February 16, 2015 – Saguenay, National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) will be a big presence again this year at the Regard sur le court métrage au Saguenay, taking place March 11 to 15. At this 19th edition of the festival, the NFB will present five films, including three world premieres of documentaries from the 5 Shorts Project/Projet 5 courts (NFB/Spirafilm): At the Beach (À la plage) by Jeremy Peter Allen, Hell Runs on Gasoline! (L’enfer marche au gaz!) by Martin Bureau (also the opening film for the festival’s regional evening) and Interview with a Free Man (Entrevue avec un homme libre) by Nicolas Lévesque. The animated short No Fish Where to Go (Nul poisson où aller) by Nicola Lemay and Janice Nadeau (NFB) will screen in the festival’s opening program, while Home Cooked Music (Un luthier pas comme les autres) by Mike Maryniuk (NFB) will be part of the closing program. The NFB is also the festival’s partner for the two Face à face networking activities at the Short Film Market.
The 5 Shorts Project is an NFB initiative that aims to revisit the short documentary genre by working with artist-run centres or production centres in the various regions of Quebec. It was launched at Regard sur le court métrage au Saguenay in 2014 with inaugural partner Spirafilm, an indie co-op located in Quebec City. La bande Sonimage, a Chicoutimi-based organization that supports video creation in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, has been chosen as the partner for 2015. The names of the filmmakers who will be participating in this second edition of the project will be announced at the festival.
Regard sur le court métrage au Saguenay is one of the most important short-film festivals in North America. This highly popular event boasts varied and innovative programming, with regional, national and international film selections.
Quick Facts
• Synopses of the selected films
o In their world premiere, three films from the 5 Shorts Project, produced by Nathalie Cloutier and Colette Loumède for the NFB and Catherine Benoit for Spirafilm:
At the Beach by Jeremy Peter Allen (8 min)
Men and women with deeply damaged bodies expose their burn scars to others in this inspiring film about resilience and acceptance.
Hell Runs on Gasoline! by Martin Bureau (9 min)
A race at the Saint-Félicien racetrack goes from bone-jarring, ear-splitting infernal vision to an eerily silent cemetery of abandoned carcasses.
Interview with a Free Man by Nicolas Lévesque (8 min)
Several men go through a job interview in this disconcerting but captivating film whose cleverly oblique narration keeps the viewer guessing.
o No Fish Where to Go by Nicola Lemay and Janice Nadeau (12 min) – opening program
Produced by Marc Bertrand for the NFB
FIPRESCI Prize at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival
In this modern tale about the consequences of war, a little girl is forced to leave home with her family. Her painful exodus is illuminated only by the friendship of a schoolgirl from another clan. Music by Jorane.
o Home Cooked Music by Mike Maryniuk (10 min) – closing program
Produced by Brendon Sawatzky for the NFB
Is there anything more Canadian than a moose-antler electric guitar? Director Mike Maryniuk’s own eclectic creativity finds a fellow tinkerer in retired machinist Lorne Collie. The filmmaker stitches together weathered doc footage and hand-crafted animation, and the result is a folksy, one-of-a-kind portrait.
• Face à face at the Short Film Market
o The NFB is the festival’s partner for the two Face à face networking activities to be held at the Short Film Market on March 13 and 14: Face à face pro and Face à face institutions.
Stay Connected
Online screening room: NFB.ca
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Media Relations
Lily Robert
Director, Corporate Communications and Corporate Affairs
Tel.: 514-283-3838
Cell: 514-296-8261
E-mail: l.robert@nfb.ca
About the NFB
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) creates groundbreaking interactive works, social-issue documentaries and auteur animation. The NFB has produced over 13,000 productions and won over 5,000 awards, including 9 Canadian Screen Awards, 8 Webbys, 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.
