May 13, 2015 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
After winning the hearts of audiences and critics alike, the feature documentary Where I’m From (D’où je viens) by Claude Demers will be available via VOD/DTO and on DVD starting Tuesday, May 19, at NFB.ca. The St. Lawrence River and Montreal’s Verdun borough, with its charismatic and endearing residents, form the backdrop of Demers’ lyrical yet realistic search for his roots. Produced at the NFB by Colette Loumède.
Where I’m From, the third in Demers’ personal trilogy, follows his documentaries Barbers and Ladies in Blue, tributes to his father and mother respectively. Shot in the neighbourhood where he grew up, Where I’m From (which Demers also narrates) features hauntingly beautiful imagery, including aerial views of the river and city. It also provides insightful, sensitively observed portrayals of some of the people whose lives are so much a part of this contrast-filled place: young Bastien and Cédric (the filmmaker’s alter egos); a preacher; Gaby, a familiar face in the community; and a group of colourful fishermen. Through this mosaic of touching characters, universal themes are addressed: childhood and its heartbreaks, faith, attachment to one’s surroundings, and the struggle to survive and transcend a tough environment.
After a world premiere at the 2014 International Film Festival Rotterdam and screenings at festivals including the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto and Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (RIDM), Where I’m From was released in December 2014 in Montreal and Quebec City cinemas, to audience and critical acclaim. In April 2015, two memorable and moving public screenings were held in Monseigneur-Richard high school in Verdun: one for a group of 240 students; the second, held as part of the ONF à la maison program in cooperation with the borough, for an audience of over 200 in the presence of Mayor Jean-François Parenteau.
• Where I’m From, Claude Demers (78 min)
Produced by Colette Loumède at the NFB
Director Claude Demers revisits the working-class neighbourhood of his youth to pierce some of the mysteries about his origins. An intimate chronicle, the film combines the director’s personal odyssey with the stories of Bastien and Cédric, two young boys who are discovering the world. Verdun and the banks of the St. Lawrence form the backdrop for this moving coming-of-age story that’s also a profound inner journey. Combining realism and soaring lyricism, Where I’m From is a free-flowing work that’s both deeply human and hauntingly poetic.
• About Claude Demers
Self-taught filmmaker Claude Demers directed several short films (Le bonheur, Le diable est une petite fille, Une nuit avec toi, L’été) before making his first feature drama, The Invention of Love. Released in 2000, the film was in official competition at numerous festivals. Demers turned to documentary filmmaking in 2006 with Barbers, which won the Gémeaux Award for Best Editing: Documentary. The Cinémathèque québécoise devoted a retrospective to his work in 2007. He followed up in 2009 with the documentary Ladies in Blue, which opened the Festival du nouveau cinéma in Montreal and was in official competition at the São Paulo International Film Festival in Brazil. Where I’m From is Demers’ most recent work.
International Film Festival Rotterdam: www.iffr.com/en/
Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival: www.hotdocs.ca
RIDM: www.ridm.qc.ca/en
Online screening room: NFB.ca
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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 14 Canadian Screen Awards, 11 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.
