Region: QC
Le givre de Bobby-Yves
Directors
Bogdan Anifrani, Ranee Inez
Writers
Bogdan Anifrani, Ranee Inez
Producer
Sharon Corder
Genre
Drama
Interests
Arts and Culture, Environment, Female Filmmaker
Original Language
French
5:1
Filmmaker Ben-Saud takes us into her family home, where she was confined with her parents and adult brother and sister during the early months of the lockdown, to experience the sometimes funny and sometimes challenging realities of pandemic coexistence.
Director
Sara Ben-Saud
Writer
Sara Ben-Saud
Producer
Sara Ben-Saud
Genres
Documentary, Family
Interests
Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences
Original Language
French
- Own Voice
Mohawk Girls
With insight, humour and heart, director Tracey Deer (who left Kahnawake to attend school and pursue filmmaking) returns to her community to follow these Mohawk girls and tell their stories. Her deeply emotional documentary reveals the complex hope, heartache and promise of growing up Indigenous in the 21st century.
Director
Tracey Deer (Mohawk)
In 2008, Deer won a Gemini Award in Best Documentary Writing, for Club Native. Her debut doc was the award-winning Mohawk Girls, which she adapted into a TV series that ran for five seasons and was nominated for seven CSAs. Beans has won eleven awards, including Best Picture at the CSAs. Most recently, she directed episodes of the series Three Pines, and is currently working on the feature Thorpe, about Native American Olympic gold medalist Jim Thorpe.
Writer
Tracey Deer (Mohawk)
Producers
Christina Fon, Linda Ludwick, Adam Symansky, Joanne Robertson
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Biography, BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker
Original Language
English
Language Version
EN CC
Canadian Distributor
NFB
Pour la suite du monde (For Those Who Will Follow)
In 1962, Michel Brault and a team of filmmakers travelled to the island to document the resumption of the practice decades after it had been abandoned, shedding light and wit on this “resourceful” tradition.
A balance of grace, humour, and up-close observation, Pour la suite du monde is known as a landmark achievement in documentary filmmaking and was screened at the Cannes film festival.
Directors
Michel Brault, Pierre Perrault
Writers
Michel Brault, Pierre Perrault
Producers
Jacques Bobet, Fernand Dansereau
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Classics, Environment, History
Original Language
French
Canadian Distributor
NFB
- Own Voice
Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance
This powerful documentary takes you right to the heart of the action, painting a sensitive and deeply affecting portrait of the people behind the barricades.
Winner of the Toronto International Film Festival’s Best Canadian Feature Film prize.
Director
Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki)
Legendary Abenaki filmmaker Obomsawin has made over 50 documentaries on issues affecting Indigenous peoples in Canada, including Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance, Trick or Treaty?, Is the Crown at War with Us?, Our People Will Be Healed and Jordan River Anderson, The Messenger. Her most recent film is the short documentary Honour to Senator Murray Sinclair. Next, she is set to appear in an episode of Marie Clements’ Bones of Crows: The Series.
Writer
Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki)
Producers
Wolf Koenig, Colin Neale, Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki)
Genre
Documentary
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Classics, Environment, Female Filmmaker, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
English
Language Versions
EN CC, EN Subtitles, FR CC, FR Dub, FR Subtitles
Canadian Distributor
National Film Board (NFB)
La passion d’Augustine (The Passion of Augustine)
Céline Bonnier stars as Mother Augustine, a passionate and resilient Catholic nun who teaches music to children of all backgrounds in a convent school in rural Quebec in the 1960s. When her rebellious but musically gifted niece (Lysandre Ménard) joins the convent, Mother Augustine must confront a past that she strives to forget.
With the looming changes brought by Vatican II and Quebec's Quiet Revolution, the local government threatens to shut down the school in favour of public education, and Mother Augustine must search her soul for a solution – or perhaps a new calling. She and her fellow nuns are forced to confront the waves of modernity, but can Augustine move forward, or will she perish with tradition?
The film was nominated for two Canadian Screen Awards including Best Actress for Bonnier, and Best Original Score.
Director
Léa Pool
Pool has earned three Genie Award nominations for Best Direction. Her films include Emporte Moi, Mouvements du désir, Lost and Delirious, La dernière fugue and the documentary Pink Ribbons, Inc. Her recent films include the doc Double Sentence and the features La passion d'Augustine and Et au pire, on se mariera.
