Nancy Florence Savard
Film producer and director
Honorary Doctorate in the Art and Science of Animation
Nancy Florence Savard is a Québec film producer and director who has accomplished great things in the animated film industry. Her remarkable career has been driven by a love of movies, artistry, originality, and leadership.
After completing a Bachelor of Communications at Université Laval and further studies at HEC Montréal, she launched her professional career in Montréal. Over the next 10 years she worked as a designer, journalist, director, product manager, and associate producer for various big media conglomerates before returning to Québec City in 1998 to found her own film and television production company, 10th Ave Productions.
She’s been a pioneer in computer-assisted animation, directing and coproducing the first entirely Canadian 3D animated filmto receive a theatrical release, The Legend of Sarila, in 2013, which also made her the first Canadian woman to direct a 100% Canadian 3D animated feature film. Her latest production, Katak, the Brave Beluga, was one of the most popular Canadian films of 2023. It also made a huge splash internationally and was nominated for Gala Québec Cinéma’s Prix Iris Michel Côté as the people’s choice.
Her career has also been honoured repeatedly. In 2019, she was awarded Film Producer of the Year by Association québécoise de la production médiatique. In 2022 she received the inaugural Rock Demers Award from the Montréal International Children’s Film Festival. In 2023, she was part of Le Soleil’s list of 25 Québec City people of influence.
She is deeply involved in her community and chaired the Capitale-Nationale Region Film and Television Industry Issue Table for six years. She is Chair of Conseil national de l’audiovisuel, sits on the Board of Directors of SODEC, represents the animation industry on the board ofAssociation québécoise de la production médiatique (AQPM). She’s committed to the promotion of animated and children’s film and to regional production.
Université Laval awards an Honorary Doctorate in the Art and Science of Animation to Nancy Florence Savard in recognition of her outstanding work and important influence on the Canadian film industry.