Gilles Carle, OC GOQ (July 31, 1928 â November 28, 2009) was a French Canadian director, screenwriter and painter. Gilles Carle, who was a key figure in the development of a commercial Quebec cinema, worked as a graphic artist and writer before he joined the National Film Board of Canada in 1960. His innovative debut feature, La Vie heureuse de LĂ©opold Z., tracked the adventures of a snowplough operator during