Isabelle Raynauld

Isabelle Raynauld is a Full Professor in the Department of Art History, Cinema and Audiovisual Media at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, University of Montreal. She is a screenwriter, filmmaker, and academic researcher with extensive experience in both creative practice and scholarly work. Her affiliation with the CIRCA (Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche sur le cerveau et l'apprentissage) highlights her interdisciplinary approach to research.

Raynauld's research focuses on the history, theory, and practice of screenwriting across all forms of cinema, from silent film era screenplays to emerging technologies. Her work explores writing for image, sound, and mise-en-scène through creative research seminars. She has particular expertise in documentary filmmaking, transmedia storytelling, and the intersection of cinema with neuroscience and music. Her research bridges theoretical analysis with practical creation, exemplified by her award-winning documentaries that explore cognitive processes and therapeutic applications of film and music.

Her recent publications and film projects reveal a growing emphasis on the therapeutic potential of cinema and music, particularly examining how audiovisual experiences affect brain function, memory, and emotional processing. This work has significant implications for health, education, and social inclusion, as seen in her leadership of the cinEXmedia partnership (2022-2030) which investigates cinematic experiences in health contexts.

• Prix Gémeaux du Meilleur documentaire catégorie scientifique (2009) for 'Le cerveau Mystique'
• Prix Jutra du Meilleur documentaire (2002) for 'Le Minot d'or'
• Two additional Prix Gémeaux for image editing and music (2002)
• Member of the Royal Society of Canada (2021)

Raynauld has supervised numerous Master's and PhD students since 1998, with recent theses covering diverse topics from transmedia storytelling to representations of mental illness in film. She leads multiple SSHRC-funded research projects including 'cinEXmedia' (2022-2030), 'Raconter-Cartographier' (2019-2024), and 'ASMR et ciné-thérapie' (2024-2029). Her work often involves collaboration across disciplines, particularly with neuroscience researchers at BRAMS (International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research), demonstrating her commitment to interdisciplinary approaches that bridge the arts, humanities, and sciences.