Ababooned
The mission of the Centre d'art et essai de la Cinémathèque québécoise (CAECQ) is to primary program Quebec-made documentaries and independent fiction, as well as international documentaries, animated and foreign films, while encouraging opportunities for meetings between the public and the artists. Its programming is presented in conjunction with the Cinémathèque québécoise’s under the label New releases.
Closing Film, 2024 Fantasia
Michel Paquette, 12 years old and afflicted with polio, skips Sunday mass to read poetry at the St-Amour et fille publishing house. His old friend, Archange St-Amour, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, relies on Michel to help him type Vive le Québec Laïque, an anti-clerical pamphlet in the midst of Québec's Grande Noirceur. The pamphlet outrages the clergy, but the Church's revenge pales in comparison to the fire brewing within Michel and his friends. The young rebels defy the clerical order, risking everything in their quest for a secular and egalitarian Québec.
André Forcier
In 1966, André Forcier wrote, produced, and directed his first short film, Chroniques labradoriennes. Early in his career, he self-funded his first feature film, Le retour de l’immaculée conception. In 1974, after the success of Bar Salon, Forcier was awarded the Silver Siren by Vittorio De Sica at the Sorrento Festival in Italy. He went on to direct numerous films with enchanting and surreal atmospheres, including L’eau chaude, l’eau frette, Au clair de la lune, Kalamazoo, Une histoire inventée, Le vent du Wyoming, La comtesse de Bâton Rouge, Les États-Unis d’Albert, and Un cri au bonheur. In 2009, he released Je me souviens, considered by many critics to be his best work. Forcier was the first Canadian filmmaker to have a retrospective at the Cinémathèque française in 1987. In 2003, he received a prestigious Prix du Québec, the Prix Albert-Tessier, and in 2010, he was honoured with the Governor General's Award, the highest distinction in media arts in Canada. In 2018, Québec Cinéma presented him with the Iris Tribute Award, celebrating his 50-year career, describing him as a "legend of Quebec cinema, whose universe offers a unique, singular, and moving perspective on Quebec society."
Bio: Filmoption International