November 5, 2014 – Montreal, National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
Fresh from a successful run on the national and international festival circuit, Jean-François Caissy’s feature documentary La marche à suivre (Guidelines) will open on November 28 at Cinéma Excentris in Montreal and Cinéma Le Clap in Quebec City, in its original French version. Preceding the film will be tali’s two-time winner at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, the animated short Histoires de bus (Bus Story), produced by Julie Roy of the NFB. A work of patient observation, La marche à suivre presents a universal portrait of adolescence, sensitively capturing the sometimes-trying existence of students at a rural high school in the filmmaker’s native Gaspé Peninsula region. The film is produced by the NFB’s Johanne Bergeron.
Caissy’s cinematic third feature-length film contrasts the freedom of the outdoors with the constraints of school life. Unfolding in a series of tableaux that juxtaposes contemplative sequences with scenes in which the teens and the various adults in their lives have their say, this original work remains compellingly grounded in reality, a world away from theory. With clarity and aesthetic restraint, the filmmaker introduces the people and places of his native region, essentially continuing his meditation on the stages of life begun in his two previous documentaries, on couples and the elderly.
La marche à suivre has screened to great acclaim at a number of festivals. After its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival, it received the World Pulse Award at IndieLisboa (the International Independent Film Festival in Lisbon, Portugal) as well as a Special Jury Mention at the Camden International Film Festival in the U.S. It has been selected to screen in competition at the Hot Docs documentary festival in Toronto, the BFI London Film Festival, the Vienna International Film Festival and the Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM). It also opened the Carrousel international du film de Rimouski.
Quick Facts
• La marche à suivre, directed by Jean-François Caissy (76 min), produced at the NFB by Johanne Bergeron with executive producer Colette Loumède
La marche à suivre explores the world of adolescence through a series of tableaux that illustrates the occasionally trying existence of young people at a rural secondary school. During closed-door meetings, the teens interact with various authority figures whose job it is to “set them straight.” Outside classroom hours, though, they regain control of their world, the natural surroundings becoming a playground where they can test the limits of their temporary freedom. A work of patient observation relying mostly on uninterrupted long takes, La marche à suivre emphasizes the contrasts between the regulated environment of the classroom and the beckoning freedom of the great outdoors, gradually revealing the interior drama of adolescence, with its shifts from fragility to reckless abandon. The result is an original yet universal portrayal of the occasionally overwhelming life journey that we all take.
• About Jean-François Caissy
Born in the village of Saint-Omer in Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula, Jean-François Caissy is a filmmaker and visual artist. His first feature-length documentary was 2005’s critically acclaimed La saison des amours. His second, La belle visite (2009), earned him international recognition, with screenings at prestigious film festivals including Berlin, Toronto’s Hot Docs and the BFI London Film Festival, and the award for Best Documentary at the Festival international du cinéma francophone en Acadie (FICFA). Recently, his video installation Derby (2011) was shown at the Centre Clark in Montreal and at Galerie Espace F in Matane, Quebec. La marche à suivre (2014), his third documentary feature, marks his first collaboration with the National Film Board of Canada. The film continues to attract the attention of critics at national and international festivals after making its world premiere at the 64th Berlinale.
• Histoires de bus by tali (10 min), produced by Julie Roy of the NFB
Jury Distinction (tied), Short Film, and Junior Jury Prize, Short Film, at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival; Prix Animé RNC Média, awarded through audience vote at the Festival du cinéma international en Abitibi-Témiscamingue
A woman who takes a job as a school bus driver has to cope with a faulty clutch and a boss named “Killer.”
Associated Links
Berlin International Film Festival: https://www.berlinale.de/
IndieLisboa: http://indielisboa.com/
Camden International Film Festival: http://www.camdenfilmfest.org/
Hot Docs : http://www.hotdocs.ca/
BFI London Film Festival: http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff
Vienna International Film Festival: http://www.viennale.at/
Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM): http://www.ridm.qc.ca/en
Carrousel international du film de Rimouski : http://www.carrousel.qc.ca/
Annecy International Animation Film Festival: http://www.annecy.org/
Festival du cinéma international en Abitibi-Témiscamingue : http://www.festivalcinema.ca/en
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About the NFB
Beginning May 2, 2014, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) marks 75 years of innovation and leadership in social-issue documentaries, auteur animation, and most recently, groundbreaking interactive works. The NFB has produced over 13,000 productions and won over 5,000 awards, including 10 Webbys, 9 Canadian Screen Awards, 12 Oscars and more than 90 Genies. To access acclaimed NFB content, visit NFB.ca or download its apps for smartphones, tablets and connected TV.
