For the perpetually impecunious (see: poor) indie filmmaker, a well-executed short or feature project can often be your best passport to the larger world. Left to our own scant devices, our calendars are unlikely to fill up with myriad jaunts to such exotic locales as Cannes, Venice, Locarno or, erm, Arkansas. But with a piping hot Dcp in hand, you not have not just an excuse to visit such places but an invitation. And few American cities are quite as dreamily summoned in the mind as day-glow Miami. After all: if it’s good enough for LeBron James, it’s good enough for us.
For 41 years, the Miami Film Festival has been showcasing innovative, inclusive work from new and emerging independent creators worldwide. Unsurprisingly, many of said creators are our own beloved Film Independent Fellows. In fact, a whopping 38 Fi Fellows will be in the Magic City next week to show new work,...
For 41 years, the Miami Film Festival has been showcasing innovative, inclusive work from new and emerging independent creators worldwide. Unsurprisingly, many of said creators are our own beloved Film Independent Fellows. In fact, a whopping 38 Fi Fellows will be in the Magic City next week to show new work,...
- 3/28/2024
- by Film Independent
- Film Independent News & More
Stéphane Lafleur‘s masterwork Viking (a 2022 Toronto Intl. Film Festival selection) cleaned up in multiple categories including Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing and Best Male Lead. The recently relaunched award ceremony known as Les Iris took place on Sunday. Best First Feature went to Charlotte Le Bon’s Falcon Lake, while Pascal Plante’s Les chambres rouges landed two acting prizes for its starlets. Here are all the winners (category listing in french):
Meilleur Film
Viking | micro_scope — Luc Déry, Kim McCraw Réalisation — Stéphane Lafleur
Scénario — Stéphane Lafleur, Eric K. Boulianne
Meilleur Premier Film Falcon Lake | Charlotte Le Bon
Meilleure RÉALISATION Stéphane Lafleur | Viking
Meilleur SCÉNARIO: Stéphane Lafleur, Eric K.…...
Meilleur Film
Viking | micro_scope — Luc Déry, Kim McCraw Réalisation — Stéphane Lafleur
Scénario — Stéphane Lafleur, Eric K. Boulianne
Meilleur Premier Film Falcon Lake | Charlotte Le Bon
Meilleure RÉALISATION Stéphane Lafleur | Viking
Meilleur SCÉNARIO: Stéphane Lafleur, Eric K.…...
- 12/12/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Afire (Christian Petzold)
Writing recently about the introduction of video umpires in baseball, of all things, Zach Helfand was skeptical: “accuracy is not the same as enjoyment,” he wrote, “baseball is meant to kill time, not maximize it.” The best films of German director Christian Petzold do both, though you sense his heart might belong to the latter. Petzold’s latest, Afire, unfurls with all the page-turning seduction of a gripping novella. It stars Thomas Schubert as a struggling writer who travels with a friend to a secluded house near the Baltic Sea. Their car breaks down. They encounter a beautiful woman. Somewhere in the distance, a forest fire rages. Soon, inevitably, another burns inside. – Rory O. (full review)
Where to Stream:...
Afire (Christian Petzold)
Writing recently about the introduction of video umpires in baseball, of all things, Zach Helfand was skeptical: “accuracy is not the same as enjoyment,” he wrote, “baseball is meant to kill time, not maximize it.” The best films of German director Christian Petzold do both, though you sense his heart might belong to the latter. Petzold’s latest, Afire, unfurls with all the page-turning seduction of a gripping novella. It stars Thomas Schubert as a struggling writer who travels with a friend to a secluded house near the Baltic Sea. Their car breaks down. They encounter a beautiful woman. Somewhere in the distance, a forest fire rages. Soon, inevitably, another burns inside. – Rory O. (full review)
Where to Stream:...
- 10/20/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Canada-based movie distributor and aggregator H264 is launching a world sales arm with the acquisition of “Red Rooms,” which has its world premiere next week in the Crystal Globe Competition of the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. The company is focused on festival-driven, innovative films.
“Red Rooms,” directed by Quebec filmmaker Pascal Plante, is a cyber-thriller questioning the collective fascination with murderers. It will screen at Karlovy Vary on July 4, and will then open the Fantasia Film Festival on July 20 for its North American premiere.
Montréal-based H264 is also ramping up its international slate by adding “Mademoiselle Kenopsia,” from filmmaker Denis Côté, who won awards at Berlin with “Vic + Flo Saw a Bear” and Locarno with “Curling.”
The company is also representing the dark comedy “Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person,” directed by Ariane Louis-Seize, starring Sara Montpetit (“Falcon Lake”) and Steve Laplante.
Jean-Christophe J. Lamontagne, founder and president of H...
“Red Rooms,” directed by Quebec filmmaker Pascal Plante, is a cyber-thriller questioning the collective fascination with murderers. It will screen at Karlovy Vary on July 4, and will then open the Fantasia Film Festival on July 20 for its North American premiere.
Montréal-based H264 is also ramping up its international slate by adding “Mademoiselle Kenopsia,” from filmmaker Denis Côté, who won awards at Berlin with “Vic + Flo Saw a Bear” and Locarno with “Curling.”
The company is also representing the dark comedy “Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person,” directed by Ariane Louis-Seize, starring Sara Montpetit (“Falcon Lake”) and Steve Laplante.
Jean-Christophe J. Lamontagne, founder and president of H...
- 6/30/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
French Canadian filmmaker Sophie Deraspe is currently taking big gulps of the French Alps for her sixth feature film currently in production. Saint-Narcisse thesp Félix-Antoine Duval toplines Berger – the book-to-film adaptation of D’où viens-tu, berger? micro_scope folks Luc Déry, Kim McCraw and Élaine Hébert are producing the project along with the Avenue B folks Caroline Bonmarchand, Xenia Sulyma and Sébastien Perret. Supporting players include Solène Rigot, Younes Boucif, Bruno Raffaelli, Véronique Ruggia, Michel Benizri, Guilaine Londez and David Ayala.
Set to conclude filming early next month, this will be ready for 2024. One noteworthy member of the tech squad is Viking filmmaker Stéphane Lafleur who also moonlights as a notable film editor.…...
Set to conclude filming early next month, this will be ready for 2024. One noteworthy member of the tech squad is Viking filmmaker Stéphane Lafleur who also moonlights as a notable film editor.…...
- 6/8/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Co-presidents Anick Poirier and Lorne Price led highly regarded business.
Montreal-based sales agent Sphere Films International is to close down on June 16 as parent company Sphere said it was refocusing its distribution activities.
The highly regarded sales business led by co-presidents Anick Poirier and Lorne Price was noted throughout the global independent community for championing arthouse film, often by first-time directors.
The company has been handling sales on Fantasia opener Red Rooms and its credits include award-winners such as Canada’s 2020 Oscar submission Antigone by Sophie Deraspe and more recently Anthony Shim’s Riceboy Sleeps, Stéphane Lafleur’s Viking, and Job Clerc’s Sweet As.
Montreal-based sales agent Sphere Films International is to close down on June 16 as parent company Sphere said it was refocusing its distribution activities.
The highly regarded sales business led by co-presidents Anick Poirier and Lorne Price was noted throughout the global independent community for championing arthouse film, often by first-time directors.
The company has been handling sales on Fantasia opener Red Rooms and its credits include award-winners such as Canada’s 2020 Oscar submission Antigone by Sophie Deraspe and more recently Anthony Shim’s Riceboy Sleeps, Stéphane Lafleur’s Viking, and Job Clerc’s Sweet As.
- 6/8/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The 2023 Canadian Screen Awards nominations are in.
On Wednesday, the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television (the Canadian Academy) announced the nominees in 145 television, film, and digital media categories, which also include the inaugural nominations in gender-neutral performance categories for lead and supporting performers in film and television.
The first season of CBC’s “The Porter” leads both television and overall 2023 Canadian Screen Award nominations with 19 nods, including Best Drama Series and Best Lead Performer, Drama Series nominations for Aml Ameen, Ronnie Rowe Jr., and Mouna Traoré.
Read More: Canadian Screen Awards Moves To Gender-Neutral Acting Categories
Both CBC’s “Sort Of” and CBC Gem’s “Detention Adventure” received 15 nominations, followed by CBC’s “Pretty Hard Cases” with 11.
Over in the film category, Clement Virgo’s “Brother” tops nominations with 14, including Achievement in Direction and Performance in a Leading Role for Lamar Johnson. Stéphane Lafleur’s “Viking” follows with 13, while...
On Wednesday, the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television (the Canadian Academy) announced the nominees in 145 television, film, and digital media categories, which also include the inaugural nominations in gender-neutral performance categories for lead and supporting performers in film and television.
