28th CINEMANIA FILM FESTIVAL
NOVEMBER 2 TO 13, 2022
A VIBRANT PROGRAM CELEBRATING
FRENCH-LANGUAGE CINEMA FROM HERE AND ELSEWHERE
The CINEMANIA French-language Film Festival has unveiled the program for its 28th edition, which will take place in Montreal from November 2 to 13. CINEMANIA will present no fewer than 110 films, including numerous presentations that are international, North American, Canadian or Quebec premieres, chosen from among the year’s best French-language productions, all with English subtitles and accompanied by 22 guest artists from Europe. French-language cinema will be celebrated for 10 days at Cinéma Impérial, Cinéma du Musée, Cinéma du Parc and the Cinémathèque québécoise.
Opening and Closing Films
Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette’s feature film CHIEN BLANC will open the festival on Wednesday, November 2 at the Cinéma Impérial in the presence of the film’s crew, before its province-wide release on November 9 (Distribution: Sphère Films). CHIEN BLANC, the fourth feature directed by Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette, is adapted from the novel of the same name, published by Gallimard in 1970: an iconic work by Romain Gary, recounting his life and experiences with Jean Seberg. The film stars Denis Ménochet, Kacey Rohl, K.C. Collins and young Laurent Lemaire.
The opening gala of the festival’s 28th edition, co-hosted by Catherine Beauchamp, is made possible by Sofitel Montreal Golden Mile, the official hotel of the festival.
On Sunday, November 13, TEMPÊTE, directed by Quebec filmmaker Christian Duguay, will close the 28th edition of CINEMANIA at the Cinéma Impérial in the presence of the director and lead actor Pio Marmaï. This adaptation of the youth novel Tempête au haras stars Pio Marmaï, Mélanie Laurent and Carmen Kassovitz in an equestrian epic that unfolds amidst the picturesque landscape of Normandy. The closing event is made possible by Air Canada. The film will be released theatrically on December 21, 2022 (Distribution: Les Films Opale).
Numerous Films Presented by International Guest Artists
This year, audiences will be able to discover numerous premieres presented by renowned international guests. Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s AS BESTAS, François Ozon’s PETER VON KANT and Guillaume Renusson’s LES SURVIVANTS will all be accompanied by actor Denis Ménochet. CLOSE, which won the Grand Prize at the 75th Cannes Festival, will be presented to the Montreal audience by its director Lukas Dhont. FRÈRE ET SOEUR and TROMPERIE will be accompanied by filmmaker Arnaud Desplechin. The France-Quebec co-production L’ORIGINE DU MAL will be screened in the presence of director Sébastien Marnier. Emmanuel Mouret will be back at the festival once again as he presents CHRONIQUES D’UNE LIAISON PASSAGÈRE. Julien Guetta’s LES CADORS will be accompanied by actor Michel Blanc. Céline Devaux’s TOUT LE MONDE AIME JEANNE and LE PETIT NICOLAS – QU’EST-CE QU’ON ATTEND POUR ÊTRE HEUREUX, directed by Amandine Fredon and Benjamin Massoubre, will be introduced by actor Laurent Lafitte. COULEURS DE L’INCENDIE will be screened in the presence of director Clovis Cornillac. Didier Barcelo’s EN ROUE LIBRE will be accompanied by actor Benjamin Voisin. ARRÊTE AVEC TES MENSONGES will be presented by director Olivier Peyon,actor Guillaume de Tonquédec and novelist Philippe Besson. Pascale Arbillot will present Jérôme Commandeur’s IRRÉDUCTIBLE and François Uzan’s ON SOURIT POUR LA PHOTO. DIVERTIMENTO will be accompanied by director Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar and orchestra conductor Zahia Ziouani. Artist and director Fabrizio Maltese, from Luxembourg, will accompany his films L’INVITATION, CALIFORNIA DREAMING and I FIORI PERSI. LES TÉMOINS VIVANTS will be accompanied by directors Karolina Markiewicz and Pascal Piron. ICARE will be presented by director Carlo Vogele. And Thierry de Peretti’s ENQUÊTE SUR UN SCANDALE D’ÉTAT will be accompanied by actor Pio Marmaï.
