Journalist confirms Xavier Dolan is quitting filmmaking

Journalist confirms Xavier Dolan is quitting filmmaking.

“I haven’t gained anything with the series. I invested my salary in the production and my father had to lend me money,” he said to El País. “The simplest solution is to make advertisements and build myself a house in the countryside.”

He said he would still honour a contract with HBO for an English series before hanging up his hat.

Dolan’s producer, Nancy Grant, declined to comment on his announcement. The Goodwin agency, which represents the director, did not respond to Radio-Canada’s interview request.

Dolan has made several successful films, such as I Killed My Mother (2009), Laurence Anyways (2012) and Mommy (2014). He also directed the music videos for Adele’s Hello and Easy on Me.

Xavier Dolan says he’s had enough of cinema and directing. In an interview with the Spanish daily El País published Wednesday, the 34-year-old Quebec director announced his retirement from filmmaking.

“I’m giving up on cinema and directing. I no longer have the desire or the strength to commit to a project for two years and hardly see anyone,” the director of films including 2014’s Mommy said. “I put too much passion into it to get so much disappointment out of it.”

Dolan added that he felt “tired and discouraged” following the release of his miniseries, The Night Logan Woke Up. The film was released in only four countries: Canada, France, Japan and Spain — falling short of his expectations.

“I haven’t gained anything with the series. I invested my salary in the production and my father had to lend me money,” he said to El País. “The simplest solution is to make advertisements and build myself a house in the countryside.”

He said he would still honour a contract with HBO for an English series before hanging up his hat.

Dolan’s producer, Nancy Grant, declined to comment on his announcement. The Goodwin agency, which represents the director, did not respond to Radio-Canada’s interview request.

Dolan has made several successful films, such as I Killed My Mother (2009), Laurence Anyways (2012) and Mommy (2014). He also directed the music videos for Adele’s Hello and Easy on Me.

This comes after a mixed reaction to his 2016 film It’s Only the End of the World, negative reviews for his English-language debut The Death and Life of John F. Donovan, and the relative obscurity of his latest film Matthias & Maxime.