Souris, tu m'inquiètes
Built around International Women's Day (March 8), this program invites us to immerse ourself in the creative effervescence of women's and feminist cinema in Quebec during the 1970s. It features a tribute to director and Vidéo Femmes co-founder Hélène Roy, followed by a discussion; two screenings of independent works by pioneering women filmmakers, recently restored by the Cinémathèque québécoise; and a screening of the six films from the NFB series En tant que femmes, presented in dialogue with the launch of Olivier Ducharme’s book, Nous ferons les films que nous voulons.
Family happiness often involves an unsuspected tragedy: a woman's loss of identity, as she lives only for her husband and children. Faced with this “unspeakable malaise”, Francine, a seemingly fulfilled young woman, is forced to leave her family for a time, in an attempt to find out who she is. This film, which consists of a dramatized part to which testimonial sequences add the richness of real-life experience, reveals how everyday life is perceived by Quebec women.
Aimée Danis
Aimée Danis was a film director and producer from Quebec. Originally from Maniwaki, she worked as a script assistant for the Télévision de Radio-Canada, and later for Jacques Godbout on his film YUL 871, before becoming the first woman in Quebec's film and television industry to direct television commercials. Her advertising work included spots for Hydro-Québec, Dominion, Desjardins and Peugeot. In the 1970s she directed a number of short documentary films, the narrative television film Souris, tu m'inquiètes (1973), and episodes for three TV series. She won a Canadian Film Award for Best Short Documentary at the 22nd Canadian Film Awards, for KW+. In 1973, she was one of the 14 filmmakers from Quebec who signed the boycott letter protesting poor treatment of films from Quebec. The protest resulted in the cancellation of the 25th Canadian Film Awards ceremony, and the postponement of the 26th Canadian Film Awards to 1975. She moved into production in the 1980s, producing Jean-Claude Lauzon’s Léolo and Michel Brault’s My Friend Max (Mon amie Max), both of which were Genie Award nominees for Best Motion Picture.
