We have no excuse not to participate in the sixth edition of Plein (s) Écran (s), which will be held from January 12 to 23: the short film festival takes place online, and the selection of works from Quebec, embellished with Belgian films chosen by the programmers of the Namur International Francophone Film Festival, is presented free of charge.
In full confinement, this rich program will be received as a gift by moviegoers, rejoices Ariane Roy-Poirier, director of programming, who goes there with her suggestions for essential shorts.
“Last year, we were in a situation where everyone was confined to home, looking for entertainment,” recalls Ariane Roy-Poirier. We were filling a need. We imagined that the situation would be different this year, but here we are again in the same scenario where people are very anxious to Plein (s) Ecran (s) because, we can say it, it is rare that we have access to such great quality cinema at home for free! “
Of course, Ariane Roy-Poirier and her colleagues at Plein (s) Écran (s) appreciate the authentic experience of indoor cinema, but the mission of the online festival lies elsewhere, she explains: “We want to hang the people who do not go to theaters to see films, let alone pay a ticket to see short films in theaters. “
Especially since, if the short film is often an opportunity for young filmmakers to give their first turns of the crank using a camera, it is difficult to exist outside the circuit of specialized festivals. “That was the idea behind our event: to give these films a second life. “
This year, more than 200 films were submitted to the director, and she only retained 24. “It’s a little less films than in previous years. I think we are feeling the effects of the pandemic on production, but we feel that our creators were resourceful, despite the constraints, and that they needed to express themselves. We especially received a lot of good films. “
Ariane Roy-Poirier’s commented choices
Joutel
Drama by Alexa-Jeanne Dubé. With Marie Tifo and Pierre Curzi. Quebec, 2021, 15 minutes. Airing January 12.
This is our opening film, which sets the tone for the festival. We presented the two precedents of Alexa-Jeanne Dubé, which we love and follow. She has a way of making movies that is so refreshing! It feels good to see how she has fun with the form while telling a touching story. With Marie Tifo and Pierre Curzi, who form a couple leading a small banal life, it immediately touched me to see them play these roles together. Curzi’s character discovers a dead raccoon on his land, and it triggers an existential crisis in him. Tifo’s suggests going to bury the body in Joutel, a now ghost village that they once inhabited. There is a great reflection on death, with something strange, mysterious, in the realization.
There is no time for women
Documentary by Sarra El Abed. Quebec, 2020, 19 minutes. Airing January 12.
I fell in love with this documentary by Sarra El Abed, which was a great success on the festival circuit. The Montreal director returns to Tunis to shoot this film in her grandmother’s hairdressing salon; it exudes a lot of familiarity and intimacy, since she knows the clients we meet in the salon. However, the film was shot during the Tunisian presidential elections of 2019. We are therefore witnessing discussions between these women, it is about the past and the future of the country, the political climate, etc. I have never seen a film combine the intimate and the political so well while having such a strong feminine theme. These women are endearing and funny, it’s been a long time since a documentary had done me so much good.
The two-headed dragon
Documentary by Páris Cannes. With Juergen Cannes and Páris Cannes. Belgium, 2019, 21 minutes. Airing January 15.
One of my favorite films from the selection. I had never seen a film like it: it’s the story of twins who leave their native country – Brazil – because they are ostracized because of their sexual orientation. One settles in Brussels while the other resides illegally in Berlin; the first must however go and help the second, who is injured. One of the interesting elements of the film is that we follow the twins at a distance, the screen being split in two. The form is beautiful in this militant, yet poetic film – it’s a documentary that feels like fiction. The director’s personality is reflected in the form of his film. It upset me.
Looking forward to garbage!
Comedy by Romain Dumont. With Caroline Dhavernas. Quebec, 2021, 17 minutes. Airing January 19.
A second short film for Romain Dumont, very mastered, but what I appreciate is that it is a political comedy, which we rarely see in the cinema here. A questioning of the system, the theme of the class struggle… We have a little the impression of ending up with a film by Pierre Falardeau, but softer! This is the story of three garbage collectors invited to a Christmas dinner by the Prime Minister, who made this gesture as part of a promotional campaign intended to seduce the population. There is a lot of discomfort during this supper. The characters are all very interesting and reveal themselves sparingly throughout the film, funny and relevant. Between revolutionary tale and political satire, with an incredible cast.
Jontae
Art film by Kyana Lyne and Siam Obregón. With Jontae McCrory. Canada, 2020, 8 minutes. Airing January 21.
A film that I discovered at the Regard sur le court festival [à Saguenay]. Jontae is Jontae McCrory, multidisciplinary artist, director and above all choreographer and dancer. A black and white film about dance, without music, punctuated by the sound of Jontae’s breathing. The camera is magnificent, it follows the movements of the dancer. Nothing is said, everything is suggested by the movement of his body and the emotions perceptible in his face, but we understand a lot of things, depending on what we feel watching him dance. This film was made in response to the death of George Floyd, in tune with the Black Lives Matter movement. It is about racism and suffering, it is very beautiful.