Quebec Films in Competition
Eleven Quebec-produced (in whole or in part) feature films will be presented in the Films du Québec competition. Audiences, along with a jury consisting entirely of directors of foreign festivals, will get the chance to discover AU GRAND JOUR, directed by Emmanuel Tardif, which was selected for the Proxima competition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival earlier this year, and which tells the story of a family’s unspoken pain. Following up on her short subject Marguerite (an Oscar nominee in 2019), Marianne Farley presents her first feature, AU NORD D’ALBANY, a family drama with thriller and road-movie overtones, starring Céline Bonnier and Zeneb Blanchet. Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette’s CHIEN BLANC will open the festival and be in competition at this 28th edition of CINEMANIA. Presented at the Venice Film Festival this year, the highly-anticipated L’ORIGINE DU MAL will be screened in the presence of Sébastien Marnier, who directed this dark comedy starring Suzanne Clément, Laure Calamy, Jacques Weber and Doria Tillier. Featuring François Arnaud, Sophie Desmarais and Roch Castonguay, Michel Kandinsky’s LA SWITCH sheds a new light on Ontario’s French-speaking communities and is included in the Quebec films selection, as are Guillaume Lambert’s NIAGARA, Onur Karaman’s RESPIRE, and RODÉO, directed by Joëlle Desjardins Paquette. Audiences will also be able to discover an animated feature adapted from a group of short stories by Japanese author Haruki Murakami: SAULES AVEUGLES, FEMME ENDORMIE, directed by Pierre Földes. Eagerly awaited for the past several months, TU TE SOUVIENDRAS DE MOI, directed by Éric Tessier, starring Rémy Girard, France Castel, Julie Le Breton and Karelle Tremblay, will receive its Montreal premiere on November 1 at the Théâtre Outremont in the presence of the film’s crew. Christian Duguay’s TEMPÊTE, the festival’s closing film, rounds out the program of Quebec films.
Other Highly-anticipated Presentations
As every year, festival-goers will be able to attend pre-release screenings of highly-anticipated films which have shone on the international festival circuit. These include HOURIA, directed by Mounia Meddour, starring Lyna Khoudri; Valéria Bruni-Tedeschi’s LES AMANDIERS, which was an official selection at Cannes; and LA LIGNE, directed by Swiss filmmaker Ursula Meier. Christophe Honoré’s most autobiographical film to date, LE LYCÉEN, stars young Paul Kircher, Juliette Binoche and Vincent Lacoste. Also presented will be two films that were in the “Un Certain Regard” category at the 75th Cannes Festival: RETOUR À SÉOUL, directed by Franco-Cambodian directorDavy Chou, and Lola Quivoron’s RODEO, which takes us into the unique and fascinating world of “urban rodeo” motorbike riders.À L’OMBRE DES FILLES, directed by Étienne Comar, stars Agnès Jaoui, Alex Lutz, Hafsia Herzi and Veerle Baetens. François Pirot’s AILLEURS SI J’Y SUIS stars Jérémie Renier and Suzanne Clément as a quirky couple. Jérémie Renier also stars, with François Cluzet and Bérénice Bejo, in Philippe Le Guay’s L’HOMME DE LA CAVE, and he appears with Mathieu Kassovitz in L’ASTRONAUTE, directed by Nicolas Giraud. Actor Guillaume Gouix steps behind the camera for the first time with AMORE MIO, and Blandine Lenoir is back with a third feature about women’s emancipation, ANNIE COLÈRE, starring Laure Calamy, Zita Hanrot and India Hair. Nicolas Vanier directs Elsa Zylberstein, Sylvie Testud and Éric Elmosnino in CHAMPAGNE!. For her performance in CORSAGE, directed by Marie Kreutzer, Luxembourg native Vicky Krieps won the best actress award at the Cannes Festival (“Un Certain Regard”). PLUS QUE JAMAIS, directed by Emily Atef, is the last film in which the late Gaspard Ulliel performed. Virginie Efira stars with Tahar Rahim in Serge Bozon’s musical DON JUAN. Karim Leklou stars in Clément Cogitore’s thriller GOUTTE D’OR. Twins Ludovic and Zoran Boukherma direct Marina Foïs, Kad Merad and Jean-Pascal Zadi in L’ANNÉE DU REQUIN. Louis Garrel’s L’INNOCENT stars Garrel himself, along with Noémie Merlant and Roschdy Zem. Dominik Moll’s LA NUIT DU 12 features Bouli Lanners. LE MONDE D’HIER, directed by Diastème, stars Léa Drucker, Denis Podalydès and Benjamin Biolay. LE TIGRE ET LE PRÉSIDENT, directed by Jean-Marc Peyrefitte, stars André Dussollier and Jacques Gamblin as French president Paul Deschanel and Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau. Screened as the closing film of the Directors’ Fortnight at the 75th Cannes Festival, Nicolas Parisier’s spy comedy LE PARFUM VERT stars Vincent Lacoste and Sandrine Kiberlain. Adapted from Karine Tuil’s novel of the same name, LES CHOSES HUMAINES, directed by Yvan Attal, explores the workings of the justice system. The Algerian war lies at the heart of Philippe Faucon’s latest film, LES HARKIS, while the Afghanistan war features in Mathieu Gérault’s SENTINELLE SUD, starring Niels Schneider. In Olivier Dahan’s new biopic, Elsa Zylberstein plays Simone Veil in SIMONE, LE VOYAGE DU SIÈCLE. The unravelling of a family is the focus of Fabienne Berthaud’s social tale, TOM, and of Léonor Serraille’s story of deracination, UN PETIT FRÈRE. Karin Viard plays a mother bent on vengeance in UNE MÈRE, directed by Sylvie Audcoeur. And Mia Hansen-Love’s eighth feature film, UN BEAU MATIN, includes performances by Léa Seydoux, Melvil Poupaud, Pascal Greggory and Nicole Garcia.
