International guests, indoor screenings, face-to-face activities, the Saguenay International Short Film Festival REGARD is back to normality. This year it welcomes creators such as Francis Leclerc, Martin Léon, Florence Longpré (spokesperson for the event) and Philippe Falardeau and returns in a version notably enhanced by the addition of a competition devoted to LGBTQ+ films.
“What inspired us this year and what stands out about the programming is the diversity. We say it a little each year, it’s true, but we really wanted to be more inclusive, explains Mélissa Bouchard, programming director of the REGARD festival. Either with films shot in the region, those from cultural diversity, LGBTQ+ or shot by natives. »
REGARD, which is dedicated to short films, is presenting 180 films this year. In official competition, we find in particular until you die by Florence Lafond (a fiction around an open couple) and The Lauzon theory by Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre (a poetic essay on the cinema of Jean-Claude Lauzon). From the works on the program, we also remember It’s A Dategripping six-minute sequence shot shot at high speed in Kyiv streets by Nadia Parfan and PLSTCby Laen Sanches, a short two-minute film that vividly and poetically evokes the pollution of the oceans.
New this year, rather than presenting all the films in competition twice in theaters, REGARD will present them only once and they will then be available for free online. “That’s the little extra of the pandemic, believes Mélissa Bouchard: we created an online platform and we keep it, which allows people who can’t come to Saguenay to have access to programming for two weeks. »
This transfer to the online platform frees up time and space in theaters. It gives REGARD, which takes place from March 22 to 26, the opportunity to present around thirty more films than usual.
In addition to its parallel competitions devoted to independent or self-financed films (Tourner à tout prix), to South America (Americana) and shot outside Montreal (100% Region), REGARD is adding a section this year called Short & Queer. The addition was necessary both because of the increase in the number of submitted works evoking LGBTQ+ people and because of the desire for openness that drives the festival team.
The event also offers free meetings with local film artisans, which will take the form of a master class, or discussions or public interviews. This year’s guests are Francis Leclerc, Philippe Falardeau, Florence Longpré and composer Martin Léon.