Françoise Durocher, waitress + La naissance d'une messe
The staging of La dernière cassette at Théâtre de Quat'Sous, a tribute to theater director André Brassard, provides the perfect occasion to celebrate his unique contributions to Quebec cinema. His theatrical work also inspired a documentary that gives us insight into his distinctive creative approach.
In the presence of Marc Béland & Jean-Claude Coulbois
A short fiction film that shows the waitress condition in all its subtleties. A fictitious being to whom 24 women lend their faces, Françoise Durocher has all the characteristics of a waitress, hostess and barmaid. Together, they give us, according to the author, an idea of the Quebec waitress who, every day, serves you with a smile, despite the troubles that come with her job and the little dramas she has to deal with on an almost daily basis. This film is the first cinematographic collaboration between Brassard and Tremblay.
La naissance d’une messe highlights the collaborative work of actors and artisans brought together by André Brassard for the creation of Michel Tremblay's play Messe solennelle pour une pleine lune d’été. The actors’ journey toward uncovering the truth serves as a human sciences laboratory, blending artistic exploration with a deeply human adventure. Directed by one of the most remarkable actors’ director, for whom “staging is first and foremost a matter of giving soul,” the process becomes a profound testament to the creative spirit.
Jean-Claude Coulbois
Born in Paris, Jean-Claude Coulbois has been living and working in Quebec since 1968. Alternating between editing (Higelin, Lettre à mon père, Cap tournante) and directing, he embarked from 1995 on a series of films questioning various aspects of Quebec culture through the links between theater and societal evolution. This production explores different forms of direct cinema: from the short film Joyeux Noël, Julie (1997) to the feature documentary* Un miroir sur la scène* (1997), a two-part retrospective look at the theatrical emergence in Quebec. Subsequently, he explores Le territoire du comédien (1999) before following the creative process experienced by a group of actors during rehearsals for a text from Michel Tremblay directed by André Brassard, through a documentary chronicle, La naissance d'une messe (2002). He also directed a documentary on Robert Gravel, Mort subite d'un homme-théâtre, in 2012, and the third installment of the Un miroir sur la scène trilogy, Nous autres, les autres, in 2016.
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Who is André Brassard?
From 1968 to 2003, André Brassard directed most of Michel Tremblay's plays. With nearly 160 productions, including several premieres, in over 40 years, he is considered one of Quebec's greatest stage directors. He receives the Ordre des arts et des lettres du Québec in 2021.
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