French Canadian filmmaker whose movies, most notably Les Invasions barbares (2003; The Barbarian Invasions), embodied his intellectual curiosity and passion for politics, art, and life.

Arcand was raised in a devout Roman Catholic home and educated by Jesuits before entering the University of Montreal, where he studied history and made his first film. Following graduation, he took a job at the National Film Board (NFB), where he began making documentaries, most notably films about the early history of Quebec. Arcand had been an outspoken leftist since he was a young man, and in 1970 he made On est au coton (Cotton Mill, Treadmill), an exposé of the textile industry that was so controversial that it was banned by the NFB. He soon moved into feature films, beginning with La Maudite Galette (Dirty Money) in 1972. He directed the film Le Crime d'Ovide Plouffe (Murder in the Family) in 1984 and the television miniseries based on it that followed the next year.

In 1986 Arcand earned international attention with Le Déclin de l'empire américain (The Decline of the American Empire). The movie, which was nominated for an Academy Award for best foreign-language film, centres on a gourmet dinner with a group of intellectuals—the same friends featured in The Barbarian Invasions and starring many of the same actors. Arcand scored another international hit with Jésus de Montréal (1989; Jesus of Montreal). He later wrote and directed The Barbarian Invasions, which follows the final days of Rémy, a history professor, womanizer, and devout leftist who is dying of cancer in a Montreal hospital. His banker son, ex-wife, and friends old and new gather to comfort Rémy in his final days and reflect on the vagaries of life. The movie earned numerous awards, including an Academy Award for best foreign-language film. In 2004 Arcand was named a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters—the highest cultural honour in France. In 2007 he wrote and directed the dark comedy L'Âge des ténèbres (Days of Darkness); he also acted in the film.