The first season of CBC’s “The Porter” leads both television and overall 2023 Canadian Screen Award nominations with 19 nods, including Best Drama Series and Best Lead Performer, Drama Series nominations for Aml Ameen, Ronnie Rowe Jr., and Mouna Traoré.
Read More: Canadian Screen Awards Moves To Gender-Neutral Acting Categories
Both CBC’s “Sort Of” and CBC Gem’s “Detention Adventure” received 15 nominations, followed by CBC’s “Pretty Hard Cases” with 11.
Over in the film category, Clement Virgo’s “Brother” tops nominations with 14, including Achievement in Direction and Performance in a Leading Role for Lamar Johnson. Stéphane Lafleur’s “Viking” follows with 13, while...
- 2/22/2023
- by Becca Longmire
- ET Canada
The first season of CBC’s drama series The Porter leads both television and overall nominations at the 2023 Canadian Screen Awards with 19 nods, including Best Drama Series and Best Lead Performer for Aml Ameen, Ronnie Rowe Jr., and Mouna Traoré.
Created by Arnold Pinnock (Altered Carbon) and Bruce Ramsay (19-2) with Annmarie Morais (Killjoys), Marsha Greene (Private Eyes), and Aubrey Nealon, The Porter tells the story of the people who fought to ignite the civil rights movement in North America.
The series is distributed internationally by Abacus Media Rights and Sphere Distribution.
CBC also dominates the wider nominations with its shows Sort Of and Detention Adventure trailing behind with 15 nominations a piece, followed by the broadcaster’s Police comedy Pretty Hard Cases with 11.
On the film side, Clement Virgo’s Brother, which debuted at TIFF and played London, tops nominations with 14, including Achievement in Direction and Performance in...
Created by Arnold Pinnock (Altered Carbon) and Bruce Ramsay (19-2) with Annmarie Morais (Killjoys), Marsha Greene (Private Eyes), and Aubrey Nealon, The Porter tells the story of the people who fought to ignite the civil rights movement in North America.
The series is distributed internationally by Abacus Media Rights and Sphere Distribution.
CBC also dominates the wider nominations with its shows Sort Of and Detention Adventure trailing behind with 15 nominations a piece, followed by the broadcaster’s Police comedy Pretty Hard Cases with 11.
On the film side, Clement Virgo’s Brother, which debuted at TIFF and played London, tops nominations with 14, including Achievement in Direction and Performance in...
- 2/22/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
The Canadian Screen Awards has unveiled nominations for the national film and TV prize-giving, and the CBC civil rights drama The Porter leads the film and TV field with 19 mentions in all, including for best small-screen drama.
The first Canadian drama series from an all-Black creative team, which also streams on BET+, centers on the lives of Black train porters and their families as they launch North America’s first Black labor union in the 1920s.
The TV categories, voted on by around 3,000 Canadian industry insiders, also sees the CBC series Detention Adventure and Sort Of – a Peabody award-winning show about a gender fluid young Muslim in Toronto played by Bilal Baig — nab 15 nominations each in an awards show shaping up to be a major showcase for people of color.
That follows Canadian film, and TV industry efforts to ensure diversity and inclusivity in the country’s indie production sector and prize-giving process.
The first Canadian drama series from an all-Black creative team, which also streams on BET+, centers on the lives of Black train porters and their families as they launch North America’s first Black labor union in the 1920s.
The TV categories, voted on by around 3,000 Canadian industry insiders, also sees the CBC series Detention Adventure and Sort Of – a Peabody award-winning show about a gender fluid young Muslim in Toronto played by Bilal Baig — nab 15 nominations each in an awards show shaping up to be a major showcase for people of color.
That follows Canadian film, and TV industry efforts to ensure diversity and inclusivity in the country’s indie production sector and prize-giving process.
- 2/22/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Canadian sales agents licenses Viking, Into The Weeds to US.
Sphere Films International has reported key territory deals here on Anthony Shim’s TIFF Platform Prize and Busan audience award winner Riceboy Sleeps.
1091 Pictures has acquired the family drama for the US and rights have gone for Australia and New Zealand (Icon), South Korea (Pancinema), Spain (Yoda Films), Benelux (September Films), Taiwan (Creative Century), Singapore (Lighthouse Film), and Israel (Lev Films).
Theatrical releases are planned for spring in South Korea and Singapore with other releases expected to follow shortly after. Anthony Shim’s 1990’s-set film follows a Korean single...
Sphere Films International has reported key territory deals here on Anthony Shim’s TIFF Platform Prize and Busan audience award winner Riceboy Sleeps.
1091 Pictures has acquired the family drama for the US and rights have gone for Australia and New Zealand (Icon), South Korea (Pancinema), Spain (Yoda Films), Benelux (September Films), Taiwan (Creative Century), Singapore (Lighthouse Film), and Israel (Lev Films).
Theatrical releases are planned for spring in South Korea and Singapore with other releases expected to follow shortly after. Anthony Shim’s 1990’s-set film follows a Korean single...
- 2/20/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Only two projects into her already solid filmography, Maria Chapdelaine and Falcon Lake star Sara Montpetit will sink her teeth into Ariane Louis-Seize‘s Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant. A filmmaker who has preemed her shorts at TIFF and Berlinale, Louis-Seize’s feature debut has Félix-Antoine Bénard in the co-lead and the rest of the players include Viking‘s Steve Laplante, Sophie Cadieux, Noémie O’Farrell, Marie Brassard, Marc Beaupré, Patrick Hivon, Micheline Bernard, Ariane Castellanos, Madeleine Peloquin, Gabriel-Antoine Roy, Emma Olivier, Arnaud Vachon and Isabella Villalba. Production begins today in Montreal until the first week of December. Viking helmer Stéphane Lafleur is onboard as the editor.…...
- 10/25/2022
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
After 11 days and over 200 films, Toronto International Film Festival finally came to a close on Sunday. On the ground, much of the buzz seemed geared towards upcoming fall releases, like “Glass Onion: Knives Out”, “The Fabelmans”, “The Woman King”, and “Pearl.” TIFF juries seemed to think otherwise, however. Independent productions have taken home most of the awards, with a good half of them being Asian identifying filmmakers took home near half of the awards. Of these, at least 25 percent identify as Asian Canadian, and at least three do not identify as cisgender male. The range has also been notable. With productions ranging from Mongolia (“Snow in September”) to Palestine (“A Gaza Weekend”), from sleepy towns in Canada (“Riceboy Sleeps”) to film sets in the Philippines (“Leonor Will Never Die”), the list of movies reveals the sheer diversity in the continent of Asia – and all the diasporas accompanying it.
But without further ado,...
But without further ado,...
- 9/21/2022
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
While Stéphane Lafleur’s third feature, 2014’s Tu Dors Nicole, chronicled the summer malaise between of aimless Quebecois post-grads, his follow-up, Viking, explores a different, slightly otherworldly strain of existentialism. High school gym teacher David (Steven Laplante) gets the opportunity to revive his dreams of becoming an astronaut by joining a behavioral research team called the Viking Society that will mirror the first manned mission to Mars. This B-team plans to replicate the mission in a controlled environment that resembles the probe—i.e., a Quonset hut in the desert—where they will game out potential interpersonal conflicts between the five-member crew in order […]
The post Canadians in “Space”: Stéphane Lafleur on Viking first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Canadians in “Space”: Stéphane Lafleur on Viking first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 9/21/2022
- by Vikram Murthi
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
While we’re in the middle of the fall festival season, with Telluride, Venice, and TIFF in the rearview, and NYFF, BFI London, and AFI Fest on the horizon, it’s time to round up some of our early favorites. We’ve polled our contributors from Venice and TIFF to share their top picks, which one can see below along with our ongoing coverage here.
David Katz (@davidfabiankatz)
1. Saint Omer (Alice Diop)
2. Trenque Lauquen (Laura Citarella)
3. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (Laura Poitras)
4. Master Gardener (Paul Schrader)
5. The Whale (Darren Aronofsky)
6. Love Life (Kôji Fukada)
7. Blonde (Andrew Dominik)
8. A Couple (Frederick Wiseman)
9. In Viaggio (Gianfranco Rosi)
10. The Eternal Daughter (Joanna Hogg)
Luke Hicks (@lou_kicks)
1. Bones and All (Luca Guadagnino)
2. Other People’s Children (Rebecca Zlotowski)
3. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (Laura Poitras)
4. The Eternal Daughter (Joanna Hogg)
5. Athena (Romain Gavras)
6. White Noise (Noah Baumbach)
7. The Banshees of Inisherin...
David Katz (@davidfabiankatz)
1. Saint Omer (Alice Diop)
2. Trenque Lauquen (Laura Citarella)
3. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (Laura Poitras)
4. Master Gardener (Paul Schrader)
5. The Whale (Darren Aronofsky)
6. Love Life (Kôji Fukada)
7. Blonde (Andrew Dominik)
8. A Couple (Frederick Wiseman)
9. In Viaggio (Gianfranco Rosi)
10. The Eternal Daughter (Joanna Hogg)
Luke Hicks (@lou_kicks)
1. Bones and All (Luca Guadagnino)
2. Other People’s Children (Rebecca Zlotowski)
3. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (Laura Poitras)
4. The Eternal Daughter (Joanna Hogg)
5. Athena (Romain Gavras)
6. White Noise (Noah Baumbach)
7. The Banshees of Inisherin...
- 9/21/2022
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Updated, 9:45 Am with Steven Spielberg statement:
Here is Steven Spielberg’s full statement upon winning the Toronto Film Festival’s People’s Choice award for The Fabelmans.
