A record number of Quebec films have been presented in France in recent years, and it is in part thanks to Vues du Québec, a small festival in Occitanie which has devoted itself exclusively to local cinema for ten years. The organization, which also oversees the Prix lycéen du cinéma québécois as well as an online information platform, even launched into distribution last year.
Vues du Québec is well known in the Quebec cinema community. Several filmmakers are invited each year, and its platform, formerly called Mon cinéma québécois en France, is one of the most complete virtual resources on local cinema. More than 500 detailed information sheets on films that have already been presented on the other side of the Atlantic are listed, among others.
If the festival has become one of the best ambassadors of our cinema abroad, it is above all thanks to its audience, proudly cinephiles. We saw it firsthand on Saturday, the day before the event closed, when we visited the organization’s headquarters in Florac-Trois-Rivières, a bucolic town of 2,000 souls in the heart of the Cévennes.
Installed on one of the few terraces in the village before the screening of Sweet sixteen, by Alexa-Jeanne Dubé, three Floracois in their early thirties sitting next to us take stock of their week: they really liked Falcon Lake, by Charlotte Le Bon, as well as Niagara, by Guillaume Lambert, and are very eager to see, the next day, white dog, by Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette.
“Our accent and our humor”
Inaugurated 15 years ago, the festival originally had another name, and presented films from all over the world. “But when, in 2014, we focused on Quebec films after falling in love with You sleep Nicole, by Stéphane Lafleur, the public reaction was particularly strong, says the director and founder, Guillaume Sapin. People asked for more, and we wanted to continue working with the same partners, such as the General Delegation of Quebec in Paris. » Views of Quebec was born.
Daniel Racine, critic at News, has been co-programmer with Mr. Sapin since 2014, and moderates all discussions after the screenings. “We seek to present an authentic and plural vision of Quebec,” he says, “with our accent and our humor. »
Unlike most Quebec productions released in France, the films we saw on Saturday were not subtitled. “We have to trust the public,” says Mr. Racine. Quebecers make efforts to understand films from the north or south of France without subtitles, and Floracois are happy to do the same with our cinema. »
Cinema culture
The colorful expressions of adolescents from Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension, featured in Gamma rays, by Henry Bernadet, presented on Saturday, made the audience smile. And the room, with some 200 seats, was almost full. “It’s great to see you so enthusiastic,” said the director after the screening.
He had just visited, impressed, the city’s video club, also run by Mr. Sapin, which has a vast selection of Quebec titles. “Florac, with 2000 inhabitants, has 200 associations and a video club. This would be unthinkable for us,” underlines Daniel Racine. That’s as many video clubs as in Montreal, for more than 4 million people.
We seek to present an authentic and plural vision of Quebec, he says, with our accent and our humor.
Another sign of the vitality of the local film industry: more and more programmers from other festivals attend Vues du Québec each year. “Thanks to Guillaume’s work, our films are presented everywhere in France,” explains Mr. Racine. “Certain events specializing in Quebec or Canadian cinema are also springing up almost everywhere, such as in Biscarrosse or Saint-Malo, but also in Spain and Italy. »
Distribution
Despite its very small team, Vues du Québec became an important distributor of Quebec cinema in France. Nearly 100 films are already available for screenings in the organization’s catalog. The selection includes films from previous editions of the festival, such as This house, by Miryam Charles, as well as older cult films, including Curling, by Denis Côté.
“Starting this year, we will add one film per month to the catalog,” explains Guillaume Sapin. We essentially want to help other organizations have access to equipment more quickly and to [tarifs préférentiels]. »
In 2023, 13 feature films produced here were presented in French cinemas, a record. In the last few months alone, Monia Chokri won the César for best foreign film with Simple like SylvainAnd Humanist vampire seeking consenting suicide was a great success with critics. The plunger And The successor were also presented throughout France.
“For the last ten years, there has been real enthusiasm for our cinema,” concludes Daniel Racine. And we haven’t finished seeing all the repercussions of Guillaume’s companies. He will never say it himself, but one day, he will receive an award at the National Assembly. No one does as much for Quebec cinema in France. »