THE “VISAGES DE LA FRANCOPHONIE TV5” AWARD GIVEN TO
JE M’APPELLE HUMAIN BY Kim O’Bomsawin
FESTIVAL CONTINES UNTIL TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24
ACROSS CANADA
After three weeks of online presentations, CINEMANIA is pleased to unveil the prize winners of its 26th edition, including the “Faces of the Francophonie TV5” award, presented to Kim O’Bomsawin’s documentary JE M’APPELLE HUMAIN. In addition, in order to allow as many people as possible to discover the winning films which make up its program, the Festival is offering a two day extension and gives spectators the opportunity to discover the films from its Palmarès until Tuesday, November 24 at midnight on its viewing platform.
The “VISAGES DE LA FRANCOPHONIE TV5” award to Kim O’Obomsawin’s JE M’APPELLE HUMAIN
As part of the “Visages de la Francophonie” competition, a jury of young professionals from Quebec, France, Luxembourg and British Columbia, and chaired by actress Juliette Gosselin, has given out several awards. The jury made up among others by Pascal Plante and Nahéma Ricci, chose to award the main award of the festival to the Quebec documentary JE M’APPELLE HUMAIN directed by Kim O’Bomsawin. The jury explained its choice: “A powerful and luminous film that left no one indifferent. For the issues of Francophonie it cannot be more relevant and fundamental, for the reconciliation and reflection proposed by the subject and by the staging, for the loving gaze of the filmmaker on the territory, and, above all, for the memory, we present the prize “VISAGES DE LA FRANCOPHONIE TV5” to JE M’APPELLE HUMAIN by Kim O’Bomsawin. In the film, Josephine Bacon says of the elders: “We need them, for our children, to tell about the beginning of the world.” We believe that we also need this film. “
In addition, a Special Mention was also awarded to the feature film SI THE VENT TOMBE by Nora Martirosyan, a Franco-Armenian co-production about the current conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Rayonnement Award for Best Quebec Feature Film or Co-Production
While the Quebec film industry has been through several difficult months in 2020, CINEMANIA wanted to show its solidarity and contribute its stone to the building to continue to make cinema shine here. Made possible by the generous support of entrepreneur Michel Trudel, founder of Mel’s Cité du Cinéma et Locations Michel Trudel, the festival is particularly proud and happy to present the brand new Rayonnement Award for Best Quebec or co-production Feature Film to Philippe Lacôte’s LA NUIT DES ROIS, the pre-opening film of this 26th edition. This award is accompanied by a grant given by the festival to the Canadian Distributor (Axia Films) to contribute to the film’s influence during its run in cinemas or online across Quebec.
The jury explained its choice:“For his great formal mastery of image and sound; for rallying behind the millennial power of the stories we tell ourselves – from Shakespeare to the thousand and one nights through La Cité de Dieu – and for the breathtaking performance of the lead actor that anchors this free and surprising narrative, the Rayonnement Award for best Quebec or co-production feature film is awarded to Philippe Lacôte’s LA NUIT DES ROIS.”
AQCC-NESPRESSO Award for Best Short Film
Finally, the year 2020 saw the entry of the festival into the world of short films. Supported by the REGARD Festival in Saguenay cancelled due to the health crisis and the Festival of Saint-Jean-De-Luz, in France, CINEMANIA marked this foray with the awarding of the AQCC NESPRESSO Award for Best Short Film. Valued at $1,500, the prize was awarded to LANDGRAVES by Jean-François Leblanc.
The jury elaborated on its choice:“Whether one is familiar with the marginal community depicted in this film, too often the target of hasty judgments, his diabolically effective narrative makes us live a range of emotions ranging from laughter to dread, thanks to its exemplary narrative construction and the patience of its staging. Its anguished protagonist becomes the avatar of the viewer, slowly but surely caught up in the magnetic energy of the actor Pier-Luc Brillant, which has never been so captivating. For all these reasons and for its love of cinema as an art through the power of image and sound, the AQCC-Nespresso jury is very proud to present its prize to LANDGRAVES, directed by Jean-François Leblanc and scripted by Alexandre Auger.“
Two more days dedicated to the 2020 Award Winners
Remember that the titles of the Palmarès will be available until November 24, 2020 at midnight on the online viewing platform of CINEMANIA to allow as many as possible to discover them. Each feature film is available for $8, and the SHORT film LANDGRAVES is $1. Additional screenings will also be included in the online passport. Spectators are also invited to vote online to determine the winner of the Mel Hoppenheim Public Prize, which will be announced on Wednesday, November 25.
The CINEMANIA French Language Film Festival will be back in 2021 for its 27th edition.