Documentaries in Competition
For CINEMANIA’s competitive section devoted to French-language documentaries, a jury of five young French-speaking professionals will select the winner of the Planète + Award for Best Documentary. Among the eligible titles are the remarkable ATLANTIC BAR, directed by Fanny Molins, which traces the uncertain fortunes of a small bistro in Arles; ÉCLAIREUSES,directed by Belgium’s Lydie Wisshaupt-Claudel; LA COMBATTANTE, directed by Camille Ponsin; and NOUS, ÉTUDIANTS!, directed by Rafiki Fariala. Directed by Alain Ughetto, winner of the Jury Prize at the Annecy Animation Festival, INTERDIT AUX CHIENS ET AUX ITALIENS is an inventive work that blurs the line between documentary and fiction. Co-directed by Annie Ernaux, the 2022 Nobel laureate for literature, and her son David Ernaux-Briot, LES ANNÉES SUPER-8 was presented at the Directors’ Fortnight this spring. PATRICK DEWAERE, MON HÉROS is directed by Alexandre Moix and narrated by the subject’s daughter, Lola Dewaere. Finally, UN COMBAT POUR LA PAIX, directed by Yann-Antony Noghès, explores a little-known chapter in the history of France, Germany and Monaco.
A Prestigious Jury for the official “Visages de la Francophonie” Competition
The “Visages de la Francophonie” (“Faces of the French-Speaking World”) competition is a window into contemporary French-language cinema. The jury is co-chaired annually by a France-Quebec duo. This year, Quebec actress Pascale Bussières and French director Cédric Klapisch lead the jury. In addition to being present for screenings of ON SOURIT POUR LA PHOTO and IRRÉDUCTIBLE, French actress Pascale Arbillot will also sit on the jury, along with Monique Simard (Chair of the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership), Quebec director Ricardo Trogi, Quebec actress Nour Belkhiria and French novelist Philippe Besson. Besson will also be present for the screening of the film adapted from his novel Arrête avec tes mensonges, along with director Olivier Peyon and actor Guillaume de Tonquédec.
Three major awards will be presented during the Closing Ceremony on Sunday, November 13, at the Imperial Cinema: the TV5 Quebec-Canada Best Film Award, given to the best film in the competition; the Jury Prize, given to a jury favourite in recognition of a work’s originality; and (new this year) the Best Performance Award, given to a performer of any gender in recognition of an outstanding performance.
Among the titles selected for the “Visages de la Francophonie” competition are: CHIEN BLANC, directed by Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette; CLOSE, directed by Lukas Dhont; DIVERTIMENTO, directed by Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar; ENQUÊTE SUR UN SCANDALE D’ÉTAT, directed by Thierry de Peretti; HOURIA, directed by Mounia Meddour; LA LIGNE, directed by Ursula Meier; LE LYCÉEN, directed by Christophe Honor; PLUS QUE JAMAIS, directed by Emily Atef; RETOUR À SÉOUL, directed by Davy Chou; and RODEO, directed by Lola Quivoron.
Festival-goers will also be able to vote for the traditional Mel Hoppenheim Audience Award.