“As I said on stage the other night, ‘Above all, I’m glad I brought this film to Toronto!.’ This is the most personal film I’ve ever made, and the warm reception from everyone in Toronto made my first visit to TIFF so intimate and personal for me and my entire Fabelman family. Thank you to Cameron Bailey and the incredible staff at TIFF; thank you to Universal Pictures; and a very special thank you to all the movie fans in Toronto who have made this past weekend one I’ll never forget.”
Previously: The People’s Choice Award from the just-wrapped 2022 Toronto Film Festival has gone to Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans. First Runner Up is Canada’s own Sarah Polley’s Women Talking.
Here is Steven Spielberg’s full statement upon winning the Toronto Film Festival’s People’s Choice award for The Fabelmans.
“As I said on stage the other night, ‘Above all, I’m glad I brought this film to Toronto!.’ This is the most personal film I’ve ever made, and the warm reception from everyone in Toronto made my first visit to TIFF so intimate and personal for me and my entire Fabelman family. Thank you to Cameron Bailey and the incredible staff at TIFF; thank you to Universal Pictures; and a very special thank you to all the movie fans in Toronto who have made this past weekend one I’ll never forget.”
Previously: The People’s Choice Award from the just-wrapped 2022 Toronto Film Festival has gone to Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans. First Runner Up is Canada’s own Sarah Polley’s Women Talking.
- 9/18/2022
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Can you get the same satisfaction from a round of “NBA 2K” as you can from dunking in real life? Is a trip to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park good enough to check off “African safari” on your bucket list? Does pelting your brother-in-law’s best man with paintballs at the bachelor party make you a combat veteran? Look away if you don’t want to spoil the answers, but: No, no, and no, and puttering around a Quonset hut pretending to be an astronaut isn’t the same thing as hitching a rocket to Mars, either.
Continue reading ‘Viking’ Review: Stéphane Lafleur’s Latest Matches Absurdism With Shocking Beauty [TIFF] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Viking’ Review: Stéphane Lafleur’s Latest Matches Absurdism With Shocking Beauty [TIFF] at The Playlist.
- 9/14/2022
- by Andrew Crump
- The Playlist
"You are a near-perfect replica of our crew." A festival promo trailer is out to watch for this funky sci-fi Quebecois film titled Viking, which is premiering at the 2022 Toronto Film Festival underway right now. A behavioral research team observes and attempts to replicate the experiences of the first manned mission to Mars. TIFF adds more: "The latest from Stéphane Lafleur (Tu dors Nicole) balances absurdist humour with poignant reflection on the human condition as it follows the subjects of behavioural research — and the astronauts they mirror — in advance of the first manned mission to Mars." The film stars Steve Laplante, Larissa Corriveau, Fabiola N. Aladin, Hamza Haq, Denis Houle, Marie Brassard, and Martin-David Peters. Our friend at Quiet Earth watched this already, saying that "it's that rare kind of science fiction where gadgets and fantasy are overshadowed by the mysteries of the human psyche, and arguably Lafleur’s finest film to date.
- 9/14/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The latest from Stéphane Lafleur (Tu dors Nicole) balances absurdist humour with poignant reflection on the human condition as it follows the subjects of behavioural research — and the astronauts they mirror — in advance of the first manned mission to Mars.
A behavioral research team observes and attempts to replicate the experiences of the first manned mission to Mars.
Packed with beautifully surreal images and mundane bits of interplanetary work routine — like the five astronauts piling onto a bus in full space gear, then shuffling off towards a Quonset hut where the organizer promptly loses his keys — Viking balances humour with profound poignancy, a longing for a sense of purpose.
It’s that rare kind of science fiction where gadgets and...
A behavioral research team observes and attempts to replicate the experiences of the first manned mission to Mars.
Packed with beautifully surreal images and mundane bits of interplanetary work routine — like the five astronauts piling onto a bus in full space gear, then shuffling off towards a Quonset hut where the organizer promptly loses his keys — Viking balances humour with profound poignancy, a longing for a sense of purpose.
It’s that rare kind of science fiction where gadgets and...
- 9/13/2022
- QuietEarth.us
The Toronto Film Festival has programmed one of its strongest Canadian feature slates in recent years — films with head-turning performances, eye-catching artistry, and global market and audience appeal, from filmmakers who are subverting stereotypes, challenging or bypassing power structures, or transforming the industry ecosystem from the grassroots on up.
“Right now in our industry, tons of high-paying service work lets people pay their bills, but the quality work is coming through the Canadian independents,” says Conquering Lions Pictures’ Damon D’Oliveira, who has produced the Canadian work of director Clement Virgo, from his 1995 Cannes-premiering feature “Rude” to the series “The Book of Negroes” to their latest, “Brother.”
The adaptation of David Chariandy’s novel tells the story of two Jamaican Canadian brothers in 1990s Scarborough. “We see this as a bookend to ‘Rude,’ which is set in the same period and is an adrenaline rush,” says D’Oliveira. “We’re returning...
“Right now in our industry, tons of high-paying service work lets people pay their bills, but the quality work is coming through the Canadian independents,” says Conquering Lions Pictures’ Damon D’Oliveira, who has produced the Canadian work of director Clement Virgo, from his 1995 Cannes-premiering feature “Rude” to the series “The Book of Negroes” to their latest, “Brother.”
The adaptation of David Chariandy’s novel tells the story of two Jamaican Canadian brothers in 1990s Scarborough. “We see this as a bookend to ‘Rude,’ which is set in the same period and is an adrenaline rush,” says D’Oliveira. “We’re returning...
- 9/10/2022
- by Jennie Punter
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
The Toronto Film Festival has set Canadian director Patricia Rozema as chair of its 2022 Platform competition jury.
Rozema, whose director credits include I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing, Mansfield Park and co-writing HBO’s Grey Gardens, will be joined on the jury by Iram Haq, a Norwegian Pakistani filmmaker, and Mumbai-based filmmaker Chaitanya Tamhane.
Haq’s feature debut I Am Yours premiered at Toronto in 2013, and her second feature, What Will People Say, competed in the Platform program in 2017. Tamhane’s debut feature film, Court, premiered at Venice in 2014, and his second film, The Disciple, debuted in Venice in 2020, where it won the Golden Osella for best screenplay before landing at Netflix.
This year’s Platform competition will open with the Emily Brontë movie Emily, with Sex Education breakout Emma Mackey playing the author in the movie from writer-director Frances O’Connor and U.S.
The Toronto Film Festival has set Canadian director Patricia Rozema as chair of its 2022 Platform competition jury.
Rozema, whose director credits include I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing, Mansfield Park and co-writing HBO’s Grey Gardens, will be joined on the jury by Iram Haq, a Norwegian Pakistani filmmaker, and Mumbai-based filmmaker Chaitanya Tamhane.
Haq’s feature debut I Am Yours premiered at Toronto in 2013, and her second feature, What Will People Say, competed in the Platform program in 2017. Tamhane’s debut feature film, Court, premiered at Venice in 2014, and his second film, The Disciple, debuted in Venice in 2020, where it won the Golden Osella for best screenplay before landing at Netflix.
This year’s Platform competition will open with the Emily Brontë movie Emily, with Sex Education breakout Emma Mackey playing the author in the movie from writer-director Frances O’Connor and U.S.
- 8/18/2022
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Slate includes Nigerian comedy-drama ‘Niagara’.
Sphere Films International, formerly WaZabi Films, heads to Toronto with sales rights to TIFF Platform pair Viking and Riceboy Sleeps and Australian Discovery selection Sweet As.
Viking is a French and English-language sci-fi drama directed by Montreal’s Stéphane Lafleur about researchers who try to replicate a manned mission to Mars in the hopes of solving conflict among the real crew.
Luc Déry and Kim McCraw of micro_scope produced Viking, which Lafleur co-wrote with Eric K. Boulianne. Hamza Haq stars alongside Fabiola N. Aladin, Marie Brassard and Larissa Corriveau.
