Sports support
Host and actor Jean-Marie Lapointe, a regular at social documentary series for the specialized channel Moi et cie (In the street, Month-end), explores here a theme that is particularly close to his heart, since he has been the spokesperson for the Défi sportif AlterGo, a major Quebec competition for adapted sports, for the past twenty years. This series deals with high-level athletes with a disability or physical limitation, but especially with the people who help them achieve their sporting achievements.
Each episode of Victorious at two paints a portrait of one of those unstoppable athletes, including some who have competed in the Paralympic Games, and gives pride of place to the coaches, competition guides and people around them who help them to surpass themselves, to realize their dream. The result is a felt, moving production, unfortunately too often drowned in a sound and visual coating reminiscent of the “Olympic” capsules too full of good feelings. A little sobriety in this matter would absolutely not have harmed the relevant subject.
Victorious at two
Me and Co., Mondays, 9 p.m.
Illegal Pioneers
The questioning of the right to abortion in our neighbors to the South and, in many countries, its almost complete illegality make the documentary even more relevant than it already was. The Janes by Tia Lessin (producer of Michael Moore’s films) and Emma Pildes (Jane Fonda. In Five Acts), which recounts the struggle of pioneers who made it possible to provide access to safe voluntary terminations of pregnancy to thousands of women at a time when such acts were still criminal.
The film gives voice to network activists who worked underground — calling themselves Jane — between 1968 and 1973 in the Chicago, Illinois, area (a state now considered a “safe haven” for those wishing to interrupt their pregnancy), to make these illegal medical interventions possible. He thus paints a very illuminating portrait of the evolution of American society and of the now very fragile heritage of the militancy of yesteryear. When unveiled at the Sundance Film Festival last January, the documentary received critical acclaim.
The Janes
Crave and HBO, starting June 8, 9 p.m.
Celebrate and Discover
The cinema here has not been able to shine in theaters as much as we would have hoped in this second pandemic year. The broadcast of the ceremony which celebrates the best of our cinematographic production is therefore an opportunity to discover and catch up with the works that challenge us. The actress Geneviève Schmidt returns to hosting the televised gala where the Iris prizes in the most prestigious categories will be awarded, while Guillaume Lambert also returns to the helm of the Gala Artisans after a short one-year break. He will also have the privilege of presenting this year’s Iris tribute to the fabulous Louise Portal.
Maria Chapdelaineby Sébastien Pilote, and drunken birds, by Ivan Grbovic, dominate the race with 16 nominations each. And for those who missed the theatrical screening of the various named works (or who do not have access to the paid platforms where they are housed), Cinéma Québec makes them available free of charge on its digital platform (gala.quebeccinema.ca/sprint) until to June 7.
Quebec Cinema Gala
ICI TV, Sunday, 8 p.m.