BOISBOUSCACHE: A TERRITORY UNDER THE INFLUENCE

The TNO (Unorganized Territory) Lac-Boisbouscache is a 150 square kilometer public forest located between Rivière-du-Loup and Rimouski in the Lower St. Lawrence region of Quebec, Canada.

This ancestral territory of the Maliseet-de-Viger First Nation is today a common good since, as the government proclaims, the public forest belongs to all Quebecers. Well, all... That's a quick way of putting it!

Through the eyes of forest residents and users, the film paints a portrait of a territory that has long been coveted by private groups with diverse interests.

Boisbouscache is a story of dispossession based on the commercial uses in force today combined with the absence of any political will.

A film by Jean-Claude Coulbois
Produced by Robert Lacerte (ACPAV)

MY FATHER’S JOURNEY

"[... ] very charming and personal [...] it is difficult not to marvel at the beauty of the mountains of southern China..." - Jean-François Vaudrin, Le Petit Septième

Chongren He was born in 1936, in Li Jiang, a small town close to the border of Tibet. He is a descendent of the Naxi, one of the fifty-six Chinese minorities which has a population of 300,000. What makes the Naxi unique is their ancient Dongba culture preserved through the millenary pictographic writing. This particular pictogram is the only living one in use today and is called the “living fossil”. What makes the Naxi unique is their ancient Dongba culture preserved through the millenary pictographic writing. This particular pictogram is the only living one in use today and is called the “living fossil”.

Besieged by the constant political upheavals and the assimilation of the dominant Chinese modern culture, he currently lives in a small village similar to an isolated island surrounded by endless waves of tourists. This film explores how an individual of 82 years of age can build his own spiritual castle to protect himself and his frail yet precious culture.

A film by Xiaodan He
Produced by Xiaodan He

CODA: LIFE WITH MUSIC

“A treat for the senses.” — Chris Knight, National Post

“With a soundtrack rich in classical pieces, this cinematographic work is sure to charm all art lovers.” — Léa Harvey, Le Soleil

Henry Cole is an acclaimed pianist who returns to the stage after a prolonged hiatus. During his inaugural concert, he is afflicted with a severe case of stage fright and barely avoids disaster. In the following days, his condition worsens, he becomes more and more unstable and his career is hanging by a thread. Bewildered and ready to pack it in, he meets Helen Morrison, a former pianist turned music critic, who wants to write an article on him. She asks for an interview. A reserved and austere man, Henry declines. Helen persists and eventually gains his trust. A peculiar relationship develops between the two, based on love of music and a shared sensibility. Henry feels fortified and wants to resume his concert tour. Helen worries that this renewed confidence is only superficial. She suggests a trip, to attend a concert in a remote place, Sils-Maria in the Swiss Alps. In a time of personal crisis, she once found her answer there. Perhaps he can now find his.

Directed by Claude Lalonde
Written by Louis Godbout
Produced by Nicolas Comeau
With Patrick Stewart, Katie Holmes, Giancarlo Esposito and Christoph Gaugler

PINK LAKE

“Pink Lake is a superb film, and I highly recommend it.” – Francois Grondin, Le Petit Septième

“[...] this is a strong movie concerning human relationships and creating an awareness that they need to evolve and grow, if the protagonists are to survive.” – Barry Meehan, artSMart

Sam (Charles Brooks) and Cora (Alysa Touati) are a couple whose relatively peaceful life in the Gatineau hills is disrupted when Nadia (Marie-Marguerite Sabongui), one of Sam’s oldest and dearest friends, visits from out of town. Nadia is suffering from a broken heart; her partner has just left her, and now fears that it’s too late to become a mother. Wasting no time, Nadia asks Sam to be her sperm donor; that way, she can at least raise a child whose father she knows and trusts - though she insists that she would raise the child alone. Sam is keen on helping Nadia, in no small part because Cora doesn’t want kids and this might be his last shot at being a father – if only a biological, peripheral one. When Sam and Nadia propose their idea to Cora, Cora gives her assent. But doubt creeps in as Cora ponders the consequences of her choice.

A film by Emily Gan and Daniel Schachter
Produced by Emily Gan and Daniel Schachter
Co-produced with Jacob Potashnik
With Alysa Touati, Charles Brooks, Marie-Marguerite Sabongui, and Sophie Desmarais

WOODLAND GREY

“Woodland Grey is one of the most unique horror films of the year.” – Liz Whittemore, Reel News Daily

“This is one of those horror films that only come around once or twice a decade” – Chris Hammond, Horror Patch

A man living alone in the deep woods finds Emily, a hiker, unconscious and laying on the forest floor. He brings her back to his home and helps her get back to health so she can leave the forest and get home. After a few tense days coexisting, Emily makes a discovery. She finds a crudely built shed behind the man's home. When she opens it, she unleashes something truly haunting. As Emily and the man come to terms with what has been released, they also attempt to find a way out of the forest which isn't exactly what it seems.