Writers
Léa Pool, Marie Vien
Cast
Céline Bonnier, Lysandre Ménard
Producers
Lyse Lafontaine, François Tremblay
Genre
Drama
Interests
Arts and Culture, Female Filmmaker, History
Original Language
French
Language Versions
EN Subtitles, FR CC
Canadian Distributor
eOne
Les affamés (Ravenous)
In the bleak aftermath of an outbreak of zombies in rural Quebec, Bonin (Marc-André Grondin) struggles to survive along with the rapidly dwindling remaining population. When he encounters a group hiding in a house that is in the path of an invading horde of the undead, he must decide whether or not to save them, as doing so would put him and his companions in danger.
Les affamés is a brilliant and fresh take on the zombie genre, maintaining a tense atmosphere with exceptional moments of horror. It won the Best Canadian Feature prize at TIFF in 2017 and swept the Jutra Awards (now the Prix Iris) with ten wins, including Best Film and Best Direction.
“Robin Aubert's idiosyncratic and nuanced drama breathes fresh life into the zombie apocalypse subgenre.” - John Leydon, VarietyDirector
Robin Aubert
Saints-Martyrs-des-Damnés premiered at TIFF 2005. Aubert also directed the feature films À quelle heure le train pour nulle part, À l’origine d’un cri, and Tuktuq, and starred in De père en flic, the critical hit Guibord s’en va-t-en guerre, Jeune Juliette, and Mon cirque à moi. His latest film, Les Affamés won Best Canadian Feature at TIFF 2017 and ten Prix Iris. He is currently completing his next film, Tu ne sauras jamais.
Writer
Robin Aubert
Cast
Charlotte St-Martin, Marc-André Grondin, Monia Chokri, Micheline Lanctôt
Producers
C.S. Roy, Stéphanie Morissette
Genres
Action/Adventure, Horror, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Thriller
Original Language
French
Language Version
EN Subtitles
Canadian Distributor
Les Films Seville
Sonatine
Actor and filmmaker Micheline Lanctôt won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival for her second feature, the story of two teenage girls whose close bond, dreams, and sentimental whims are presented in a series of vignettes that move gradually from the seemingly trivial to the extremely dark.
Structured around three parts, the first follows teenage Chantal (Pascale Bussières), who pursues an infatuation with a bus driver (Pierre F. Fauteux), ultimately costing him his job. The second segment follows Louisette (Marcia Pilote), who has run away from home but finds temporary affection from a Bulgarian sailor (Kliment Denchev) in the port. In the third and final chapter, the two girls come together and make a grim, disturbing plan.
Micheline Lanctôt won the Genie Award for Best Director for the film.
Director
Michelline Lanctot
Writer
Michelline Lanctot
Cast
Pascale Bussieres, Kliment Denchev
Genre
Drama
Interest
Female Filmmaker
Original Language
French
Language Versions
EN Subtitles, FR CC
Canadian Distributor
Les Films René Malo
Mariages (Marriages)
Quebec filmmaker Catherine Martin made her feature debut with this film about a 19th century woman struggling against oppressive Victorian social norms. 20-year-old Yvonne (Marie-Ève Bertrand) is a free spirit whose prudish, strict older sister Héleène (Guylaine Tremblay) struggles to contain her.
Helene intends to send her sister to a convent, and when Yvonne falls in love with the rakish Charles (David Boutin), Hélène concocts a scheme to keep them apart by arranging for him to marry her own teenage daughter. Unwilling to give up her passionate desires, Yvonne heads to the woods to find her own solution.
This finely crafted historical drama was awarded Best Feature by the Quebec Association of Film Critics in 2001.
Director
Catherine Martin
Writer
Catherine Martin
Cast
Marie-Ève Bertrand, Guylaine Tremblay, Hélène Loiselle
Producer
Lorraine Dufour
Genres
Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Interests
Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, History
Original Language
French
Language Version
EN Subtitles
Canadian Distributor
Film Tonic
Parachute
Director
Martin Thibaudeau
Writer
Martin Thibaudeau
Cast
Christine Beaulieu, Louis Tremblay
Producer
Martin Thibaudeau
Genre
Comedy
Interest
Sports
Original Language
French
Language Version
EN Subtitles
Les Plouffe (The Plouffe Family)
This is kitchen-sink drama at its most satirical, dramatizing an entire era in the quirks of this memorable clan. The lovable characters and unforgettable moments make Les Plouffe a simultaneously sad, funny and loving account of life in WWII-era Quebec.
