October 11, 2017 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
24 Davids by Céline Baril, produced at the National Film Board of Canada by Colette Loumède, will have its world premiere as the opening film of the Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM), taking place November 9 to 19, 2017. Written and directed as part of the NFB French Program’s filmmaker-in-residence initiative, the feature documentary takes us across three continents on a quest driven by a simple yet original idea: to shine a spotlight on the inimitable Davids of this world. The 24 Davids in the film are of varying ages and professions, ranging from cosmologist to recycler; together, they construct a playful “ecosystem” of ideas that touches on every sphere of knowledge, in a refreshingly freewheeling cinematic format. The documentary will start its theatrical run at the Cinémathèque québécoise on February 2, 2018.
About 24 Davids
Produced at the NFB by Colette Loumède
David, Davide, Dawud, Daouda: this name—shared by so many different cultures—becomes here the shifting embodiment of the most thoughtful and dynamic aspects of humanity, individuals who are taking part in a vital “re-enchantment” of the world. For the filmmaker, the current century belongs to philosophy and the sciences. In her deeply humanist film, a sprawling, poetic and political work, the mysteries of the universe brush up against the many challenges of living together. This extraordinary adventure takes us from North America (Canada, the United States) to Latin America (Mexico, Colombia), Europe (England, France) and Africa (Ghana, Togo). We meet a DJ/David who makes the b-boys spin in the streets of Bogotá; a Fab Lab trainer/David who views Africa as fertile ground for innovation; a recycler/David who sees garbage as mankind’s salvation; a migrant/David in the jungle, hoping to get to paradise; and a romantic/David living on a houseboat in overpriced London. From these diverse, inspiring encounters emerges a community of ideas focused on sharing. A generous, profoundly joyous work that invites the viewer to join a global conversation.
About Céline Baril
Versatile artist Céline Baril holds a fine arts degree from UQAM and worked in sculpture, photography and video before turning to cinema. In 1989, she made her first film, Barcelone (Super-8 blown up to 16mm), followed by La fourmi et le volcan (The Ant and the Volcano), winner of the Quebec-Alberta Award, and L’absent (The Absent One). In 2001, she made her first fiction feature, Du pic au cœur (Games of the Heart), which garnered her a Jutra nomination for best cinematography as well as the Best Foreign Film Award at the Rhode Island International Film Festival. In 2005, at the invitation of the NFB, she made 538 fois la vie (Life Times 538), spending a full year chronicling the dreams of high school students in a disadvantaged Montreal neighbourhood. In 2009, she made La théorie du tout (The Theory of Everything), a portrait of the Québécois identity in a changing world. The film was nominated for the Prix Caméra-stylo and the award for best Quebec or Canadian film at RIDM. She then travelled to the United States to make Room Tone (2014), a documentary essay on the death of the American dream. Her most recent work, the feature-length documentary 24 Davids, was made as part of a two-year residency at the National Film Board of Canada.
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RIDM press screening of 24 Davids
Monday, October 30, at 10 a.m.
Cinéma du Parc
3575 avenue du Parc, Montreal
Related Products
Electronic Press Kit | Images, trailers, synopsis: 24 Davids
Associated Links
Montreal International Documentary Festival