À force de rêves
At the end of 2021, filmmaker Serge Giguère obtained the highest distinction given to a filmmaker in Quebec. What a great opportunity to rediscover a generous work, marked by the concern for portraiture (Oscar Thiffault), the immediate consideration for social issues (Depuis que le monde est monde; À force de rêver) and a precise, meticulous attention given to what we called the "real". We will present several new copies that we restored, in the presence of the filmmaker.
In presence of the director
They are between 72 and 94 years old. They play instruments, paint, make model airplanes, work the land or take pleasure in antiques. Serge Giguère observes them in this documentary with the freedom he has achieved through years of experience, piecing together fragments of their lives to create a vibrant and colourful mosaic. Driven by Dreams is proof positive that it is possible to grow old happily. The film exudes a feeling of creativity and joy in living that the camera conveys through the closeness and intimacy the filmmaker shares with the people he shows on screen. Even if death is ever present, it cannot alter the gentle warmth of this film that reveals the subtle and precious lessons that unpretentious wisdom has to offer. A film that helps us live better lives! (NFB)
Serge Giguère
Resolutely humanist, Serge Giguère’s cinema offers intimate journeys where reality and imagination intertwine to open up the secret dimension that connects us to one another. He was the recipient of the Governor General’s Award (2008) and the Albert-Tessier Award (2021). Starting as an assistant cameraman for master documentarians Pierre Perrault and Arthur Lamothe, he then founded Les films d’aventures sociales du Québec in 1974 with Robert Tremblay and they co-directed three films together, including Belle famille (1978). Giguère then joined forces with Sylvie Van Brabant to create Les Productions du Rapide-Blanc in 1984, where he directed most of his films, including Oscar Thiffault, The King of Drums and My Mother’s Letters. Driven By Dreams (2007) (Special Jury Award Best Canadian Documentary, Hot Docs 2007) along with Finding MacPherson (2015) both earned a Jutra Award for Best Quebec Documentary. Serge Giguère is one of Quebec’s most important documentary filmmakers of the last few decades.
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On our blog (in French)
Il y a plusieurs voies possibles à emprunter pour aborder le cinéma de Serge Giguère. L’une des plus évidentes a trait à la musique et notamment à ces deux films que Giguère réalise entre la fin des années 1980 et le début des années 1990 et que nous avons numérisé, restauré ces derniers mois : Oscar Thiffault et Le roi du drum, consacré au percussionniste et batteur Guy Nadon («le plus grand des mauvais batteurs», affirmera, pince-sans-rire, le jazzman montréalais Vic Vogel).