Lafleur’s first film Continental,...
Sphere Films International, formerly WaZabi Films, heads to Toronto with sales rights to TIFF Platform pair Viking and Riceboy Sleeps and Australian Discovery selection Sweet As.
Viking is a French and English-language sci-fi drama directed by Montreal’s Stéphane Lafleur about researchers who try to replicate a manned mission to Mars in the hopes of solving conflict among the real crew.
Luc Déry and Kim McCraw of micro_scope produced Viking, which Lafleur co-wrote with Eric K. Boulianne. Hamza Haq stars alongside Fabiola N. Aladin, Marie Brassard and Larissa Corriveau.
Lafleur’s first film Continental,...
- 8/9/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Slate includes Australian Discovery selection ‘Sweet As’, Nigerian comedy-drama ‘Niagara’.
Sphere Films International, formerly WaZabi Films, heads to Toronto with sales rights to TIFF Platform pair Viking and Riceboy Sleeps.
Viking is a French and English-language sci-fi drama directed by Montreal’s Stéphane Lafleur about researchers who try to replicate a manned mission to Mars in the hopes of solving conflict among the real crew.
Luc Déry and Kim McCraw of micro_scope produced Viking, which Lafleur co-wrote with Eric K. Boulianne. Hamza Haq stars alongside Fabiola N. Aladin, Marie Brassard and Larissa Corriveau.
Lafleur’s first film Continental, A...
Sphere Films International, formerly WaZabi Films, heads to Toronto with sales rights to TIFF Platform pair Viking and Riceboy Sleeps.
Viking is a French and English-language sci-fi drama directed by Montreal’s Stéphane Lafleur about researchers who try to replicate a manned mission to Mars in the hopes of solving conflict among the real crew.
Luc Déry and Kim McCraw of micro_scope produced Viking, which Lafleur co-wrote with Eric K. Boulianne. Hamza Haq stars alongside Fabiola N. Aladin, Marie Brassard and Larissa Corriveau.
Lafleur’s first film Continental, A...
- 8/9/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The WhaleWAVELENGTHS - FEATURESConcrete Valley (Antoine Bourges)De Humani Corporis Fabrica (Véréna Paravel, Lucien Castaing-Taylor)Dry Ground BurningHorse Opera (Moyra Davey)Pacifiction (Albert Serra)Queens of the Qing Dynasty (Ashley McKenzie)Unrest (Cyril Schäublin)Will-o’-the-Wisp (João Pedro Rodrigues)Wavelenghths - SHORTSAfter Work (Céline Condorelli, Ben Rivers)Bigger on the Inside (Angelo Madsen Minax)Eventide (Sharon Lockhart)F1ghting Looks Different 2 Me Now (Fox Maxy)Fata Morgana (Tacita Dean)Hors-titre (Wiame Haddad)I Thought the World of You (Kurt Walker)Moonrise (Vincent Grenier)The Newest Olds (Pablo Mazzolo)Puerta a Puerta (Jessica Sarah Rinland, Luis Arnías )The Time That Separates Us (Parastoo Anoushahpour)What Rules the Invisible (Tiffany Sia)Gala PRESENTATIONSAlice, Darling (Mary Nighy)Black Ice (Hubert Davis)The Greatest Beer Run Ever (Peter Farrelly)Butcher’s Crossing (Gabe Polsky)The Hummingbird (Francesca Archibugi)Hunt (Jung-jae Lee)A Jazzman’s Blues (Tyler Perry)Kacchey Limbu (Shubham Yogi)Moving On (Paul Weitz)Paris Memories...
- 8/4/2022
- MUBI
“Emily,” a biopic starring Emma Mackey as “Wuthering Heights” writer Emily Brontë, will have its world premiere through Toronto International Film Festival’s Platform program, the festival announced Wednesday.
Platform, which was established in 2015 and is named after the 2000 film by Jia Zhang-ke, screens eight to 12 films from a diverse range of global filmmakers with rising careers. After the screenings, the Platform Prize, an award of 20,000 Cad, is given to one film selected by an international jury. Previous Platform selections include acclaimed films such as “Sound of Metal,” “The Death of Stalin,” “Jackie,” “Moonlight,” “Lady Macbeth” and “High-Rise.”
“Emily,” the directorial debut of English actor Frances O’Connor, will be the opening film for this year’s Platform program. The other nine films selected for Platform are: “Carvão” by Brazilian director Carolina Markowicz, “La Gravité” by French director Cédric Ido, “Hawa” by French “Cuties” director Maïmouna Doucouré, “How to Blow Up...
Platform, which was established in 2015 and is named after the 2000 film by Jia Zhang-ke, screens eight to 12 films from a diverse range of global filmmakers with rising careers. After the screenings, the Platform Prize, an award of 20,000 Cad, is given to one film selected by an international jury. Previous Platform selections include acclaimed films such as “Sound of Metal,” “The Death of Stalin,” “Jackie,” “Moonlight,” “Lady Macbeth” and “High-Rise.”
“Emily,” the directorial debut of English actor Frances O’Connor, will be the opening film for this year’s Platform program. The other nine films selected for Platform are: “Carvão” by Brazilian director Carolina Markowicz, “La Gravité” by French director Cédric Ido, “Hawa” by French “Cuties” director Maïmouna Doucouré, “How to Blow Up...
- 8/3/2022
- by Wilson Chapman
- Variety Film + TV
Toronto announced the 10 world premieres in its Platform program, a section comprised of first-time feature filmmakers and vets whose voices are emerging in the cinematic landscape.
“We launched Platform to shine a brighter light on some of the most original films and distinct voices at our Festival,” said Cameron Bailey, TIFF CEO. “Now in year seven, it’s become a true home for international auteurs on the rise.”
Named after Jia Zhang-ke’s groundbreaking second feature, Platform is curated by TIFF Chief Programming Officer Anita Lee; Director, Festival Programming Robyn Citizen; and Senior Manager, Festival Programming Ravi Srinivasan.
“Eclectic in vision, this year’s selection not only represents all World Premieres of exciting, on-the-rise voices from around the world, but it also reflects the very timely and unique perspectives of racialized filmmakers from diasporic communities broadening the canvas,” said Lee.
Of the ten Platform titles making their world premiere at TIFF,...
“We launched Platform to shine a brighter light on some of the most original films and distinct voices at our Festival,” said Cameron Bailey, TIFF CEO. “Now in year seven, it’s become a true home for international auteurs on the rise.”
Named after Jia Zhang-ke’s groundbreaking second feature, Platform is curated by TIFF Chief Programming Officer Anita Lee; Director, Festival Programming Robyn Citizen; and Senior Manager, Festival Programming Ravi Srinivasan.
“Eclectic in vision, this year’s selection not only represents all World Premieres of exciting, on-the-rise voices from around the world, but it also reflects the very timely and unique perspectives of racialized filmmakers from diasporic communities broadening the canvas,” said Lee.
Of the ten Platform titles making their world premiere at TIFF,...
- 8/3/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
The Toronto International Film Festival today revealed the 10 feature films that will make up its Platform section. The festival, which runs September 8 through 18 this year, annually hosts the Platform vertical to shine a light on first-time and veteran filmmakers and their bold directorial visions from around the globe.
The program’s opening night selection is the directorial debut of actor Frances O’Connor, “Emily,” which centers on author Emily Brontë and the years leading up to the publication of her novel “Wuthering Heights.” Notably the selection also includes two Canadian films as well as the latest movie from Maïmouna Doucouré, the director of 2020’s controversial “Cuties.” All 10 films in the program are world premieres.
“We launched Platform to shine a brighter light on some of the most original films and distinct voices at our Festival,” said Cameron Bailey, the CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival. “Now in year seven, it...
The program’s opening night selection is the directorial debut of actor Frances O’Connor, “Emily,” which centers on author Emily Brontë and the years leading up to the publication of her novel “Wuthering Heights.” Notably the selection also includes two Canadian films as well as the latest movie from Maïmouna Doucouré, the director of 2020’s controversial “Cuties.” All 10 films in the program are world premieres.
“We launched Platform to shine a brighter light on some of the most original films and distinct voices at our Festival,” said Cameron Bailey, the CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival. “Now in year seven, it...
- 8/3/2022
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) unveiled the 10 films that will make up the 2022 Platform section, with Frances O’ Connor’s directorial debut, “Emily,” a biopic about “Wuthering Heights” author Emily Brontë, serving as the opening night feature. The “Mansfield Park” actress’ first feature film behind the camera will star Emma Mackey (“Sex Education”) as the storied author.
