Barbaracadabra
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.
Official Selection, FNC 2025
Sixty years after playing a cult role, Barbara, recovering from a debilitating injury, is torn between her desire to direct her first film and her fear of failure. Barbaracadabra is a magic trick unfolding in real time: chaotic, unpredictable, and alive.
Barbara Ulrich
Barbara Ulrich rose to fame thanks to her iconic role in The Cat in the Bag (Le chat dans le sac, 1964), directed by her late husband Gilles Groulx. Through her natural acting and magnetic screen presence, Ulrich embodied the spirit of a youth seeking identity during Quebec’s profound transformation. Barbaracadabra marks her directorial debut at the age of 80.
Renaud Lessard
Renaud Lessard grew up on the banks of the Ottawa River and in New Delhi. His first professional experiences took place on the set of a Bollywood production, where he discovered the intricate dance between cinematic conventions and the art of breaking them. A graduate of Montreal's Mel Hoppenheim Film School in 2015, Renaud approaches his work as a writer-director-producer with a deep fascination for the blurred boundaries between fiction and documentary.
Bio : Gracieuseté Renaud Lessard