This French Canadian classic won seven Genie Awards, including Best Achievement in Direction, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Filiatrault).
Director
Gilles Carle
Writers
Gilles Carle, Roger Lemelin, Jacques Vigoureux
Cast
Gabriel Arcand, Pierre Curzi, Émile Genest, Juliette Huot, Denise Filiatraul
Producers
Denis Héroux, Justine Héroux, John Kemeny
Genre
Drama
Interests
Family Relationships, History, Literary Adaptation
Original Language
French
Language Version
FR Subtitles
Canadian Distributor
eOne
J.A. Martin photographe (J.A. Martin Photographer)
After 14 years of marriage, Martin’s wife (Mercure) decides to accompany him on one of his summer tours, using it as an opportunity to try to rekindle their relationship as they explore the uniquely beautiful landscapes of rural Quebec.
Winner of three Canadian Film Awards (including Best Feature Film) and the Best Actress award for Monique Mercure at the Cannes Film Festival.
Director
Jean Beaudin
Writers
Jean Beaudin, Marcel Sabourin
Cast
Marcel Sabourin, Monique Mercure, Luce Guilbeault, Jean Lapointe
Producer
Jean-Marc Garand
Genre
Drama
Interests
Arts and Culture, Biography
Original Language
French
Language Version
EN Dub
Canadian Distributor
NFB
Vinyl
With this film, Zweig established his voice as a documentarian who is not content to be merely a fly on the wall in the lives of his subjects. Instead, he deploys the camera as a tool for engagement, rooting around in the margins of contemporary society to explore themes of beauty, addiction, love and longing in a profound and unique way.
Director
Alan Zweig
Writer
Alan Zweig
Cast
Alan Zweig, Harvey Pekar, Alan Williams, Don McKellar
Producers
Alan Zweig, Greg Klymkiw, Bruce McDonald, David McCallum
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Arts and Culture, Cult & Offbeat Cinema
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
The Asylum
Les ordres (Orders)
Following five individuals over those harrowing days, the film uses colour and black-and-white cinematography to blur the lines between fact and fiction. Brault’s masterful film treats the difficult subject with sensitivity and care.
This film won Brault the Cannes Film Festival’s Best Director prize and he remains the only Canadian filmmaker to achieve that distinction.
Director
Michel Brault
Writer
Michel Brault
Cast
Hélène Loiselle, Jean Lapointe, Guy Provost, Louise Forestier, Claude Gauthier
Producer
Bernard Lalonde
Genre
Drama
Interests
Classics, History, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
French
Language Version
EN Subtitles
Canadian Distributor
Filmoption International/Criterion
Tu dors Nicole (You’re Sleeping Nicole)
A critical hit at the Cannes film festival, Stéphane Lafleur’s third feature is an indie comedy that showcases his trademark absurdist and deadpan humour.
Nicole (Côté) is adrift after college graduation, working a dead-end summer job in her hometown and hanging out with her best pal, Véronique. When her older brother Remi (Grondin) unexpectedly returns with bandmates in tow to record a new album, it becomes clear to Nicole that her summer must — and will — change.
Shot in black-and-white, Tu dors Nicole is a funny, wry and charming snapshot of the fleeting, in-between moments between childhood and the grown-up world.
Director
Stéphane Lafleur
Writer
Stéphane Lafleur
Cast
Julianne Côté, Catherine St-Laurent, Marc-André Grondin, Francis La Haye
Producers
Luc Déry, Kim McCraw
Genres
Comedy, Drama
Interests
Arts and Culture, Cult & Offbeat Cinema
Original Language
French
Language Version
EN Subtitles
Canadian Distributors
Christal Films, eOne
- Own Voice
Club Native
In this honest and affecting doc, filmmaker Tracey Deer follows the stories of four Kahnawake women whose lives have been affected by these rules, shedding light on contemporary Indigenous identity and asking quesitons about how we all understand who we are.
With her own family as a poignant case study, Deer's film will strike a chord with anyone who's ever thought about ethnicity, culture or their place in the world.
Director
Tracey Deer (Mohawk)
In 2008, Deer won a Gemini Award in Best Documentary Writing, for Club Native. Her debut doc was the award-winning Mohawk Girls, which she adapted into a TV series that ran for five seasons and was nominated for seven CSAs. Beans has won eleven awards, including Best Picture at the CSAs. Most recently, she directed episodes of the series Three Pines, and is currently working on the feature Thorpe, about Native American Olympic gold medalist Jim Thorpe.