All 10 films will be making their world premiere at TIFF and include titles from Canada, Iran, France, Switzerland, Brazil and India. Previous films that have debuted in the Platform section include Barry Jenkins’ Best Picture Oscar winner “Moonlight,” Darius Marder’s Best Picture–nominated “Sound of Metal” and Armando Iannucci’s “The Death of Stalin.”
Also Read:
TIFF 2022 Lineup: Films From Tyler Perry, Peter Farrelly, Sam Mendes and Catherine Hardwicke to Premiere
Along with “Emily,” other titles include “How to Blow Up a Pipeline,” an environmental thriller from Daniel Goldhaber that shares...
All 10 films will be making their world premiere at TIFF and include titles from Canada, Iran, France, Switzerland, Brazil and India. Previous films that have debuted in the Platform section include Barry Jenkins’ Best Picture Oscar winner “Moonlight,” Darius Marder’s Best Picture–nominated “Sound of Metal” and Armando Iannucci’s “The Death of Stalin.”
Also Read:
TIFF 2022 Lineup: Films From Tyler Perry, Peter Farrelly, Sam Mendes and Catherine Hardwicke to Premiere
Along with “Emily,” other titles include “How to Blow Up a Pipeline,” an environmental thriller from Daniel Goldhaber that shares...
- 8/3/2022
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Click here to read the full article.
The Emily Brontë movie Emily, with Sex Education breakout Emma Mackey playing the author in the movie from writer-director Frances O’Connor and U.S. distributor Bleecker Street, will open the Platform competition sidebar at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival.
TIFF unveiled 10 features with world premieres for the festival section where international films outside the Hollywood studio orbit compete. This year’s selection includes Brazilian director Carolina Markowicz’s Charcoal, Daniel Goldhaber’s environmental activists thriller How to Blow Up a Pipeline and two Canadian titles: Anthony Shim’s Riceboys Sleeps and Stephane Lafleur’s Viking.
“We launched Platform to shine a brighter light on some of the most original films and distinct voices at our festival. Now in year seven, it’s become a true home for international auteurs on the rise,” TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey said in a statement.
An international jury...
The Emily Brontë movie Emily, with Sex Education breakout Emma Mackey playing the author in the movie from writer-director Frances O’Connor and U.S. distributor Bleecker Street, will open the Platform competition sidebar at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival.
TIFF unveiled 10 features with world premieres for the festival section where international films outside the Hollywood studio orbit compete. This year’s selection includes Brazilian director Carolina Markowicz’s Charcoal, Daniel Goldhaber’s environmental activists thriller How to Blow Up a Pipeline and two Canadian titles: Anthony Shim’s Riceboys Sleeps and Stephane Lafleur’s Viking.
“We launched Platform to shine a brighter light on some of the most original films and distinct voices at our festival. Now in year seven, it’s become a true home for international auteurs on the rise,” TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey said in a statement.
An international jury...
- 8/3/2022
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ten features selected for competitive strand championing bold visions.
Frances O’Connor’s feature directorial debut Emily will open 2022 Toronto International Film Festival’s (TIFF) Platform, the competitive section championing bold visions which also includes Hawa from French director Maïmouna Doucouré.
Emily charts the romantic life of Emily Brontë in the lead-up to her classic novel Wuthering Heights. Hawa, the follow-up to Doucouré’s 2020 Sundance and Berlin entry Cuties, centres on a teenage girl who sets off to get adopted by one of the most powerful women in the world.
The 10 Platform selections feature Subtraction from Iranian filmmaker Mani Haghighi, the...
Frances O’Connor’s feature directorial debut Emily will open 2022 Toronto International Film Festival’s (TIFF) Platform, the competitive section championing bold visions which also includes Hawa from French director Maïmouna Doucouré.
Emily charts the romantic life of Emily Brontë in the lead-up to her classic novel Wuthering Heights. Hawa, the follow-up to Doucouré’s 2020 Sundance and Berlin entry Cuties, centres on a teenage girl who sets off to get adopted by one of the most powerful women in the world.
The 10 Platform selections feature Subtraction from Iranian filmmaker Mani Haghighi, the...
- 8/3/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Measuring up against the likes of Sophie Dupuis‘ just released sophomore film (a Val-d’Or set dramatic thriller) Souterrain, it’s Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette‘s third feature (a Chicoutimi set coming-of-ager) La déesse des mouches à feu (a 2020 Berlin Film Festival winner) that claimed the top prize at this year’s Gala Québec Cinéma aka Prix Iris Awards. Barbeau-Lavalette’s won Best Film, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress (Caroline Néron) and Newcomer of the Year (Kelly Depeault) and Best Editor Stéphane Lafleur (Tu dors Nicole helmer).
Souterrain did nab Dupuis the Best Screenplay award, Best Sound, and a much deserving best Supporting Actor for Théodore Pellerin.…...
Souterrain did nab Dupuis the Best Screenplay award, Best Sound, and a much deserving best Supporting Actor for Théodore Pellerin.…...
- 6/7/2021
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
The 20th Century
With over a decade worth of short films to his name, Canadian filmmaker Matthew Rankin heads into feature territory with his debut The 20th Century. Produced by Gabrielle Tougas-Fréchette and Ménaïc Raoul (All You Can Eat Buddha), the project stars Dan Beirne, Mikhail Ahooja, Sarianne Cormier, Catherine St-Laurent (Stéphane Lafleur’s Tu Dors Nicole) and Brent Skagford and lensed by Vincent Biron. Three short films of Rankin’s were selected at Sundance but his last project The Tesla World Light preemed on the Croisette in 2017
Gist: Toronto, 1899.…...
With over a decade worth of short films to his name, Canadian filmmaker Matthew Rankin heads into feature territory with his debut The 20th Century. Produced by Gabrielle Tougas-Fréchette and Ménaïc Raoul (All You Can Eat Buddha), the project stars Dan Beirne, Mikhail Ahooja, Sarianne Cormier, Catherine St-Laurent (Stéphane Lafleur’s Tu Dors Nicole) and Brent Skagford and lensed by Vincent Biron. Three short films of Rankin’s were selected at Sundance but his last project The Tesla World Light preemed on the Croisette in 2017
Gist: Toronto, 1899.…...
- 1/3/2019
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
As 2015 winds down, like most cinephiles, we’re looking to get our hands on the titles that may have slipped under the radar or simply gone unseen. With the proliferation of streaming options, it’s thankfully easier than ever to play catch-up, and to assist with the process, we’re bringing you a rundown of the best titles of the year available to watch.
Curated from the Best Films of 2015 So Far list we published for the first half of the year, it also includes films we’ve enjoyed the past few months and some we’ve recently caught up on. This is far from a be-all, end-all year-end feature (that will come at the end of the year), but rather something that will hopefully be a helpful tool for readers to have a chance to seek out notable, perhaps underseen, titles from the year.
Note that we’re going by U.
Curated from the Best Films of 2015 So Far list we published for the first half of the year, it also includes films we’ve enjoyed the past few months and some we’ve recently caught up on. This is far from a be-all, end-all year-end feature (that will come at the end of the year), but rather something that will hopefully be a helpful tool for readers to have a chance to seek out notable, perhaps underseen, titles from the year.
Note that we’re going by U.
- 10/28/2015
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Besides being associated with careless joys and romantic exploits, part of summer’s seductive appeal is that, assuming one gets time off from daily responsibilities, it provides an opportunity to reassess and recharge. During this usually warm and relaxed time of he year people are expected to be more active, to spend time outside, and to utilize their time enjoying activities that their lifestyles don’t always allow them to.
Vacation sounds fun indeed, but when you are a young twenty-something struggling to find a clear path for the rest of your life, summer is more of a difficult transitioning period than a celebratory season. Once the fall comes reality will be there waiting to make its presence known. With unassuming intelligence and modest imagery, Stéphane Lafleur's imaginative Quebecois feature “Tu Dors Nicole” (You're Sleeping, Nicole) encompasses such feelings of youthful uncertainty.
Relishing each day she gets to spend home alone while her parents are out of town, Nicole (Julianne Côté) is a young woman without much going on in her life and in desperate need of purpose. Her suburban neighborhood lacks excitement and new faces to be enticed by. Most days, when she is not working at the local second hand clothing store, Nicole rides her bike and eats ice cream with her best friend Véronique to fight the ravaging heat. In turn, Véronique (Catherine St-Laurent), who is clearly the more colorful and friendly of the two, works in an office for an elderly man in order to afford repairing her true love - her car. It all seems like monotonous simplicity until Nicole decides to use her newly acquired credit card to pay for them to take a trip to the remote Scandinavian nation of Iceland.
To her surprise, however, her older brother Rémi (Marc-André Grondin) has decided to stay at their parents’ house as well, and he’s brought his band along to work on songs for an upcoming album. Instantly Nicole's plans for a few peaceful days before heading out on her adventure have vanished. She needs to get out of this quiet, unnamed town before she blows up. Magnifying her unbearable situation, she also suffers from insomnia and often wanders the streets at night to occupy her restless mind.
