Frédérique Collin

Evil Words

One day, for no apparent reason, a cop kills 11 children. The same day, horror novelist Thomas Roy tries to commit suicide after cutting his fingers. At first glance, nothing seems to link the two events – until Dr. Paul Lacasse, a disillusioned psychiatrist, takes over the case. Prompted by his colleague Jeanne, a fan of Thomas Roy, Dr. Lacasse investigates the writer’s past. Hounded by a gossip columnist, Dr. Lacasse uncovers a series of troubling facts that bolster his convictions about the case. As he tries to reassemble the pieces of the puzzle in order to better treat the famous writer, Dr. Lacasse is dragged further and further into a series of events, with terrifying consequences.

Waterfront Dreams

A bittersweet tale about a small group of men and women whose forest adventures trigger memories of childhood and past loves. A harsh fantasy, wherein it is hard to tell whether the characters are living in their dreams, or dreaming away their lives.

La naissance d'une messe

Making of documentary filmed over months of rehearsal and experimentation between director André Brassard and the cast to flesh out Michel Tremblay's "Messe solennelle pour une pleine lune d’été".

Lessons on Life

A day in the life of a Quebec magazine writer - his fortieth birthday - from his dream before waking to his last act before sleeping. He looks back over his life, his thoughts, and his loves.

Lamento pour un homme de lettres

Lamento is an unfinished novel by writer Albert Laberge. Laberge, recognized today as Quebec's first naturalist author, published La scouine in 1918, a novel that earned him accusations of pornography from the Catholic Church. The fiction paints an impressionistic portrait of a man torn between his literary ambitions and his exhausting work as a sports journalist for the daily La Presse.

Marie in the City

A young girl who is being abused at home runs away to the seamy side of Montreal where she makes friends with a prostitute who helps her to survive the urban jungle.

Sonia

A woman deals with her mother, an arts professor, plunging into chaos due to Alzheimer's.

Caffè Italia, Montréal

Using archival documents, fictions, current accounts, and excerpts from a theatrical creation, Paul Tana paints a nuanced portrait of the Italians of Montreal. From the first waves of immigration at the beginning of the century to the men and women taken to a prisoner of war camps during World War II, to the hardships and joys of building vibrant lives in Montréal. Caffè Italia Montréal chronicles a significant chapter in Canada’s history.

L'absence

Louise is a professional photographer and very successful in her job. But her father who had disappeared for many years resurfaced. He is very sick and would like to see his three daughters again. At the request of her father, Louise hesitates and then slips away. The reappearance of his father poses problems even in her life as a couple.

Gina

Gina is a stripper at a popular local club. Everybody loves her and wants her. One night, a feared gang enters her motel room and gang-rape her violently. Soon afterward, she asks the services of criminals to help her exact revenge on those who attacked her.

L'amour blessé

A lonely divorced woman spends her evening in her apartment listening to a phone-in radio show. As she listens to strangers talk candidly about their personal problems, she has to come to terms with her own.

Once Upon a Time in the East

Two women and a transvestite gay man cross paths in this French Canadian drama. The transvestite is preparing for a drag-queen beauty pageant, and has decided to present himself as Cleopatra. Of the two women, one was just fired from her waitressing job and seeks to go back to work at the nightclub where the beauty pageant is to be held. The other woman's mother has just won one million food stamps.

The Conquest

Each married on their side, a teacher and a sociologist meet by chance in Quebec. Political and intellectual discussions followed a brief mad love.

Réjeanne Padovani

The unexpected return of his ex-wife and the assembly of a group of protesters both threaten to wreck a corrupt contractor's inauguration party for his new superhighway.

The Time of the Hunt

A young boy learns the rituals of what his father and his friends perceive as manhood on a weekend hunting trip.

Françoise Durocher, Waitress

Fictional character played by 24 different actresses, Françoise Durocher is altogether small time waitress, hostess and barmaid. Together, according to the author, they represent the archetypical Québec waitress that everyday waits on us with a smile, despite whatever problems she faces in her personal life. First cinematographic experience of the Brassard-Tremblay tandem, this film full of ironic joy details all the nuances of the waitress living conditions.

A Matter of Life

This short, bleak French-language drama is the first film by Canadian director Andre Theberge. The story concerns a young woman saddled with too many concerns and not enough means. She has been ill and has been given the job of sewing shirts as a means of recovery as well as a livelihood. Abandoned by her husband, she has three very young children to raise, and the combination of fatigue, worry, and just plain despair slowly send her over the brink.