A film by Adam Reider
Produced by Francesco Giannini, Tamara Dupuis, Adam Reider and Daniel Roy
With Jenny Raven, Ryan Blakely, Art Hindle, Katharine King, Chelsea Goldwater and Tristan D. Lalla

INÈS

★★★ 1/2 ''Rosalie Bonenfant is captivating in her first big screen role. The actress slipped into this complex character with total self-absorption.'' – Geneviève Bouchard, Le Soleil

Caught up in a symbiotic relationship with her father, Inès (20 years old) embarks on a difficult path to try to escape from this imposing man in order to build her own identity and become an adult woman.

A film by Renée Beaulieu | Produced by Renée Beaulieu
With Rosalie Bonenfant, Roy Dupuis, Roy Dupuis, Noémie Godin-Vigneau & Nikki Bohm

BRAIN FREEZE

As winter approaches, an exclusive Golf Club hires a Multinational biotech whose “revolutionary” fertilizer melts the snow, contaminating the water and the residents of Peacock Island, transformed into mutants. André (15) watches as the infection spreads, leaving him orphaned and in charge of his baby sister Annie. He meets Dan, a wannabe survivalist who has taken refuge in a high-end grocery with his daughter, Patricia, not so lucky. They embark on an adventure that takes them to the source of the contamination. In a race against the clock, they fight peacocks and mad scientists and finally the army itself…

A film by Julien Knafo | Produced by Barbara Shrier
With Iani Bédard, Roy Dupuis, Marianne Fortier, Claire Ledru, Léonie Ledru, Anne-Élisabeth Bossé, Claudia Ferri, Mylène Mackay, Stéphane Crête, Louis-Georges Girard, Mahée Paiement, Simon Olivier Fecteau, Marie-Lyne Joncas and Jean-Pierre Bergeron

GOOD RIDDANCE

Set in a small rural town in the Quebec Laurentians, Michelle lives in an isolated house with her mentally-challenged brother Guy and her 13 year old daughter Manon. Together the three of them survive by running a small firewood business and performing other odd jobs. Michelle is frustrated with living in poverty and being the center of several people who demand her affection; her brother is like a second child who lives in his own world, his romantic obsession with their wealthy client Madame Viau-Vachon being an exercise in futility. Maurice, the local police chief, is her lover and Gaetan, a mechanic and family friend, would like to be. Most demanding of all is her daughter, who has an unhealthy emotional dependence on her. Precocious and uninterested in school, Manon is jealous of her mother's suitors and angry at being left home to do chores and care for Guy. When an event occurs that threatens the emotional dynamic between Manon and her mother, she becomes obsessed with removing anything that stands in the way of her having an exclusive claim on her mother's love no matter what the cost.

A film by Francis Mankiewicz
With Charlotte Laurier, Marie Tifo, Germain Houde, Roger Lebel, Gilbert Sicotte and Louise Marleau

THE MIRROR

Jean has not seen his mother, Diane, for the past five years, due to an incident he is not ready to forgive her for. When she commits suicide in Belgium, Jean must go there to retrieve her ashes and deal with the estate. At his mother's house he meets Fabrice, Diane's very young husband. He also meets Juliana, a good friend of his mother, whom Diane has entrusted her holographic will. Jean learns that his mother has left him an antique mirror of great value. While sorting through Diane's belongings, Jean develops a slight obsession with this antique mirror, which is said to be linked to some disturbing and pivotal events in Jean's life as a child. Through the quest for the mirror, he will also discovers a secret hidden by his mother. Jean will have to forgive his mother, but also and above all, free himself from her...

A film by Marc Joly-Corcoran
With Normand Daneau, Élia St-Pierre, Tatiana Zinga Botao, Lise Roy, Bénédicte Décary, Guillaume Cyr, Bruno Piccolo and Jacqueline Van de Geer

ALPINE ADVENTURER

Simon St-Arnaud, a passionate mountaineer and traveler, organizes one-of-a-kind trips where adventurous skiers can face unique mountain challenges. Accompanied by a handful of like-minded souls who share both his passion and his fearlessness, the intrepid adventurers visit rugged, off-the-beaten-track corners of the world, facing and conquering nature at her harshest. There are no limits to their quest -- no matter how remote the ski station, they'll reach it on foot, by dog sled or even helicopter if necessary. Join the alpine adventurer and his intrepid companions as they take on whatever challenge nature throws their way in their unending quest for extreme and unforgettable sporting experiences.

A series by Michel Valiquette
Produced by Paul Cadieux, Annie Bourdeau and Maryse Rouillard

THE LAST HERD

Isolated in the remote mountains of the Gaspé National Park, a last herd of caribou resists defiantly against human encroachment. When the first European settlers arrived on the East Coast of North America in 1534, caribou numbered in the tens of thousands. Today scarcely 100 remain. They are the last survivors. This documentary tells of their plight and precarious tipping point on which they now balance.

A film by Harold Arsenault
Produced by Harold Arsenault, Paul Cadieux and Maryse Rouillard

THE BACKSTREET SIX

In a Montreal working-class neighbourhood, five pre-teens come up with a series of introductory tests for a newcomer, in order to see if he can join the group. Then all are on the trail of an enigmatic old man who could be a spy.

A film by André Mélançon
With Éric Beauséjour, Philippe Bouchard, Caroline Laroche, Daniel Murray, José Neves, Nancy Normandin and Sylvain Provencher