FNC 2017: Award Winners

AWARD WINNERS

Prizes were awarded on October 14, 2017

INTERNATIONAL Competition - Best Feature Film

Jury: Sophie Cadieux, Alexandre Domingue andLyse Lafontaine.

Louve d’Or presented by Québecor ($15,000 cash from Québecor)

AVA by LÉA MYSIUS (France)

Daniel Langlois Innovation Award

To recognizes an International Competition film for its daring aesthetics, creative use of new technologies and/ or groundbreaking treatment of a sensitive subject matter.

TÉHÉRAN TABOU by ALI SOOZANDEH (Austria, Germany)

Best Actor or Actress Award

Best actor or actress in a feature film in the International Competition.

DARYA ZHOVNAR in CLOSENESS by KANTEMIR BALAGOV (Russia)

FOCUS QUÉBEC/CANADA – Feature Films

Jury: Luciano Barisone, Nina Rodriguez and Jan Naszewski.

Canada Award  presented byPost-Moderne ($3,000 cash and $12,000 in post production services).

LES FAUX TATOUAGES by PASCAL PLANTE (Québec/Canada)

INTERNATIONAL PANORAM – Feature Films

Jury Cinema Politica: Pierre Luc Junet, Michelle Latimer, Zahra Moloo, Svetla Turnin and Ezra Winton.

Cinema Politica Award - Best feature film in the Panorama competition.

LIFE AND NOTHING MORE by ANTONIO MENDEZ ESPARZA (Spain)

Cinema Politica Special Mention 

THE NOTHING FACTORY by PEDRO PINHO (Portugal)

Peace Award presented by the Family Brian Bronfman Fondation

To Recognizes a work in the Panorama Competition that stands out for its contribution to the development of peace ($2,000 cash from the Family Brian Bronfman Fondation).

GHOST HUNTING by RAED ANDONI (Palestine, France, Switzerland, Qatar)

NEW  ALCHIMISTES – Feature Films

Jury of l’AQCC (New Alchemists - Les nouveaux alchimistes): Maxime Labrecque, Sylvain Lavallée and Zoé Protat.

AQCC Award and experimentation Award presented by Mubi

Best feature film in the Les nouveaux alchimistes competition (exclusive broadcast on the Mubi platform).

LES GARÇONS SAUVAGES by BERTRAND MANDICO (France)

TEMPS Ø – LONGS MÉTRAGES

Temps Ø Public’s Choice Award

Meilleur long métrage issu de la section Temps Ø / Best feature film in the Temps Ø section.

LES AFFAMÉS de Robin Aubert (Québec/Canada)

INTERNATIONAL Competition – SHORT FILMS

Jury: Natasha Kanapé Fontaine, Magalie Lépine-Blondeau et Véronique Barbe.

Loup argenté - Best short film in the International Competition.

COPA-LOCA by CHRISTOS MASSALAS (Greece)

Jury's Special mention

TESLA : LUMIÈRE MONDIALE by MATTHEW RANKIN (Québec/Canada)

FOCUS QUÉBEC/CANADA – Short Films

Jury: Wouter Jansen, Sanne Jehoul and Samya Papasoff.

Focus Québec/Canada  Grand Prix– Short Film presented by CineGround

Best short film in the Focus Québec/Canada competition ($15,000 in camera and/or post-production services awarded by CineGround).

MILK by HEATHER YOUNG (Nova Scotia, Canada)

Short film Focus Québec/Canada - People’s Choice Award presented by Unis TV

Best short film in french language in the Focus Québec/Canada competition ($2,000 cash from Unis TV).

CRÈME DE MENTHE by JEAN-MARC E. ROY et PHILIPPE DAVID GAGNÉ (Québec/Canada)

NEW ALCHEMISTES – SHORT FILMS

Jury:  Pierre Hébert, Delphine Jeanneret et Guillaume Lafleur.

Dada Award presented by Main Film and Mubi experimentation Award presented by Mubi

Best short film in the Les nouveaux alchimistes compétition ($1,000 cash from Main Film and exclusive broadcast on the Mubi platform).

