24th Quebec Cinema Gala | Double triumph: The drunken birds and Hélène Florent!

With 10 Iris trophies, including those awarded to the best film, the best director and the best screenplay, drunken birdsby Ivan Grbovic, is the clear winner of the 24^e Gala Québec Cinéma, also marked by the triumph of a twice-winning actress!

Marc-Andre Lussier
The Press

This had never before been seen in the history of the Gala Québec Cinéma. There had already been over the years, but very rarely, actors cited twice in the same year in the interpretation categories – Luc Picard in 2002 and Robin Aubert in 2020, in particular –, but never yet two interpretation awards. had not been handed over the same evening to one and the same person. This is the feat that Hélène Florent accomplished by being crowned best actress in a leading role, thanks to her performance in drunken birdsand also winning, thanks to Maria Chapdelainethe Iris awarded to the best female interpretation in a supporting role.

Already moved by receiving the very first trophy of the evening, that awarded to the best supporting actress (“I so loved playing this woman”), the one who lent her features to the mother of Maria Chapdelaine was stunned when her name was nominated for a second time, this time for the Best Actress award.

“It’s a privilege to have been able to play in your playground! she said, speaking to Sara Mishara and Ivan Grbovic, who wrote the screenplay for drunken birds (which Ivan Grbovic directed).

The two feature films for which Hélène Florent was awarded were practically tied at the start of the race – 17 citations for drunken birds and 16 for Maria Chapdelaine – but the excellent film by Ivan Grbovic, who represented Canada at the Oscars in the category of best international film earlier this year, finally emerged triumphant from the evening.

drunken birdsproduced by Luc Déry and Kim McCraw, has indeed won 10 Iris trophies: best film, best director (Ivan Grbovic), best screenplay (Sara Mishara and Ivan Grbovic), best female performance in a leading role (Hélène Florent), best Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Claude Legault had prepared a video message), Best Cinematography (Sara Mishara), Best Editing (Arthur Tarnowski), Best Original Score (Philippe Brault), Best Sound (Olivier Calvert, Stephen de Oliveira, Bernard Gariépy Strobl) and best casting (Nathalie Boutrie).

“We don’t make movies to get prizes, but it is certain that these trophies are a pleasure, declared Sara Mishara and Ivan Grbovic in the press room. We are all the more delighted because the film was able to make its way, despite the pandemic. »

let’s remember that drunken birds tells the story of a seasonal worker (played by Jorge Antonio Guerrero, an actor revealed to the world thanks to Romeof Alfonso Cuarón) and of the family that hired him in Quebec, welcoming, but undermined from within by intimate conflicts.

Other Films on the Honor Roll

Even though drunken birds dominated the evening, a few other productions were still able to enter the honor roll. Maria Chapdelaine was awarded in four categories. In addition to the Iris awarded to Hélène Florent in the category of best supporting actress, the very beautiful film by Sébastien Pilote earned Sara Montpetit, the interpreter of Maria, the prize for revelation of the year, in more to stand out thanks to the costumes (Francesca Chamberland) and hairstyles (Martin Lapointe).

The time grabbera tale written by Fred Pellerin and brought to the screen by Francis Leclerc, was honored in the artistic direction, visual effects and make-up categories, while norbourg, quoted six times, earned Vincent-Guillaume Otis the Iris for Best Actor in a Leading Role. In this film directed by Maxime Giroux, he plays Éric Asselin, discreet and unknown right arm of fraudster Vincent Lacroix.

Sin La Habanaa beautiful film by Kaveh Nabatian recounting the journey of an Afro-Cuban dancer leaving his country to emigrate to Montreal, also won the coveted Iris for best first feature film. Bootlegger, by Caroline Monnet, recounts the journey of a lawyer returning to her Aboriginal community and winning the Iris for the most successful film outside Quebec. The public prize was also awarded to Sat, a film by Yan England built around the journey of a high-level swimmer who has to question his sporting career. It should be noted that the filmmaker had received the same prize five years ago, thanks to 1:54.

“It’s a beautiful mark of love for Sam, launched Yan England before underlining the contribution of the film crew. It deeply touches me. »

Despite his six selections, Alinewhose success was much more mixed in Quebec than in France, was unable to transform any of his citations into trophies.

Three Irises for like a wave

One could say that the feature documentary like a wave is the other big winner of the evening. Marie-Julie Dallaire’s essay on the power of music, to which Jean-Marc Vallée had given his approval by becoming its executive producer, won no less than three trophies, namely those awarded to the best documentary feature film, to the Best Cinematography (Tobie Marier Robitaille and Josée Deshaies) and Best Editing (Louis-Martin Paradis).

« Jean-Marc [Vallée], you have no idea what a gift you gave us by joining the film. You should be here! “said the filmmaker.

Still in the categories reserved for feature documentaries, the Iris for best sound was awarded to the film The sons (Bruno Bélanger, Manon Cousin, Louis-Philippe Amiot, Ivann Uruena and René Portillo) and that of the best original music, to Archipelago (Stéphane Lafleur and Christophe Lamarche-Ledoux).

The Iris for best short fiction film was also awarded to The big slaps, by Annie St-Pierre; Best Animated Short Film at The displeasure, by Alisi Telengut; and Best Short Documentary at Perfecting the Art of Longingby Kitra Cahana.

Hosted by Geneviève Schmidt for the second consecutive year, this 24^e Gala Québec Cinéma will not go down in history, but we will nevertheless remember this sober and sensitive tip of the hat to three great deceased, Jean-Marc Vallée, Jean-Claude Lord and Rock Demers. Celebrated at the Gala des artisans earlier in the day, Louise Portal, whose 50 years of cinema are underlined, for her part received a nice ovation from professionals and the public. “I have never held a child in my arms, but this one, it weighs all its weight of love, declared the actress, visibly moved. My roles and my books will have been my children. »