September 8, 2015 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
Ève Lamont’s documentary Le commerce du sexe (The Sex Trade) will play in cities across Quebec starting September 14, with screenings continuing throughout the fall. In total, the film will be shown in French in at least nine of the province’s regions and 15 of its cities—Terrebonne, La Malbaie, Baie-Saint-Paul, Val-d’Or, Rouyn-Noranda, Ville-Marie, Montreal, Cowansville, Granby, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières, Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, Rimouski, Odanak and Gatineau—as well as in Ottawa, Ontario. Each screening will be followed by a talk, many of which will feature the filmmaker. Several screenings will also feature workers from local aid centres known as CALACS (Centres d’aide et de lutte contre les agressions à caractère sexuel), as part of an effort to raise awareness about women victims of violence. Audiences across the province will have a chance to see the uncut version of Le commerce du sexe on the big screen and get a better understanding of the realities of the local and regional sex trade, in addition to learning more about Lamont’s approach to making the film.
For screening details, visit the film’s Facebook page (in French only):
Le Commerce du Sexe Facebook/Projections
In Le commerce du sexe (which follows up on Lamont’s 2010 documentary, L’imposture, a film that sparked concern over the plight of women struggling to leave the sex trade), the filmmaker meets with a wide range of players in the Quebec sex trade: current and former pimps, women in prostitution, massage parlour owners, a police officer, a sociologist, a renowned investigative journalist, and even several johns. An in-depth, disturbing look at the underside of this industry, Le commerce du sexe re-examines an activity that’s often trivialized or even glorified.
Le commerce du sexe had a successful theatrical run in both Montreal and Quebec City in May.
• Le commerce du sexe, Ève Lamont (76 min)
Co-produced by Nicole Hubert and Sylvie Van Brabant (Les Productions du Rapide-Blanc) and Nathalie Cloutier (NFB). Executive producer: Colette Loumède (NFB).
• Screenings listed by region and city
Lanaudière
Terrebonne, Monday, September 14
Charlevoix
La Malbaie, Friday, September 18
Baie-Saint-Paul, Wednesday, September 23
Abitibi-Témiscamingue
Ville-Marie, Saturday, October 3
Rouyn-Noranda, Monday, October 5
Val-d’Or, Tuesday, October 6
Montreal
Wednesday, September 16
Thursday, October 15
Eastern Townships
Cowansville, Thursday, October 22
Granby, Wednesday, November 18
Sherbrooke, Thursday, December 3
Mauricie
Trois-Rivières, Thursday, November 5
Eastern Quebec
Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, Wednesday, November 11
Rimouski, Thursday, November 12
Ottawa-Gatineau
Gatineau, Wednesday, November 25
Ottawa, Thursday, November 26
Centre-du-Québec
Odanak, date to be confirmed
More cities will be added to this list.
For full details on screening times and venues:
Le Commerce du Sexe Facebook/Projections
• About the filmmaker
An experienced director and camerawoman, Ève Lamont is a free spirit who explores social realities that are often overlooked. Since her first feature documentary, Méchante job (2001), she has consistently made socially engaged films (The Fight for True Farming in 2005, L’imposture in 2010) that give a voice to people living on the fringes of consumer society. In 2003, her film Squat! won the Best Direction – Canadian Feature Documentary award at Hot Docs in Toronto. Her latest work, Le commerce du sexe, is a behind-the-scenes foray into the sex industry, a clandestine world fraught with serious social repercussions.
–30–
Pat Dillon
Publicist, NFB
Tel.: 514-283-9411
Cell: 514-206-1750
Twitter: @PatDoftheNFB
E-mail: p.dillon@nfb.ca
Lily Robert
Director, Communications, Marketing and Public Affairs
Tel.: 514-283-3838
Cell: 514-296-8261
E-mail: l.robert@nfb.ca
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.