PAINTING WITH HISTORY IN A ROOM FILLED WITH PEOPLE WITH FUNNY NAMES by KORAKRIT ARUNANONDCHAI (Thaïland/USA)

Special Mention

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE MOUNTAIN by CHRISTIN TURNER (USA)

RENCONTRES PANCANADIENNES DU CINÉMA ÉTUDIANT – STUDENT FILM PAN-CANADIAN ENCOUNTERS

Jury: Sofia Bohdanowicz, Alexandre Dostie and Gabrielle Lautru.

Pan-Canadian Student Film Encounters Award presented by Ulule

 ($1,500 to start a funding campaign on Ulule with personalized pre-campaign support).

PRENDS MA MAIN by ALEXANDRE LEFEBVRE (Québec/Canada)

Sound Design Special Mention

TOER by JASMIJN CEDÉE and SAM MONGEAU (Belgium)

P’tits loups Award - Small Wolfs Award

Jury: Camélia Laure Belzile, Fatima Bertin, Julien Bouchard, Clara Fonfrède and Jules Péloquin.

Best short film in the P’tits Loups section.

LA MAISON DU HÉRISSON by EVA CVIJANOVIC (Québec/Canada)

Special Mention

BIRDLIME by EVAN DERUSHIE (Québec/Canada)

FNC EXPLORE – INTERACTIVE PROJECTS and VIRTUAL TRALITY

Jury: Paola Gazzani Marinelli, Michael Kronish, Sandra Rodriguez, Liz Rosenthal and Jenna Seydon.

Innovation Award presented by Prim

The most innovative work for new platforms ($10,000 in production expenses and artist residency from PRIM).

VR_I by GILLES JOBIN & ARTANIM (Switzerland)

Immersion Award presented by Geneva International Film Festival

Best immersive work in the FNC EXPLORE.

NOTHING HAPPENS by MICHELLE & URI KRANOT (Danemark, France)

FNC EXPLORE Performances/Installations – Virtual reality

Public’s Choice Award presented by Viveport (HTC) 

$2,500 US cash from Viveport (HTC)

VR_I by GILLES JOBIN & ARTANIM (Switzerland)

FNC EXPLORE Films Public's Choice Award 

presented by Viveport (HTC) 

$1,500 US cash from Viveport (HTC)

PLANET ∞ by MOMOKO SETO, BARNEROUSE FILMS (France)

Best French Work Award presented by uniFrance 

€1,000 cash from UniFrance

ALTERATION  by JÉRÔME BLANQUET, OKIO STUDIO (France)

Award for the best presentatio of a VR project in development 

$1,000 US cash from Viveport (HTC)

CINEMATOGRAFI  by BOMBINA BOMBAST (Sweden)  

FNC 2017: Old Czech Legends

OLD CZECH LEGENDS

Staré povesti ceské

LES INCORTOUNABLES

ANIMATION

CZECHOSLOVAKIA | 91 MINUTES | 1953| Czech with English Subtitles 

The Czeck film Director Jiří Trnka is renown as the great master of puppet making and puppet animation. His contribution to that special art form is quite significant. Because of his influence in animation, he was called "the Walt Disney of Eastern Europe".

For his Old Czech Legends, Trnka chose six classic Czech folktales, more specifically, historical legends that were put into a literary form in 1984 by the writer Alois Jirásek in his book with the same Czech title as Trnka's film.

Trnka is careful to vary the tales' tone and tempo, transforming long forgoten heroes of national legends into living characters, incarnated by his very unique puppets he designed and made himself. Trnka’s work is equally impressive for his innovative editing, lighting, and sound. He was a winner of many international film award, raising the bar for the future puppet animators and influencing their work, even of the Quay Brothers. 

The film represent a unique opportunity to become acquainted with the work of a master puppeteer Jiří Trnka, and to get to experience his way of transmitting a narrative through his animated puppets.

