, Jean-François Caissy is an independent filmmaker and visual artist. After a promising film debut in 2005 with La saison des amours, Caissy directed La belle visite (2009), the first of his films to receive international recognition. It had its world premiere at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival (Forum) and won “Best Documentary” at the FICFA. His third documentary feature, La marche à suivre (2014), was selected at the 64th Berlinale and won the “World Pulse Award” at IndieLisboa, Portugal. It also received the “Special Jury Mention” at the Camden International Film Festival, in addition to being presented at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC as part of the “MoMA Presents Series”. His latest documentary feature, Premières armes (2018), marks his second collaboration with the National Film Board of Canada and his third presence at the Berlinale.