Language Version: FR CC
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
A Member of the Order of Canada, Pool has earned three Genie Award nominations for Best Direction. Her films include Emporte Moi, Mouvements du désir, Lost and Delirious, La dernière fugue, Et au pire, on se mariera and Hôtel Silence, as well as the documentaries Pink Ribbons, Inc and Double peine. La passion d'Augustine won 15 awards, among them six Prix Iris, including Best Film and Best Director.
Writers
Léa Pool, Marie Vien
Cast
Céline Bonnier, Lysandre Ménard, Diane Lavallée
Producers
Lyse Lafontaine, François Tremblay
Genre
Drama
Interests
Arts and Culture, Female Filmmaker, History
Original Language
French
Director
Michel Vo
Genre
Animation
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Global Experiences
Original Languages
English, French
Le sens de l’humour (A Sense of Humour)
With little to trade for their freedom other than their comedy skills, the duo offer to teach Roger the art of comedy and make him a local star. Thinking it might help him win the girl of his dreams, Roger accepts, and the hilarity and hijinks begin.
Director
Émile Gaudreault
Gaudreault co-wrote Louis 19, le roi des ondes, which Ron Howard adapted into EDtv. Gaudreault both co-wrote and directed De pere en flic (the highest-grossing French-language film in Canadian history), Le vrai du faux, Le sens de l'humour and Mambo Italiano, which earned six Canadian Comedy Award nominations. He also wrote and directed De père en flic 2, and most recently, the comedy Menteur. He also co-wrote the upcoming Lignes de fuite, and is producing the English-language remake of De père en flic, Fathers and Guns.
Writers
Émile Gaudreault, Benoît Pelletier
Cast
Michel Côté, Louis-José Houde, Benoît Brière, Anne Dorval
Producers
Daniel Louis, Denise Robert
Genre
Comedy
Interest
Bullying
Original Language
French
Babine
In the small village of Saint-Élie-de-Caxton, whenever something bad happens, the villagers blame Babine, the son of the village witch. Babine was born an outsider, and has spent his life being teased. When the local church burns down, the new priest becomes determined to find the culprit, and puts the blame on Babine, deciding he must be punished once and for all.
Babine is an offbeat comedy and a charming fairy tale filled with eccentric characters and has a strong message of acceptance that will resonate with audiences of all ages.
Director
Luc Picard
Luc Picard is a celebrated actor with over 50 film and television credits and two Jutra Awards to his name. He has directed Audition, Babine, Ésimésac, and a segment in the anthology film 9. Les rois mongols earned six Canadian Screen Award nominations. His latest film is Confessions and he recently starred in Arsenault & Fils and French Girl.
Writer
Fred Pellerin
Cast
Vincent-Guillaume Otis, Luc Picard, Alexis Martin, Isabel Richer, René Richard Cyr
Producer
Lorraine Richard
Genres
Action/Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Interest
Bullying
Original Language
French
Twenty-one-year-old Ricardo (Boucher) is a screenwriting student in Montreal, where he dreams about striking up a romance with his classmate Marie-Ève (Gosselin). When she announces that she’ll be going on an exchange trip to Italy, Ricardo can only see one option for himself: to follow her — and his heart — on the trip, and perhaps reconnect with his own Italian roots along the way. Of course, nothing on the trip goes as he expects, and connecting with Marie-Ève seems further away than before.
The charming and funny story is based on director Ricardo Trogi’s own coming-of-age experiences, and was a box office smash and winner of the Golden Screen Award (for biggest Canadian box office gross of the year). The film was nominated for 16 Prix Iris awards and won five, including those for best film and best director.
Director
Ricardo Trogi
Writer and director Trogi’s first film, Québec-Montréal, earned him a Jutra Award for Best Direction and Best Screenplay. His credits also include Horloge biologique, Le Mirage, and the coming-of-age trilogy 1981, 1987, and 1991. He recently co-wrote two seasons of La Maison-Bleue and directed the feature Le Guide de la famille parfaite.
Writer
Ricardo Trogi
Cast
Sandrine Bisson, Jean-Carl Boucher, Mamoudou Camara, Giuseppe Cantore, Juliette Gosselin
Producer
Nicole Robert
Genres
Comedy, Romance
Interest
Biography
Original Language
French
Gabrielle
As the choir prepares for an important performance, Gabrielle must confront other people’s prejudices with courage and overcome her own limitations.
“On the surface, it’s a simple love story: girl meets boy, girl likes boy, girl kisses boy. But Louise Archambault’s Gabrielle is much more…a deeply affecting tale of difference, dignity and the healing power of song.”
