The 19e Take It Short Awards Gala! rewarded the best short films of the year on Thursday evening. Director Denis Villeneuve awarded his favorite to Simoby Aziz Zoromba , awarded many times since its release in 2022. The MELS Short Cup, the competition’s highest distinction, was awarded to Vincent René-Lortie for his film Invincible.
This great celebration of Quebec short films, led by actor Guillaume Cyr (Arsenault & Sons, Underground, The brotherhood), took place Thursday at the Cinémathèque québécoise, as part of the 41are Meet Quebec Cinema. Sixty-five personalities from the industry took to the stage to present the 71 awards in a festive atmosphere.
The entertainment tinged with humor stimulated the crowd throughout the evening, despite the numerous award ceremonies. Guillaume Cyr allowed himself to be ironic about the fate of cinema galas in the province, Radio-Canada having decided this year to stop broadcasting the Gala Québec Cinéma. “We are the only gala dedicated to Quebec cinema this year… It’s sad, but still… we’re hot! »
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
The host of the evening, Guillaume Cyr
Audience award at the last Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, best Canadian short film at TIFF and in selections at Sundance and the Berlinale, Simo, by Aziz Zoromba, this time conquered Denis Villeneuve, who awarded him his favorite prize. A hectic journey for the film by the very promising Canadian-Egyptian filmmaker Aziz Zoromba, in which a sibling rivalry turns sour when a boy infiltrates his eldest’s video game channel live.
This is the second time that the monument of Quebec cinema has had to choose its favorite film from the Gala Prends ça court! Even if he could not be present, Denis Villeneuve announced his price in a short video projected at the Cinémathèque. The winner of 2022, Clara Milo, was on stage to present this prize “which completely changed the course of her career”.
Aziz Zoromba was visibly very moved. “It touches me so much. This film required a lot of sacrifices from me. I have no words to describe how important this recognition is… Plus, it’s Denis Villeneuve…wow! he said as he collected his award. The director stood out throughout the evening, winning 8 other awards.
$300,000 in rewards
The MELS Cup went to Invincible, fiction by Vincent René-Lortie, which retraces the last 48 hours of the life of Marc-Antoine Bernier, a 14-year-old boy who finds himself confronted with his crying need for freedom. The film has also traveled lately, notably winning the special international jury prize at the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival in February.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
On the right, the director ofInvincibleVincent Rene-Lortie
Dozens of other young talents picked up the 71 awards presented on Thursday. In total, more than $300,000 was awarded in cash and services to the winners. Among them, Éric K. Boulianne, with his short film make a child. The screenwriter, who has made a lot of noise in the last year by working on successful works like The plunger And vikingleft with the personal gold medal of the animator Guillaume Cyr, who said he was impressed by his short film “marked with humanity”.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
In the center, director and screenwriter Éric K. Boulianne
Twelve personalities from the film world formed the jury responsible for viewing the 63 films in the running and awarding their teams the numerous prizes of the evening. This year, it was composed of Louis Carrière (Professional Pool), Kelly Depeault (Noémie says yes), Lévi Doré (Pet), Pier-Luc Funk (Plan B), Steve Laplante (viking), Devi Julia Pelletier (The red wristbands), Isabelle Sullivan (director of programming, Crave), Stéphanie Weber-Biron (photo director of I killed my mother), Marilyn Cooke (No ghosts in the morgue), Patrick Doyon (Sunday), development agent Catherine Benoit and author and distributor Francis Ouellette (fancy molasses).