Sophie Deraspe, Alexandre Chartrand, Jean-François Blais, Pier-Philippe Chevigny and Martin Laroche are the winners of the five Réals awards which were presented earlier this evening on the occasion of the third edition of the Association des Réals gala and directors from Quebec (ARRQ).
Hosted by Catherine Beauchamp and presented in virtual mode, this third edition covered the production of the years 2020 and 2021. The second edition dated back to 2019 and the event was suspended last year due to a pandemic.
The filmmaker Sophie Deraspe thus obtains the 2020-2021 Réal prize for the best work of fiction, namely the feature film. Antigone. Freely inspired by Sophocles’ work and updated in today’s Quebec, the film has, since its release, been full of awards, both at the Canadian Screen Awards gala and at the Québec Cinéma awards gala.
Still in fiction, Pier-Philippe Chevigny won the award for best short film with his film Recruit. This powerful and impactful work brings us to life, through the eyes of a kid, a day in the life of a reactionary militia which takes the initiative to repel illegal immigrants entering the country through the forest.
In the category of best documentary, the Réal prize was awarded to Alexandre Chratrand for his film With a smile, the revolution! This film in which we recognize the actor Sergi López and several Catalan politicians concerns the organization, in Catalonia, of a referendum on self-determination in this region of Spain. Faced with a desire for a ban from the central government, the Catalans oppose their resistance while continuing to smile.
For the realization of All of Quebec in unison, big show of the National Day of June 24, 2020, presented without an audience, but with a very impressive cast of artists, the director Jean-François Blais receives the prize for the best non-dramatic work.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY HOUSE 4: 3
Léane Labrèche-Dor in The laugh by Martin Laroche.
Finally, for his feature film The laugh starring Léane Labrèche-Dor, filmmaker Martin Laroche receives the Jury Prize. Her film tells the story of Valérie, a young patient care attendant who survived a bloody war that shook Quebec eight years earlier. Haunted by this past, Valérie tries to survive this shock, especially through laughter. The film was recently awarded the Grand Prix at the Dieppe Canadian Film Festival.