Writer
Tracey Deer (Mohawk)
Cast
Tracey Deer (Mohawk), Hilda Nicholas, Akwiratékha Martin (Mohawk)
Producers
Catherine Bainbridge, Christina Fon, Linda Ludwick
Genre
Documentary
Interest
Indigenous Filmmaker
Original Language
English
Language Versions
EN CC, FR Subtitles
Canadian Distributor
NFB
Jésus de Montréal (Jesus of Montreal)
Combining religion and some unconventional theories about Jesus, the troupe’s work begins to ruffle some feathers in the Catholic church, even as the life of main actor Daniel (Bluteau) starts to mirror the Messiah’s journey in unexpected and poignant ways.
Told with sharp humour and heart, the film received critical acclaim and won numerous awards, including the Genie for Best Picture and the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
Director
Denys Arcand
Writer
Denys Arcand
Cast
Lothaire Bluteau, Catherine Wilkening, Johanne-Marie Tremblay, Rémy Girard, Gilles Pelletier
Producers
Roger Frappier, Pierre Gendron
Genre
Drama
Interests
Arts and Culture, Classics
Original Language
French
Language Versions
EN Subtitles, FR CC
Canadian Distributor
eOne
Bon Cop Bad Cop
Ward (Feore) and Boucher (Huard) couldn’t be more different: one is an English-speaker from Toronto, the other is a French-speaker from Montreal; one never deviates from established procedure, the other is a rebel who refuses to play by the rules. The detectives soon learn that if they are to solve this lurid crime, which is linked to the world of hockey, they need to stop bickering and work together.
With uproarious performances from both leads, Bon Cop, Bad Cop is a genuinely clever take on the buddy-cop genre that will keep you captivated throughout.
Director
Érik Canuel
Canuel made music videos and TV commercials before turning to film. His features include Nez rouge and Le dernier tunnel, Barrymore, starring Christopher Plummer, and the recent Undercover Grandpa. Bon Cop Bad Cop won a Genie for Best Motion Picture and the Golden Reel Award. Next, Canuel will direct the feature film The Burning Man.
Writers
Leila Basen, Alex Epstein, Patrick Huard, Kevin Tierney
Cast
Colm Feore, Patrick Huard
Producer
Kevin Tierney
Genres
Action/Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Thriller
Interest
Family Relationships
Original Languages
English, French
Language Versions
EN CC, EN Subtitles, FR CC, FR Subtitles
Canadian Distributor
eOne
The Boys of St. Vincent
At the heart of this powerful film is a remarkable performance by Henry Czerny as Brother Peter Lavin, who transformed his own difficult childhood into a cycle of abuse and pain for others in his charge. Director John N. Smith grapples with this difficult subject with remarkable sensitivity and honesty, turning a dark chapter in Canada’s history into a thoughtful and affecting docudrama.
Director
John N. Smith
Smith’s credits include award-winning TV docudramas such as The Boys of St. Vincent, Dieppe and Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story, as well as numerous feature films, including Dangerous Minds, A Cool Dry Place, Geraldine’s Fortune and Love & Savagery among others. Sitting in Limbo won the Best Canadian Feature Film award at TIFF 1986.
Writers
Sam Grana, John N. Smith, Des Walsh
Cast
Henry Czerny, Johnny Morina, Brian Dooley
Producers
Claudio Luca, Sam Grana
Genre
Drama
Interests
Classics, History, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
English
Language Version
EN CC
Canadian Distributor
eOne
Corbo
Based on the real events that led to the 1970 October Crisis, Corbo follows Giovanni Corbo (Therrien), the son of the rich and powerful businessman Nicola Corbo (Nardi). Perhaps in spite of his father’s big-L Liberal leanings, fresh-faced Giovanni finds revolutionary freedom in the friendship of two activists who encourage him to join the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ). As Giovanni’s behavior becomes radicalized, he quickly ascends the ranks of the FLQ, a group whose separatist desires are turning militant.
Refusing to paint too broad a brush on an important part of Quebec’s history, this gripping, beautifully crafted and moving Canadian Screen Award winner establishes director Mathieu Denis as a talent to watch.
Director
Mathieu Denis
Writer
Mathieu Denis
Cast
Anthony Therrien, Antoine L'Écuyer, Karelle Tremblay, Tony Nardi
Producers
Félize Frappier, Roger Frappier
Genre
Drama
Interests
History, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
French
Language Version
EN Subtitles
Canadian Distributors
Christal Films, eOne