Without much surprise, viking was knighted on Sunday during the 25e edition of the Gala Québec Cinéma, masterfully hosted by Jay Du Temple. In addition to being crowned the best Quebec film of the year, Stéphane Lafleur’s fourth feature film was awarded the Iris for best direction as well as for best screenplay.
Actor Steve Laplante, the star of the film, won the Iris for best male performance in a leading role. viking had already dominated the Québec Cinéma Artisan Gala earlier this week by winning seven trophies in more technical categories, those for best photo direction, best editing and even best artistic direction, among others. In all, 14 Iris prizes out of 30 went to viking.
Screenplay written by Stéphane Lafleur and Eric K. Boulianne, this “existential-surrealist” comedy-drama revolves around a group of Quebecers who, to escape their life without scope, agree to leave everything to take part in the simulation of a space mission. They are forced to play NASA astronauts 24 hours a day. A way for these people to live vicariously their dream of leaving Earth.
Upon its release in September 2022, viking had received a rave critical reception, even being awarded a rating of 2 by the Médiafilm agency, the highest rating that a feature film can have upon release. Stéphane Lafleur’s film also received a special mention at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
Two prizes for The red rooms
The triumph of viking at the Gala Québec Cinéma somewhat overshadowed the other films that were in the running. Baby sitter, by Monia Chokri, as well as Arsenault and son, by Rafaël Ouellet, left empty-handed from Sunday’s ceremony. The film The red rooms, by Pascal Plante, distinguished himself in two categories. The headliner, actress Juliette Gariépy received the Iris Revelation of the Year for her remarkable performance as a young woman obsessed with a serial killer. The one who stars in this critically acclaimed thriller, Laurie Babin, walked away with the Iris for best actress for a supporting role.
At 21, Kelly Depeault, who was revealed to the general public three years ago with The Goddess of Fire Flieswas crowned best actress in a leading role for her performance in Noémie says yes, by director Geneviève Albert, a film which denounces juvenile prostitution during the Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Note that the nominations took into account Quebec films released between March 2022 and the end of summer 2023. Films that were released during the fall, such as Simple like Sylvain, by Monia Chokri, and Will, by Denys Arcand, were therefore not admissible.
Resurrection
This 25e edition of the Gala Québec Cinéma was also the first to be broadcast on the Noovo channel, Radio-Canada having decided last year to no longer present this ceremony, which has suffered constant drops in audience ratings in recent years. The disengagement of Radio-Canada, which will instead focus on a special program hosted by Karine Vanasse to promote Quebec cinema, sparked an outcry in the community. The Legault government released $600,000 for another broadcaster to give the gala a second life.
We will see in the coming days if Noovo’s bet proved to be a winner in terms of audiences. One thing is certain, the channel spared no effort to ensure that this 2.0 version of the Gala Québec Cinéma was a success, entrusting the animation to the popular Jay Du Temple in an avowed effort to attract a new audience.
At the helm of a gala for the first time, which constitutes a considerably greater challenge than hostingDouble occupation, the comedian was not unworthy. He who has accustomed us to a fairly sanitized humor surprised us with his ease in delivering an opening number that was just biting enough. Jay Du Temple hit the nail on the head when he derided the public broadcaster’s decision to unilaterally draw a line under the Gala Québec Cinéma, ignoring its cultural mandate, “while he said yes to the 9e season of Silence, let’s play! »
This gala was also marked by some positions taken, which seems inevitable in cinema awards evenings. Director Charlotte Le Bon went, among other things, with a strong call for a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel after winning the Iris for best first film for Falcon Lake.
Tributes
The prolific Rémy Girard received the Tribute Award for his entire career, a distinction presented to him by his long-time friend, Louise Portal. By video, Yves Jacques, Hélène Bourgeois-Leclerc, Denis Villeneuve, Dominique Michel, Denis Bouchard and Michel Charette praised the work of the man who has appeared in around fifty Quebec films in his career, more than any other actor.
In his speech, the 73-year-old actor recalled that the place in the world that makes him happiest remains a film set, even today. He also took advantage of his speech to denounce Radio-Canada’s decision to remove the Gala Québec Cinéma from its schedule. “A national cinema without a gala? Imagine! I don’t know which fly bit which,” he said.
Québec Cinéma also highlighted the departure of Michel Côté, who died last May following a bone marrow disease. It was announced on Sunday that the Audience Award would now bear the name of this actor associated with several great successes in the history of Quebec cinema, the Michel-Côté Prize.
Since 2017, this prize has been awarded following a public vote among the films which achieved the best box office, but which are often overlooked in other categories. This year, the statuette went to My mother’s men, the first feature film by Anik Jean, who was particularly moved when entering the stage. “It was the price I wanted My mother’s men wins,” she said, thanking the audience.