Ingenuously written to elicit thoughtful significance from what could be perceived as mundane incidents, “Tu Dors Nicole” is elegantly laced with magical realism that intensify the delicate dreamy atmosphere. In a collection of curiously comedic assets, an indelible highlight is Nicole’s interaction with 10-year-old Martin (Godefroy Reding), a precocious boy with the baritone voice of a seasoned adult man.
Shamelessly outspoken about his feelings for her, Martin tries to convince Nicole that is their destiny to be together. These moments are strangely charming and surreal at once. Lafleur is clever at including other elements along these lines, including whimsical sound effects to denote the endless possibilities his world offers, to make his audience question whether Nicole is walking in a dream or awake in a fantastical reality.
Although certainly not interested in Martin’s adorable advances, Nicole has her own unresolved love issues with and ex-boyfriend and is also tempted to pursue the mysterious Jf (Francis La Haye), one of her brother’s band mates. Everything that’s happening around her is part of growing up, and she is not ready to confront how quickly everything is changing even when it seems to remain static. Is not that she refuses to accept the inevitable obstacles of adulthood, but this summer has tested her loyalties and goals all at once.
Shot on 35mm by Sara Mishara, the film makes use of familiar surroundings and renders them interesting in a minimalist manner. Complementing this is Côté’s tranquil demeanor and almost imperceptible confidence that don’t expose much about how Nicole is feeling, but encourages the viewer to try to find out more about her. Also noteworthy is the way Lafleur, who is also a musician himself, employs the music that exist organically in is story, specifically from Rémi’s band, and the sounds of nature to score his work.
Reminiscent of Baumbach’s “Frances Ha,” both in tone and in its use of evocative black-and-white cinematography in a modern setting, Lafleur's film might come across as slight or unchallenging for those who seek evident philosophical statements or intricate plot twists. But it’s exactly in that unpretentiousness and effortless complexity that “Tu Dors Nicole” becomes more efficient at being memorable and insightful. Just like waking up from a delightful sleep-induced fantasy in which some sequences aren’t fully coherent, but knowing all them say something profound about you.
"Tu Dors Nicole" is now playing in NYC at the Lincoln Plaza Cinema and opens in Miami Beach on June 12th at the Miami Beach Cinematheque...
Vacation sounds fun indeed, but when you are a young twenty-something struggling to find a clear path for the rest of your life, summer is more of a difficult transitioning period than a celebratory season. Once the fall comes reality will be there waiting to make its presence known. With unassuming intelligence and modest imagery, Stéphane Lafleur's imaginative Quebecois feature “Tu Dors Nicole” (You're Sleeping, Nicole) encompasses such feelings of youthful uncertainty.
Relishing each day she gets to spend home alone while her parents are out of town, Nicole (Julianne Côté) is a young woman without much going on in her life and in desperate need of purpose. Her suburban neighborhood lacks excitement and new faces to be enticed by. Most days, when she is not working at the local second hand clothing store, Nicole rides her bike and eats ice cream with her best friend Véronique to fight the ravaging heat. In turn, Véronique (Catherine St-Laurent), who is clearly the more colorful and friendly of the two, works in an office for an elderly man in order to afford repairing her true love - her car. It all seems like monotonous simplicity until Nicole decides to use her newly acquired credit card to pay for them to take a trip to the remote Scandinavian nation of Iceland.
To her surprise, however, her older brother Rémi (Marc-André Grondin) has decided to stay at their parents’ house as well, and he’s brought his band along to work on songs for an upcoming album. Instantly Nicole's plans for a few peaceful days before heading out on her adventure have vanished. She needs to get out of this quiet, unnamed town before she blows up. Magnifying her unbearable situation, she also suffers from insomnia and often wanders the streets at night to occupy her restless mind.
Ingenuously written to elicit thoughtful significance from what could be perceived as mundane incidents, “Tu Dors Nicole” is elegantly laced with magical realism that intensify the delicate dreamy atmosphere. In a collection of curiously comedic assets, an indelible highlight is Nicole’s interaction with 10-year-old Martin (Godefroy Reding), a precocious boy with the baritone voice of a seasoned adult man.
Shamelessly outspoken about his feelings for her, Martin tries to convince Nicole that is their destiny to be together. These moments are strangely charming and surreal at once. Lafleur is clever at including other elements along these lines, including whimsical sound effects to denote the endless possibilities his world offers, to make his audience question whether Nicole is walking in a dream or awake in a fantastical reality.
Although certainly not interested in Martin’s adorable advances, Nicole has her own unresolved love issues with and ex-boyfriend and is also tempted to pursue the mysterious Jf (Francis La Haye), one of her brother’s band mates. Everything that’s happening around her is part of growing up, and she is not ready to confront how quickly everything is changing even when it seems to remain static. Is not that she refuses to accept the inevitable obstacles of adulthood, but this summer has tested her loyalties and goals all at once.
Shot on 35mm by Sara Mishara, the film makes use of familiar surroundings and renders them interesting in a minimalist manner. Complementing this is Côté’s tranquil demeanor and almost imperceptible confidence that don’t expose much about how Nicole is feeling, but encourages the viewer to try to find out more about her. Also noteworthy is the way Lafleur, who is also a musician himself, employs the music that exist organically in is story, specifically from Rémi’s band, and the sounds of nature to score his work.
Reminiscent of Baumbach’s “Frances Ha,” both in tone and in its use of evocative black-and-white cinematography in a modern setting, Lafleur's film might come across as slight or unchallenging for those who seek evident philosophical statements or intricate plot twists. But it’s exactly in that unpretentiousness and effortless complexity that “Tu Dors Nicole” becomes more efficient at being memorable and insightful. Just like waking up from a delightful sleep-induced fantasy in which some sequences aren’t fully coherent, but knowing all them say something profound about you.
"Tu Dors Nicole" is now playing in NYC at the Lincoln Plaza Cinema and opens in Miami Beach on June 12th at the Miami Beach Cinematheque...
- 6/1/2015
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
Upon its Cannes premiere and ever since, Stéphane Lafleur’s Tu dors Nicole (You’re Sleeping Nicole) was instantly and endlessly pegged as the Québécois equivalent of Frances Ha. Understandable, given that it’s a black-and-white portrait of two close girlfriends’ extended falling-out as one conspicuously matures while the other flounders aimlessly. Still, Nicole‘s tempered acridness and emphasis on the annoyances of minimum-wage jobs taken upon reluctant entrance to the working world makes Ghost World a closer point of reference. Despite taking place at a post-undergrad time in its characters’ lives, the vibe is similarly very high school (minus the unpleasantness and pain that can come with that terrain): […]...
- 6/1/2015
- by Vadim Rizov
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Upon its Cannes premiere and ever since, Stéphane Lafleur’s Tu dors Nicole (You’re Sleeping Nicole) was instantly and endlessly pegged as the Québécois equivalent of Frances Ha. Understandable, given that it’s a black-and-white portrait of two close girlfriends’ extended falling-out as one conspicuously matures while the other flounders aimlessly. Still, Nicole‘s tempered acridness and emphasis on the annoyances of minimum-wage jobs taken upon reluctant entrance to the working world makes Ghost World a closer point of reference. Despite taking place at a post-undergrad time in its characters’ lives, the vibe is similarly very high school (minus the unpleasantness and pain that can come with that...
- 6/1/2015
- by Vadim Rizov
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
The title of Stéphane Lafleur’s Tu Dors Nicole translates as “You’re Sleeping, Nicole,” and somewhat appropriately, the film opens with its protagonist, recent college grad Nicole (Julianne Côté), waking up in bed. She’s naked and next to a man, but she wants no attachment to this unnamed one-night stand. She leaves the room and steps out onto the sidewalk, where her bike stands hitched to a fence with what appear to be 100 other bikes exactly like it. Nicole’s name might be in the movie’s title, but the anonymity of this opening is overwhelming; she could be anybody at this moment.Throughout the film, we’ll see Nicole sleeping, or waking, or trying to sleep, and Lafleur shoots her in a kind of soft, dreamy haze — surrounded by soft light and often standing apart, her angular features seemingly immovable. It’s summer in Quebec. Nicole’s parents are away,...
- 5/29/2015
- by Bilge Ebiri
- Vulture
This is a reprint of our review from the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. Even more so than the hotly-tipped, much anticipated big-ticket movies, one of the true delights of a film festival is rolling the dice and seeing something you know nothing about. Going to see a picture that's under the radar, that doesn't yet have buzz, and you don't even know the logline for, and could really be anything. Sure, sometimes you'll end up with a borderline unwatchable, relentlessly grim disaster. But sometimes you'll stumble across something wonderful. And so it was a couple of nights ago with "Tu Dors, Nicole" (or "You're Sleeping, Nicole"), the new film from Québécois helmer Stéphane Lafleur, who's directed two previous, relatively little-seen features, but is probably best known as the editor behind 2011's Oscar-nominated "Monsieur Lazhar." We went in totally blind, barely even remembering the title, and mainly because it happened to be on.
