Le million tout-puissant
Quebec's Digital Cultural Plan has allowed us to deploy a program to digitize works from Quebec's audiovisual heritage. Since 2018, the Cinémathèque has digitized and restored around forty independent films. At the beginning of the month, Michel Moreau's humorous documentary on the lottery phenomenon, Le million tout-puissant, will be presented. Then, to celebrate Quebec's National Day, we present two films that delve into Quebec's musical folklore: Maricoquette qui a ni chaud ni frette, an animated short based on a song collected by oral tradition historian Luc Lacourcière; and Oscar Thiffault, a portrait of the author and performer of Rapide blanc, a song composed in 1954 while he was working at the Hydro-Québec dam of the same name.
A mother of four teenagers becomes a millionaire one Sunday morning. A modest bank employee wins a million. Nine months later, he repeats his luck and pockets his second million. In a small village, retirees suddenly become parents of a millionaire. Amidst these authentic stories, with his unique flair, the great humorist Jean-Guy Moreau comments and monologues. A film about the ups and downs of lottery millionaires that prompts laughter and raises questions.
Michel Moreau
Michel Moreau is a Quebecois director, screenwriter, and producer. He has directed nearly 80 films, primarily documentaries focusing on education as well as marginalized and excluded individuals in society. After obtaining a bachelor's degree in philosophy and a diploma from the School of Arts and Crafts (with a focus on animation and advertising), Michel Moreau began working in French advertising agencies as a copywriter in 1953. He then decided to settle in Quebec in 1960. In 1962, he joined the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), initially in the department of still films and to produce French adaptations of English documents. It was in 1968 that he directed his first film, Trois lecteurs en difficulté, for which he collaborated with psychologist Hans Neidhart, allowing him to better perceive and understand children's behavior. Leaving the NFB in 1969, he embarked on the production of educational films, for which he had a keen interest. He even founded the production company Educfilm with his partner Édith Fournier in 1972. His most publicized film, Une naissance apprivoisée (1979), follows his wife's pregnancy until her delivery. From 1984 to 1988, Michel Moreau served on the board of directors of the Cinémathèque québécoise, alternately as a director and vice-president. He was awarded the prix Lumières in 1998.
Photo : Collections de la Cinémathèque québécoise
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The restoration of this film is part of the implementation of a measure in Quebec's Digital Cultural Plan.
