Goddess of the Fireflies

Born into a line of committed artists, multilingual, Anaïs-Barbeau-Lavalette is one of the leading figure of her generation. Her cinematographic work has won numerous awards both here and internationally. Social commitment, poverty, childhood and adolescence on the margins: these are just some of the themes that run through her documentaries. She has directed four feature-length fiction films in which she touches on social struggles and major world conflicts, always with an eye to the individual and the quest for meaning and beauty. Her inspirations often come from the field, as in The Fight (2007) and Inch’Allah (2012). Her third feature, Goddess of the Fireflies (2020), is the first eco-responsible film shot in Quebec; an experiment that serves as a model for the industry. White Dog (2023), based on the novel by Romain Gary, reflects on the “white savior”. In collaboration with Émile Proulx-Cloutier, she creates three stage documentaries, in which people tell their own stories on stage. Author of several books, including four novels: Je voudrais qu’on m’efface (2010), La femme qui fuit (2015), Femme forêt (2021) and Femme fleuve (2022). Named Artist for Peace in 2012, she co-founded the environmental movement Mères au front in 2020. Her action in the face of political “neglect” of the looming environmental crisis is an energy that carries her forward every day.