CINEMANIA Presents a Selection of Quebec Short Films
In this edition, CINEMANIA will present 22 short films, of which 14 are Quebec productions. For the occasion, the festival will host La Grande soirée du Court Québécois on Friday, November 11, at the Studio-Cabaret of the Espace St-Denis, assembling numerous artists and craftspeople along with the general public in a celebratory setting. At the end of the evening, the jury will present the Télé-Québec Award for the best Quebec short film.
Luxembourg, country of honour
CINEMANIA traditionally pays tribute to a French-speaking country every year. This year, the festival will have the pleasure of welcoming a delegation of 35 filmmakers, producers and artists from Luxembourg. That country’s flourishing film industry is largely anchored by Film Fund Luxembourg, an agency founded by the Grand Duchy in 1990, which now plays a central role in Luxembourg and around the world. A score of Luxembourg-produced films, recent and past successes, will be presented, including: CORSAGE, directed by Marie Kreutzer, starring the revelation of the Directors’ Fortnight, Vicky Krieps; Emily Atef’s PLUS QUE JAMAIS, being presented as a North American premiere; MR HUBLOT, directed by Laurent Witz and Alexandre Espigares, winner of an Oscar in 2014; and UNE LIAISON PORNOGRAPHIQUE, directed by Frédéric Fonteyne.
CINEMANIA will also present three documentaries by multidisciplinary artist Fabrizio Maltese: CALIFORNIA DREAMING, I FIORI PERSI and L’INVITATION. In addition, three photo exhibitions – Glamour en toute intimité (a collection of photos in which film celebrities from Hollywood and the French-speaking world provided images of themselves and the films they were promoting for publication in trade magazines like The Hollywood Reporter, to which Maltese contributed with his portfolios for nearly ten years), Clichés préparatoires and De plus près – will be presented at the PHI Centre, the Cinémathèque québécoise and the Hotel Sofitel Montréal Golden Mile. For the occasion, the artist has imagined a different experience at each location, permitting visitors to discover his craft as a photographer, which is inseparable from his other craft, that of filmmaker.
At the Phi Centre on November 3, a professional day will be hosted by SODEC and Film Fund Luxembourg. Highlights will include the presentation of a feature film, four VR works and an animated film. Round tables and networking sessions will also be held with the Canada Media Fund and Telefilm Canada. The following day, November 4, two film critics, Boyd Van Hoeij from Luxembourg and Marc-André Lussier of La Presse, will debate the influence that a small land can have on cinematic art, in a duel-of-critics format at the Cinémathèque québécoise.
Focus on Manitoba
A daylong tribute to Manitoba and its cinema will be held on November 9 at the Cinémathèque québécoise, in the presence of prominent invited guests from Winnipeg, in conjunction with the Centre culturel franco-manitobain. LE THÉÂTRE DE L’HISTOIRE, a documentary directed by Emilie Porry and Soleil Launière, will be presented. In this film, Launière, an Innu actress, accompanies teenagers on a creative journey that spans several months. Round tables and talks will also be scheduled throughout the day.
Special Events and Screenings
- Concert-Screening of DIVERTIMENTO – Director Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar will present her film DIVERTIMENTO on Friday, November 11, at 5:30 P.M. at the Cinéma Impérial. This screening will be followed by a concert-event with the musicians of the Orchestre Métropolitain, conducted for the occasion by Zahia Ziouani, whose life inspired the film. Ziouani is one of the few women in France to work as an orchestra conductor. She was only 23 when she founded the Orchestre Symphonique Divertimento.
- A Day Devoted to François Dompierre – This edition of the festival will pay tribute to a pioneer of Quebec film music, François Dompierre. For the occasion, the festival will organize a special day in his honour on November 12 at the Cinémathèque québécoise. IXE-13 will be presented at 11:00 A.M., followed by LA PASSION D’AUGUSTINE at 1:30. At 4:00 there will be a public discussion – LES GRANDS ESPRITS SE RENCONTRENT: DOMPIERRE ET LES ACTEURS DE LA RELÈVE – a round table hosted by Monique Giroux, in the company of orchestra conductor Zahia Ziouani, Catherine Major and Pierre Lapointe. Finally, as the day’s closing event, the festival-produced documentary FRANÇOIS DOMPIERRE: GESTES D’UN COMPOSITEUR will be presented at 6:00 P.M., followed by a conversation between the famed composer and Monique Giroux.