— T’cha Dunlevy, Montreal Gazette
Director
Louise Archambault
Archambault’s first short film, Atomic Saké, won the Jutra Award for best short. Her first feature, Familia, won her the Genie for best debut feature, and her follow-up Gabrielle was nominated for six CSAs. Archambault also directed the TV series Catastrophe and wrote and directed Il pleuvait des oiseaux, which premiered at TIFF. She has also directed the films Merci pour tout, Le temps d’un été, and Irena’s Vow, which won the Audience Award at VIFF.
Writer
Louise Archambault
Cast
Gabrielle Marion-Rivard, Alexandre Landry, Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin, Robert Charlebois
Producers
Luc Déry, Kim McCraw
Genre
Drama
Interests
Arts and Culture, Female Filmmaker, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
French
Based on the last recording by one of Newfoundland's foremost traditional music performers, Emile Benoit's tender delivery of the 18th century French song is the heart of Vive la rose. The story of unrequited love and tentative obsession throughout the beloved's life, sickness and early death is the narrative focus, accompanied by an emotional interpretation of Benoit's strong Newfoundland French accent and wavering old man's voice. Vive la rose is animation on location, rooting the film in a location that evokes the past, and combines ink drawings with a variety of romantic and associative elements and objects.
Director
Bruce Alcock
Producers
Tina Ouellette, Annette Clarke, Michael Fukushima
Genres
Animation, Romance
Interests
Arts and Culture, History
Original Language
French
Junior Majeur (Major Junior)
Five years after the events of Les Pee-Wee: L’hiver qui a changé ma vie best friends Janeau (Pilon) and Joey (Goulet) have made it to Quebec’s semiprofessional hockey league. Both athletes have their sights set on the NHL and scouts have begun to take an interest. Then, in a sudden twist of fate, the two are caught in a devastating car accident that threatens both of their careers. The road to recovery is full of complex challenges and emotions that may end up doing irreparable damage to their previously strong friendship.
A more mature exploration of friendship and the competitive world of junior hockey, this is a coming of age drama with a whole lot of heart.
Director
Éric Tessier
Tessier’s first film was the award-winning short Viens dehors! His feature films include Sur le seuil, Vendus, 5150 rue des Ormes, Junior Majeur, and Les Pee-Wee: L’hiver qui a changé ma vie, which won the Best Feature Film award at TIFF Kids. He recently directed the films Tu te souviendras de moi and When Love Blooms, and episodes of Hôtel and Transplant. He is currently directing The Amityville Curse.
Writers
Martin Bouchard, Emmanuel Joly
Cast
Antoine Olivier Pilon, Rémi Goulet, Alice Morel-Michaud, Normand Daneau
Producer
Christian Larouche
Genre
Drama
Interest
Sports
Original Language
French
La grande séduction (Seducing Doctor Lewis)
Since the new factory requires a resident doctor to be on hand, the boisterous and resourceful mayor (Bouchard) sets out to keep Dr. Christopher Lewis (Boutin) in the village. Dr. Lewis, whose stay in the village was caused by a speeding ticket, is a man of eccentric tastes — he loves cricket, beef Stroganoff and women in open-toed sandals. The villagers set out to create a community that mirrors the habits and loves of the good doctor. Will they succeed?
Winner of the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival.
Director
Jean-François Pouliot
In addition to over 500 commercials, Montrealer Pouliot’s credits include feature films Guide de la petite vengeance and the 2015 box-office success Dr. Cabbie as well as the hit animated film Snowtime!. Recently, he directed the feature films Les 3 p’tits cochons 2, Votez Bougon and the Snowtime! sequel, Racetime.
Writer
Ken Scott
Cast
Raymond Bouchard, David Boutin, Pierre Collin, Benoît Brière, Lucie Laurier
Producers
Roger Frappier, Luc Vandal
Genres
Comedy, Drama
Interest
Family Relationships
Original Language
French
Le journal d’Aurélie Laflamme (The Journal of Aurélie Laflamme)
Based on the first novel of Québecois author India Desjardins, this quirky and endearing coming-of-age story about a girl lost in her own world is sure to delight.
Director
Christian Laurence
Montreal director Laurence has been working in film and TV for more than 15 years, focusing primarily on short films, including L’astronaute and Songs We Sing. Le journal d'Aurélie Laflamme, his first feature film, was nominated for three Jutra awards. He recently directed the TV mini-series La Derape, Manuel de la vie sauvage, and Haute démolition.
Writers
Christian Laurence, India Desjardins
Cast
Marianne Verville, Genevieve Chartrand, Aliocha Schneider
Producer
Claude Veillet
Genres
Comedy, Drama, Family
Interests
Literary Adaptation, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
French
