The reputation of the Regard festival, of which the 27e edition opens Wednesday, in Saguenay, is no longer to be done. Presenting this year 180 films from 50 countries, including 75 Quebec films, the event has become the largest in Canada to be entirely devoted to short films. It’s also an essential event for the local film industry.
This is why Mélissa Bouchard, director of programming, wants to allow more and more “new voices” to be heard at the event: “When a festival is 27 years old, it’s important that it continues to update. We therefore removed the screenings in recovery to expand our parallel competition, including the program Short and Queer, which highlights LGBTQ+ communities. We are also going to present a new program of Aboriginal short films, which will see the light of day next year. »
Mme Bouchard is aware, however, that despite the rich programming of its festival, Saguenay remains relatively inaccessible for the majority of the Quebec public. Consequently, all of its 180 films will be accessible online everywhere in Quebec, from the day after the closing of theatrical screenings, March 27, until April 10.
As every year, the ten programs of the official competition and the five programs of the parallel competition mix short films from here with big names from the international world premiering in Quebec. Note for example The flying sailor, by Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby (Quebec), and Ice Merchants, by João Gonzalez (Portugal), who were among the five finalists for best animated short at the Oscars. “We present as many mega productions as self-financed independent films, and that’s exactly what our audience is looking for,” explains Ms.me Bouchard.
Close-up on Steve Laplante
Regard is also, as always, thematic programs that go off the beaten track. This year, M.me Bouchard had fun. When she noticed that comedian Steeve Laplante had become the darling of Quebec auteur cinema in 2022, with his notable appearances in Baby sitter by Monia Chokri and viking of Stéphane Lafleur, she had the idea of the retrospective The year Steve Laplante.
“Last year, I started doing research to find all his old films – short films, which remain unknown,” she says. He accepted to participate with great generosity, as well as the filmmakers of the films that we are going to present, who will come to meet the public. The retrospective brings together five films, which span from 2001 to 2021.
A total of ten “thematic” programs are on the menu. We notice the most predictable categories of genre and arthouse films, but also a few surprises, such as a carte blanche at the prestigious DokuFest festival devoted to Kosovar cinema, and another at the Présence Autochtone festival.
Saguenay celebrates
Despite the appeal of the abundant virtual offer, encounters with the public remain irreplaceable. And Regard has the reputation of organizing parties that are worth the trip to Saguenay. “Most visitors come from Montreal, says Mme Bouchard. They feel uprooted at first, but it ends up being a good place to party. Many free special events are also planned, including a meeting with the filmmaker Francis Leclerc (The plunger) moderated by the film critic of the DutyManon Dumais.
Thus, this year again, Mme Bouchard notes a growing enthusiasm for his festival. She is not a little proud of it: “I have attended dozens of festivals in my life, but I have rarely seen one like ours, where 800 people line up in front of a room to see short films. It’s very touching for us and for the filmmakers, especially since we are presenting few well-known artists. It shows that the public has confidence in the programming. »