- 5/29/2015
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
It's a good time to be a filmmaker from Quebec these days. With the international successes of the Quebecois directors- Denis Villeneuve (Incendies, Prisoners, Sicario and tapped to direct upcoming Blade Runner sequel), Jean-Marc Vallée (C.R.A.Z.Y., Dallas Buyer's Club, Wild), Philippe Falardeau (Monsieur Lazhar, The Good Lie), Quebec is once again recognized as a great incubator for cinematic talent. I discovered director/musician Stéphane Lafleur at this year's New Directors/New Films series. His lovely film Tu dors Nicole had me searching for all his previous films. Unlike the above mentioned directors, Lafleur possesses altogether different sensibilities: his droll, absurd humor and portrayal of loneliness are often akin to that of many Scandinavian filmmakers or Urlich Seidl or even early Tsai Ming-Liang. I had a chance to...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 5/27/2015
- Screen Anarchy
Tu Dors Nicole Kino Lorber Reviewed by: Harvey Karten for Shockya. Databased on Rotten Tomatoes. Grade: B Director: Stéphane Lafleur Screenwriter: Stéphane Lafleur Cast: Julianne Côté, Catherine St-Laurent, Marc-Andre Grondin, Francis La Haye Screened at: Review 2, NYC, 5/7/15 Opens: May 29, 2015 Coming of age films that take place during most people’s actual coming of age, namely late adolescence, brush shoulders with similar films about people in their thirties, who are concerned about their marriages, about how many kids, if any, they may want, or who are unfortunate enough to be contemplating divorce. “Tu dor Nicole,” which means “You’re sleeping, Nicole,” finds a middle ground, focusing principally on Nicole [ Read More ]
The post Tu dors Nicole Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Tu dors Nicole Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 5/25/2015
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
"There's no need to tell lies at our age." Ain't that the truth. Kino Lorber has debuted an official Us trailer for the upcoming summer release of Quebecois filmmaker Stéphane Lafleur's indie comedy Tu dors Nicole, starring Julianne Côté & Marc-André Grondin. Presented in black & white, the film is a quirky comedy that has a Wes Anderson meets the Dardennes Brothers vibe to it, centering on the lead character Nicole played by Julianne Côté. Her carefree lifestyle encounters problems when her older brother shows up with his band. One review says it has "an air of wondrous restlessness in its minor ambitions". Worth a view. Here's the Us trailer for Stéphane Lafleur's Tu dors Nicole, on YouTube (found via The Film Stage): Nicole enjoys a peaceful summer with her best friend Véronique until their plans take an unexpected turn. When Nicole's older brother shows up with his band to record an album,...
- 5/12/2015
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
With all the attention foisted upon Xavier Dolan's "Mommy" last year, another film by a Quebecois director was unfortunately overshadowed. Stéphane Lafleur's "Tu Dors Nicole" has screened at Cannes (as part of the Cannes Directors' Fortnight) has earned strong reviews, but didn't get the same boost as Dolan's Jury Prize winning effort. You'll get a chance to check it out this summer when the movie rolls out to cinemas, and a new trailer has arrived. Starring Julianne Cote, Catherine St-Laurent, Marc-Andre Grondin, Francis La Haye, Simon Larouche, Godefroy Reding and Fanny Mallette, the story follows Nicole and Veronique, who find their breezy summer plans interrupted by the arrival of Nicole's older brother Remi and his bandmates. The movie completely bowled over our critic in Cannes last year, who wrote in his A-grade review that the film is "executed with such charm and skill in every gorgeous frame that...
- 5/11/2015
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
What’s Under the Hat?: Giroux Proposes Unorthodox Paradox
Confectioned with a what makes us different makes us the same counterargument, Maxime Giroux’s third feature is one that finds commonalities between the profiled insular community and those who are lonely while visibly surrounded by others. And while the improbability of the hypothetically tinged union arguably makes this akin to science fiction matter, the apolitical, unified titular observational drama moves beyond the losing religious faith template with its moving, lingering anti-loquacious stance. Worldly in its reach and neighborly in approach, Félix et Meira is thoughtful tableaux that verberates with unabashedly sensitivity — this is Giroux’s most affecting film to date.
While fertility rates of 50’s & 60’s Quebec have plummeted to dismal rates for most French Canadians, comparatively, Montreal’s Orthodox Jewish community maintain old fashion practices of ensuring there is a next of kin. Just one among the many...
Confectioned with a what makes us different makes us the same counterargument, Maxime Giroux’s third feature is one that finds commonalities between the profiled insular community and those who are lonely while visibly surrounded by others. And while the improbability of the hypothetically tinged union arguably makes this akin to science fiction matter, the apolitical, unified titular observational drama moves beyond the losing religious faith template with its moving, lingering anti-loquacious stance. Worldly in its reach and neighborly in approach, Félix et Meira is thoughtful tableaux that verberates with unabashedly sensitivity — this is Giroux’s most affecting film to date.
While fertility rates of 50’s & 60’s Quebec have plummeted to dismal rates for most French Canadians, comparatively, Montreal’s Orthodox Jewish community maintain old fashion practices of ensuring there is a next of kin. Just one among the many...
- 4/13/2015
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Xavier Dolan tied contemporaries Philippe Falardeau and Denis Villeneuve by winning his second Best Feature award at the 17th annual Jutra Awards. Quebec’s answer to the Oscars was a rather suspense-less affair as Mommy claimed nine (plus the top box office award honor) awards winning in all major categories with the exclusion of Best Supporting Actor category win, which would only end up going to Dolan’s other nominated film, Tom at the Farm. Pierre-Yves Cardinal was sublime in his predatory type role and as was the case for several nominees, was hard at work on another project and therefore not on hand for trophyware. Ricardo Trogi’s throwback to awkward teen years tale 1987 did win a trio of awards, but if there were any surprises in the Dolan camp it was the acceptance speeches: Dolan delivered a keynote speech type quality for the last win of the night...
- 3/16/2015
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Alexander Skarsgård and Kristen Wiig in Marielle Heller's The Diary Of A Teenage Girl
Stevan Riley's Listen To Me Marlon, Simone Rapisarda Casanova's The Creation Of Meaning (La Creazione Di Significato), Lukas Valenta Rinner's Parabellum, and Goodnight Mommy directed by Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz are films to look out for.
Bas Devos (Violet); Stéphane Lafleur (Tu Dors Nicole); Shim Sung-bo (Haemoo); Kornél Mundruczó (White God); Britni West (Tired Moonlight); Darhad Erdenibulag (K); Naji Abu Nowar (Theeb); Bill Ross and Turner Ross (Western); Yohei Suzuki (Ow); Nadav Lapid (The Kindergarten Teacher); Benjamin Crotty (Fort Buchanan); Laura Citarella and Verónica Llinás (Dog Lady); Salomé Alexi (Line Of Credit); Chaitanya Tamhane (Court); Sarah Leonor (The Great Man); Charles Poekel (Christmas, Again); Oscar Ruiz Navia (Los Hongos) are filmmakers scheduled to participate in post-screening Q&As.
The Museum of Modern Art and the Film Society of Lincoln Center's 44th...
Stevan Riley's Listen To Me Marlon, Simone Rapisarda Casanova's The Creation Of Meaning (La Creazione Di Significato), Lukas Valenta Rinner's Parabellum, and Goodnight Mommy directed by Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz are films to look out for.
Bas Devos (Violet); Stéphane Lafleur (Tu Dors Nicole); Shim Sung-bo (Haemoo); Kornél Mundruczó (White God); Britni West (Tired Moonlight); Darhad Erdenibulag (K); Naji Abu Nowar (Theeb); Bill Ross and Turner Ross (Western); Yohei Suzuki (Ow); Nadav Lapid (The Kindergarten Teacher); Benjamin Crotty (Fort Buchanan); Laura Citarella and Verónica Llinás (Dog Lady); Salomé Alexi (Line Of Credit); Chaitanya Tamhane (Court); Sarah Leonor (The Great Man); Charles Poekel (Christmas, Again); Oscar Ruiz Navia (Los Hongos) are filmmakers scheduled to participate in post-screening Q&As.
The Museum of Modern Art and the Film Society of Lincoln Center's 44th...
- 3/15/2015
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Marielle Heller’s Berlin Generation 14plus grand prix winner The Diary Of A Teenage Girl will open the 44th instalment of the New York-based festival, set to run from March 18-29.