FNC OFFICIAL SYNOPSES

"The lives of the earliest inhabitants of the historic land of Bohemia, recounted in a series of six stop-motion animation segments. Released in 1953, this film by the Czech director breathes humanity and empathy into the folk tales behind the heroes and legends of Czechoslovakia. Inspired by the book Ancient Bohemian Legends by Alois Jirásek, Old Czech Legends is proof not just of Trnka’s outstanding artistry and puppeteering talent, but also his amazingly inventive use of cinematic language."

For more informations about the FNC, the program, film scheduling and various venues visit the FNC festival's website.

FNC 2017: Salyut-7

SALYUT-7

Салют-7

TEMPS Ø

CANADIAN PREMIERE

RUSSIA | 119 MINUTES | 2017 | Russian with English Subtitles

The film is based on real events that took place at the height of the Cold War in 1985. In February 1985, the Soviet Flight Control Center (MCC) lost control of their Salyut-7 orbital station that has been unmanned for half a year. The station only had a short time before falling to Earth, causing the death of many people if it hit a populated area and especially a large city.

The Americans are concerned it would fall on the US territoriality and that some nuclear weapons might be aboard. The USSR authorities, in turn, fear that the destruction of the Salyut-7 will put the country outside the space race, and that the US will take advantage of the situation, steal the station and learn its scientific secrets. To prevent this from happening, two astronauts are sent into space, the commander of the ship Vladimir Fedorov (actor Vladimir Vdovichenkov) and the flight engineer Viktor Alyokhin (actor Pavel Derevyanko). For the first time in history, they will have to attempt a manual docking with an uncontrolled object and then find and fix the problems on Salyut-7.

The scenario is based on real events - the mission of Vladimir Dzhanibekov and Victor Savinykh. The names of the real people in this space drama film are changed to emphasize that it is not a documentary but an artistic interpretation of it. Details and action portrayed are dynamic and dramatic and keep viewers in suspense. The visual design and acting are very strong. The amount of problems the two astronauts face, the way they deal with them, their space walk, and their camaraderie are quite inspiring and impressive.

FNC OFFICIAL SYNPOSES

“In space, no one can hear you repair a Soyuz. This Russian blockbuster dramatizes one of the unsung heroic moments in the history of the space race.

True story: on February 11, 1985, Salyut-7 went quiet. The crown jewel of Soviet space technology was at risk of crashing to Earth with disastrous consequences. With the Cold War at its peak — on Earth and in space, in science and in politics — the situation was a complicated one. Two cosmonauts are sent on an apparently impossible mission to repair the craft and save the motherland’s honour. Can they do it ?”

DIRECTOR: Klim Shipenko

SCREENWRITER: Aleksey Chupov

ACTORS: Vladimir Vdovchenko, Pavel Derevyanko, Aleksandr Samoilenko, Lyubov Aksyonova, Ilya Andryukov 

FILM TRAILER

For more informations about the FNC, the program, film scheduling and various venues visit the FNC festival's website.

FNC 2017: Après coup

APRÈS COUP
FOCUS QUEBEC / CANADA

IN COMPETITION
WORLD PREMIER

CANADA | 94 MINUTES | 2017 | French with English Subtitles

The film is about a family in distress after a tragic accident that happened to their daughter's friend. Especially affected is the father who assumes a full personal responsibility for what had happened, though he did not cause the accident. In his mind, all is about the timing and him asking the girl to go home after the afternoon spent with his daughter playing. He becomes obsessed with his personal guilt to the extent he is not able to carry on with his regular daily responsibilities. This affects his professional and family life and his relationship with his wife and daughter. His wife forces him to see a psychiatrist. Yet the medication he is prescribed and that is supposed to help him has no effect on him and  after a while he refuses to take it. Threatened with by his wife that he will have to move out if he does not do anything about his condition that is destructive to her and their daughter, he finally unwillingly and reluctantly goes to see a psychologist.

This film introduces to the audience two techniques used by some psychologists to help their clients to overcome the post traumatic stress and guilt. This information might prove useful for some viewers as it reveals methods that could alleviate either their personal or their loved ones issues.

- The first technique is EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) Therapy. This method has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of trauma and many other mental and emotional problems.

