Louis Saia (May 25, 1950 – April 1, 2026) was a Canadian screenwriter and film director, most noted for the Les Boys franchise of hockey comedy films.Ray Conlogue, "Lovable Les Boys shoots and scores at Quebec box office: Designed to appeal to Quebeckers' sense of themselves as sympathetic underdogs, Louis Saia's film about a bar owner and his rough-and-tumble hockey team will likely hit $1-million in its second week of release". The Globe and Mail, December 20, 1997.
Film career Saia began his career as a theatrical director,Pat Donnelly, "Theatre action is mainly out of town". Montreal Gazette, June 5, 1986. becoming best known for the comedic show Broue, co-created with Jean-Pierre Plante, Francine Ruel, Michel Côté, Marcel Gauthier, Marc Messier, and Claude Meunier, in the early 1980s.Marianne Ackerman, "Quebeckers like their Broue ribald". The Globe and Mail, April 30, 1982. In 1984 they received a Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award for the show's English translation, Brew. In this era he also wrote film screenplays, including the theatrical films Voyage de nuit and A Childhood Friend (Une amie d'enfance), and the television film Appelez-moi Stéphane, an adaptation of his own earlier stage play.
Beginning in 1993 he was one of the writers of the popular Quebec television sitcom La Petite Vie, alongside Meunier.Marie-Hélène Proulx, "La grande histoire de La Petite vie". L'actualité, August 2, 2023.
In 1995 he released his debut film as a director, The Sphinx (Le Sphinx).Brendan Kelly, "The Sphinx". Variety, September 25, 1995. He followed up in 1997 with Les Boys, which became his popular breakthrough and spawned several sequel films.Brendan Kelly, "Les Boys II shoots and scores again". Montreal Gazette, December 11, 1998.
After three films in the Les Boys franchise he followed up with the film Dangerous People (Les Dangereux) in 2002, but afterwards worked predominantly in television, including on the television series Radio Enfer, Histoire de filles, Max Inc. and Vice cachée.
Death Saia died in Montreal on April 1, 2026, at the age of 75.Louis Saia, réalisateur des films « Les Boys », est mort His partner of 40 years, Lise Plouffe Mauffette, died 18 days later, on April 19, at the age of 83.
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