The event will screen 26 international features and 16 shorts in total. Diary Of A Teenage Girl (pictured) premiered at Sundance. For the full line-up click here.
The previously announced Entertainment, the latest from director Rick Alverson, will close New Directors/New Films.
The line-up includes Dog Lady (Argentina) from Laura Citarella and Verónica Llinás, Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy’s The Tribe (Ukraine), Stéphane Lafleur’s Tu Dors Nicole (Canada), Chaitanya Tamhane’s Court (India), Kornél Mundruczó’s Un Certain Regard winner White God (Hungary) and Shim Sung-bo’s Haemoo (South Korea).
“If I had to boil down the aspirations of New Directors/New Films to one word, it would be ‘unexpected’,” said chief curator of film at The Museum Of Modern Art, Rajendra Roy.[p...
The event will screen 26 international features and 16 shorts in total. Diary Of A Teenage Girl (pictured) premiered at Sundance. For the full line-up click here.
The previously announced Entertainment, the latest from director Rick Alverson, will close New Directors/New Films.
The line-up includes Dog Lady (Argentina) from Laura Citarella and Verónica Llinás, Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy’s The Tribe (Ukraine), Stéphane Lafleur’s Tu Dors Nicole (Canada), Chaitanya Tamhane’s Court (India), Kornél Mundruczó’s Un Certain Regard winner White God (Hungary) and Shim Sung-bo’s Haemoo (South Korea).
“If I had to boil down the aspirations of New Directors/New Films to one word, it would be ‘unexpected’,” said chief curator of film at The Museum Of Modern Art, Rajendra Roy.[p...
- 2/23/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Marielle Heller’s Berlin Generation 14plus grand prix winner The Diary Of A Teenage Girl will open the 44th instalment of the New York-based festival, set to run from March 18-29.
The event will screen 26 international features and 16 shorts in total. For the full line-up click here.
The previously announced Entertainment, the latest from director Rick Alverson, will close New Directors/New Films.
The line-up includes Dog Lady (Argentina) from Laura Citarella and Verónica Llinás, Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy’s The Tribe (Ukraine), Stéphane Lafleur’s Tu Dors Nicole (Canada), Chaitanya Tamhane’s Court (India), Kornél Mundruczó’s Un Certain Regard winner White God (Hungary) and Shim Sung-bo’s Haemoo (South Korea).
“If I had to boil down the aspirations of New Directors/New Films to one word, it would be ‘unexpected’,” said chief curator of film at The Museum Of Modern Art, Rajendra Roy.
“Familiarity is great when you spend an evening at a multiplex with a bucket...
The event will screen 26 international features and 16 shorts in total. For the full line-up click here.
The previously announced Entertainment, the latest from director Rick Alverson, will close New Directors/New Films.
The line-up includes Dog Lady (Argentina) from Laura Citarella and Verónica Llinás, Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy’s The Tribe (Ukraine), Stéphane Lafleur’s Tu Dors Nicole (Canada), Chaitanya Tamhane’s Court (India), Kornél Mundruczó’s Un Certain Regard winner White God (Hungary) and Shim Sung-bo’s Haemoo (South Korea).
“If I had to boil down the aspirations of New Directors/New Films to one word, it would be ‘unexpected’,” said chief curator of film at The Museum Of Modern Art, Rajendra Roy.
“Familiarity is great when you spend an evening at a multiplex with a bucket...
- 2/23/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Xavier Dolan may have been miffed that his "Mommy" was left off the list of finalists for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, but he's surely pleased today that his film led the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television's film slate. It picked up 13 nominations total. David Cronenberg's "Maps to the Stars" was also strong. Check out the full list of nominees below. Winners will be revealed on March 1. And catch the rest at The Circuit! Best Motion Picture "Cast No Shadow" "Fall" "In Her Place" "Maps to the Stars" "Mommy" "Tu dors Nicole" Achievement in Direction Atom Egoyan, "Captive" Albert Shin, "In Her Place" David Cronenberg, "Maps to the Stars" Xavier Dolan, "Mommy" Stéphane Lafleur, "Tu dors Nicole" Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Ryan Reynolds, "The Captive" Bruce Greenwood, "Elephant Song" Michael Murphy, "Fall" Evan Bird, "Maps to the Stars" Antoine Olivier-Pilon, "Mommy" Performance by an...
- 1/13/2015
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Hitfix
Members of the Vancouver Film Critics Circle have finished up their annual barroom vote and settled on Richard Linklater's "Boyhood" as the year's best film. They went out on a respectable limb in the Best Actress race, however, opting for Tilda Swinton's "Only Lovers Left Alive" performance. Meanwhile, Stéphane Lafleur's "Tu dors Nicole" cleaned up in the Canadian categories. Check out the nominees here, the full list of winners below and the rest at The Circuit. International Best Film "Boyhood" Best Director Alejandro González Iñárritu, "Birdman" Best Actor Jake Gyllenhaal, "Nightcrawler" Best Actress Tilda Swinton, "Only Lovers Left Alive" Best Supporting Actor J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash" Best Supporting Actress Patricia Arquette, "Boyhood" Best Screenplay Wes Anderson, "The Grand Budapest Hotel" Best Foreign Language Film "Force Majeure" Best Documentary "The Overnighters" Canadian Best Canadian Film "Tu dors Nicole" Best Director of a Canadian Film Denis Villeneuve, "Enemy" Best Actor...
- 1/6/2015
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Hitfix
The Vancouver critics have just joined the party, always offering an interesting assortment of nominations given their practice of splitting off a whole separate section for Canadian films. "Birdman" led the way in the international list, while Xavier Dolan's "Mommy" led the way in the Canadian section (which will probably be cold comfort after his film was unceremoniously snubbed by the Academy's foreign film committee). Check out the full list of nominees below. Winners will be announced on Jan. 5. And, you know: The Circuit. International Best Film "Birdman" "Boyhood" "Whiplash" Best Director Wes Anderson, "The Grand Budapest Hotel" Alejandro González Iñárritu, "Birdman" Richard Linklater, "Boyhood" Best Actor Benedict Cumberbatch, "The Imitation Game" Jake Gyllenhaal, "Nightcrawler" Michael Keaton, "Birdman" Best Actress Marion Cotillard, "The Immigrant" Tilda Swinton, "Only Lovers Left Alive" Reese Witherspoon, "Wild" Best Supporting Actor Edward Norton, "Birdman" Mark Ruffalo, "Foxcatcher" J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash" Best Supporting Actress Patricia Arquette,...
- 12/22/2014
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Hitfix
The International Film Festival Rotterdam has begun unveiling its lineup. Watch this page for updates as more films and sections are announced.
Limelight
Amour fou (Jessica Hausner)
Atlantic (Jan-Willem van Ewijk)
Big Eyes (Tim Burton)
A Blast (Syllas Tzoumerkas)
Charlie's Country (Rolf de Heer)
The Dark Horse (James Napier-Robertson)
Two Shots Fired (Martín Rejtman)
Eden (Mia Hansen-Løve)
Erbarme Dich - Matthaus Passion Stories (Ramón Gieling)
The Farewell Party (Sharon Maymon & Tal Granit)
Girlhood (Céline Sciamma)
Far From Men (David Oelhoffen)
Melody (Bernard Bellefroid)
The Wonders (Alice Rohrwacher)
Phoenix (Christian Petzold)
Next Time I'll Aim for the Heart (Cédric Anger)
Timbuktu (Abderrahmane Sissako)
The Tribe (Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy)
Tu Dors Nicole (Stéphane Lafleur)
Force Majeure (Ruben Östlund)
Between 10 and 12 (Peter Hoogendoorn)...
Limelight
Amour fou (Jessica Hausner)
Atlantic (Jan-Willem van Ewijk)
Big Eyes (Tim Burton)
A Blast (Syllas Tzoumerkas)
Charlie's Country (Rolf de Heer)
The Dark Horse (James Napier-Robertson)
Two Shots Fired (Martín Rejtman)
Eden (Mia Hansen-Løve)
Erbarme Dich - Matthaus Passion Stories (Ramón Gieling)
The Farewell Party (Sharon Maymon & Tal Granit)
Girlhood (Céline Sciamma)
Far From Men (David Oelhoffen)
Melody (Bernard Bellefroid)
The Wonders (Alice Rohrwacher)
Phoenix (Christian Petzold)
Next Time I'll Aim for the Heart (Cédric Anger)
Timbuktu (Abderrahmane Sissako)
The Tribe (Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy)
Tu Dors Nicole (Stéphane Lafleur)
Force Majeure (Ruben Östlund)
Between 10 and 12 (Peter Hoogendoorn)...
- 12/4/2014
- by Notebook
- MUBI
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