Ésimésac
Giants, fairies, magicians, ghosts, dragons, and monsters of all kinds… Here’s what your Cinémathèque has in store this summer! Since Méliès, filmmakers have embraced the fanstastic potential of cinema, creating infinite phantasmagorias and extraordinary spectacles where the unreal becomes real. Step into a world of fantasy and boundless imagination: whatever your generation, the monsters and wonders that once filled your childhood dreams are back this summer 2025!
Preceded by Robert Doucet's short film, The Legend of the Flying Canoe
New Year's Eve, late 1800s. A group of loggers in an isolated lumber camp yearn to celebrate with their loved ones, but the river is frozen. If the men want to see their families, their only choice is to make a pact with the Devil to ride in a flying canoe. Original music and animation preserve the spirit of this Quebec legend.
With his village on the edge of starvation, strongman Ésimésac hits on a plan for the community to plant a garden. Local blacksmith Riopel, hearing rumours of the railroad coming to town, enlists the townspeople in an effort to help it along. Can both projects coexist? Should Ésimésac oppose progress?
Luc Picard
Luc Picard is a Québécois actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, and playwright who grew up in a modest family in Lachine. From 1985 to 1988, at the age of 26, he studied at the Conservatoire d’art dramatique de Montréal. He went on to perform in numerous theatrical productions under the direction of Claude Poissant, René Richard Cyr, and Brigitte Haentjens, among others. He first came to public attention in Quebec thanks to his role in the television series Omertà (1995–1996). A prolific actor on both television and stage, he has also received multiple awards for his work in film. He made his directorial and screenwriting debut with Audition (2005), a box-office success in Quebec and that garnered numerous awards. He then collaborated with Fred Pellerin on two feature films: Babine (2008) and Ésimésac (2012). In 2021, he won the Borsos Award for Best Director at the Whistler Film Festival for his most recent film, Confessions of a Hitman.
Photo: Collections de la Cinémathèque québécoise
