The film will be released throughout Quebec on February 24, 2023

The RENDEZ-VOUS QUÉBEC CINÉMA, PRESENTED BY Hydro-Québec in collaboration with Radio-Canada, Immina Films and Sphère Média, announced with great joy and excitement that the opening film of the 41st edition will be LE PLONGEUR, director Francis Leclerc’s sixth feature film! The film will have its world premiere at a major Blue Carpet Evening presented by Bell Media on February 22 at the Théâtre Maisonneuve in Place-des-Arts, and will then open throughout Quebec on February 24.

Adapted from the novel Le plongeur by Stéphane Larue, this feature film is a production by Marie-Claude Poulin and a screenplay by Eric K. Boulianne and Francis Leclerc. The film is carried by a young and talented cast of actors including Henri Picard for the first time in a leading role in a film, Charles-Aubey Houde, Maxime De Cotret, Joan Hart, Fayolle Jean Jr, Robin L’Houmeau, Marie-Ève Beauregard, and Jade Charbonneau to name a few. Nicole Robert, Bruno Dubé and Josée Vallée are executive producers of the film.
“What a joy and what pride to launch our 41st Rendez-vous with Le plongeur, a highly anticipated film that will leave no one indifferent! Francis Leclerc has directed a most striking adaptation transporting us in an immersive way into the world of gambling addiction and behind the scenes of recovery. With a winter Montreal backdrop, the film is also perfect to open our festival, which returns to its traditional winter dates! A kick-off that promises to be masterful!
Sylvie Quenneville, Executive Director of Québec Cinéma
” We are certain that Le plongeur will conquer the hearts of our festival-goers as much as it has seduced us thanks to Francis Leclerc’s ambitious production and Henri Picard’s fair and poignant acting. Lulled by a breathless narrative and a bold soundtrack, The Diver is a vibrant work that promises an intense and memorable opening night for our 41st edition of RVQC!”, says Valentin Verrier, Director of Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma. 

«My first Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois dates back to 1991. I was 20 years old, the age of the diver. For the first time in its existence, there was a component programmed in Quebec City and seeing so many Quebec films, in all formats, impressed me. Naively, the following year, I sent my first short films thinking that, perhaps, the selection committee would select them.  Which happened. My first public screenings were during the Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois. I kept all the programming books from the 90s. I still own them.

As a young filmmaker, I found my first audience. For me, this event was a defining point in my life. Opening the Rendez-vous this year with Le plongeur is a real honour.»

– Francis Leclerc