- Retrospective and Discussion with Arnaud Desplechin – In addition to presenting his two most recent feature films, FRÈRE ET SOEUR and TROMPERIE, CINEMANIA is devoting a retrospective to the filmmaker’s work with screenings of two of his earlier films at the Cinémathèque québécoise: UN CONTE DE NOËL and ROIS ET REINE. The director will be present at each of the screenings and will participate in a discussion at INIS with Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette on Thursday, November 10, at 5:00 P.M. This encounter will lead to a better understanding of the two directors’ creative processes, and will be moderated by Marc-André Lussier, who reports on cinema for La Presse.
- Masterclass with Cédric Klapisch – A frequent visitor to Quebec, where he has often come to promote his films, Cédric Klapisch is back at CINEMANIA, serving as co-chair of the festival’s official “Visages de la Francophonie” competition. This is an ideal opportunity to talk about his latest films, including En corps, which was released theatrically in Quebec this year, as well as his recent forays into the world of series television. Hosted by Patrick Fabre, this masterclass will take place on Saturday, November 12, at 4:30 P.M. at the Sofitel Montreal Golden Mile.
- Philippe Besson Book-signing Event – On Wednesday, November 9, at 6:00 P.M. at the Port de Tête Bookstore, French novelist Philippe Besson, author of several successful books (Arrête avec tes mensonges, Dîner à Montréal, Paris-Briançon) and member of the jury for CINEMANIA’s official competition, will greet readers at a book-signing event at the bookstore, where most of his novels will be available.
- TU TE SOUVIENDRAS DE MOI – CINEMANIA will present the Montreal premiere of TU TE SOUVIENDRAS DE MOI on Tuesday, November 1, at the Théâtre Outremont, in the presence of the film’s crew. Directed by Éric Tessier, this drama stars Rémy Girard, France Castel, Julie Le Breton and Karelle Tremblay.
- ANDORRA OU LES HOMMES D’AIRAIN – A special screening of the film by French director Émile Couzinet, presented by Hector Mas (director of the Ull Nu Festival) on Sunday, November 13, at 2:00 P.M. at the Cinémathèque québécoise.
- Luxembourg at the Heart of the Quartier des Spectacles – Luxembourg is the featured country at the 28th edition of CINEMANIA. For the occasion, the festival is offering a unique, immersive outdoor exhibition in the Place des festivals at the heart of the Quartier des Spectacles in Montréal. From November 3 to 13, every evening at dusk, the walls of the Wilder Building will light up and come alive with images of Luxembourg, thanks to an innovative mapping projection conceived by Montreal company Lucion and its founding president and artistic director Bernard Duguay. The projected artwork will reproduce images from iconic films in this tribute to the Grand Duchy.
- Conference on Image Education in French-speaking Environments, particularly Quebec and the French Community of Belgium – The conference on image education will bring together Quebec education professionals (primary and secondary school teachers) to address questions about image education and to strengthen collective measures aimed at promoting cinema among very young viewers. A complementary aim is to strengthen bonds of international cooperation between Canada and foreign countries on issues of developing cinema audiences for the future. A workshop to discover on Thursday, November 10, at 5:00 P.M. at the Cinémathèque québécoise.
- The “Concorde Francophone” – Round table sessions on Friday, November 11, at the Cinémathèque québécoise, discussing issues facing major film festivals in the French-speaking world (3:30 P.M.). Workshop: Joining forces to build better (4:15); and final workshop: Signature of the agreement, official launch of the Network (5:30).
Tickets
Tickets are available through the festival website at: https://www.festivalcinemania.com/en
Tickets are on sale at the following rates:
SINGLE TICKETS
GENERAL ADMISSION – $13.50
GENERAL ADMISSION UNDER 25 AND SENIORS – $12.50
OPENING NIGHT – $15.50
CLOSING NIGHT – $15.50
CONCERT-SCREENING OF DIVERTIMENTO – $15.50
“GRANDE SOIRÉE DU COURT QUÉBÉCOIS” (QUEBEC SHORT FILMS) – $10.00
TICKET PACKS AND PASSPORTS
TICKET PACK 6 FILMS – $69
UNLIMITED PASSPORT – $220
UNLIMITED PASSPORT UNDER 25 – $160
UNLIMITED PASSPORT INDUSTRY – $170
The 28th edition of CINEMANIA will take place in theatres from November 2 to 13 in Montreal.