- The second technique is IADC (Induced After-Death Communication) Therapy which helps to heal deep sadness and guild associated with the death of a family member, a friend, or a loved one.

The film could most likely be used by the qualified psychologists as an additional tool to help introduce their clients to these techniques. It is sensitively enacted by the cast and illustrates how a family's harmony could be re-established after conflicts, shocks or traumas that a family member or members had endured.

FNC OFFICIAL TRAILER

"When his daughter’s best friend is killed in an accident, a father undergoes psychotherapy to cope with the emotional fallout. Family man Marc grapples with the post-traumatic stress that ensues when he witnesses his daughter’s best friend being fatally struck by a car just after leaving his house. Haunted by the images, torturing himself with blame, he agrees to undergo psychotherapy — a treatment that proves harrowing. Backed as always by his favourite lead (Laurent Lucas), Mitrani dissects the insidiousness of guilt as well as the unsuspected possibilities of survival."

PRODUCTION TEAM

DIRECTOR: Noël Mitrani

SCREENWRITER: Noël Mitrani

^{ACTORS: Laurent Lucas, Laurence Dauphinais, Mohsen El Gharbi, Pascale Bussières, Natacha Mitrani}

PRODUCER: Gapian Films

FILM TRAILER

SCREENING

THURSDAY OCTOBER 12, 2017

Program #241, 13:00, Cineplex Odeon Quartier SALLE 17

For more informations about the FNC, the program, film scheduling and various venues visit the FNC festival's website.

FNC 2017: Indian Horse

INDIAN HORSE

FOCUS   QUEBEC / CANADA

CANADA | 100 MINUTES | 2017

The film is based on the novel by a Canadian author and journalist Richard Wagamese who was an Ojibwe from the Wabaseemoong Independent Nations in northwestern Ontario.

The film deals with the dark past of the Canadian history for which in 2008 the Prime Minister of Canada Stephan Harper had apologized to the former students of the Indian residential school system. They were boarding schools for the Indigenous peoples' children, founded by the Canadian government's Department of Indian Affairs and administered by Christian churches. Its purpose was to remove children from the influence of their own culture to assimilate them into the dominant Canadian way of life. Over its more than hundred years of existence, about 150,000 (roughly 30%) of Indigenous children were placed in residential schools, and 6,000 of them (it is speculated more than that) have died while there.

The film portrays a story of an Ojibwee boy Saul Indian Horse who was removed from his community and his cultural roots at the age of eight and brought to a Residential school. It portrays the cold, strict and inhuman environment in those schools, and the hardships the native children had to endure. The only way Saul could bear his fate was to get involved with hockey. He had an uncanny skill to feel the spirit of the game inside himself, to become one with that spirit, to master the game to the highest level of proficiency with all its intricacies, strategies, moves and passes. It was hockey that helped him to endure the unbearable environment of the residential school that also brought him out of it earlier than required. He was destined for success, yet overwhelmed by the racist attitude he encountered even from his team mates, he began the painful journey to his own native roots and healing...  

FNC  FILM SYNOPSES

"Inheritance, family bonds and identity are at the heart of this coming-of-age story based on the novel by Richard Wagamese. Spanning several decades, the film follows the difficult journey of Saul Indian Horse, a young Ojibwa boy who grew up in 1960s Ontario. Scarred by the spirit-destroying effects of residential school, he battles racism while developing his outstanding talent for hockey. Indian Horse takes an ambitious approach, peeling back the layers of “official” Canadian history as it paints a moving portrait of resilience."

Director: Stephen S. Camplianel

Writer: Dennis Foon

Starring: Sladen Peltier, Forrest Goodluck, Ajuawak Kapashesit 

SCREENING

 

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 11, 2017

Program #214, 19:00, Cineplex Odeon Quartier SALLE 17

FRIDAY OCTOBER 13, 2017

Program #273, 17:00, Cineplex Odeon Quartier SALLE 17

The film's director Stephen S. Camplianel will be present at both screenings to answer the audience's questions.

For more informations about the FNC, the program, film scheduling and various venues visit the FNC festival's website.