October 10, 2018 – Moncton – National Film Board of Canada
Acadian filmmaker Daniel Léger’s latest film, The Artisans, produced by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), is having its world premiere as the opening film of the 32nd Festival international du cinéma francophone en Acadie (FICFA) on Thursday, November 15, at 8 p.m. The screening is taking place at Moncton’s Théâtre Capitol and will be attended by protagonists from the film, along with the director and Christine Aubé, a producer at the NFB’s Canadian Franophonie Studio – Acadie. Visit www.ficfa.com for more information. The festival takes place November 15 to 23, 2018.
The Artisans chronicles the daily lives of a colourful and courageous group of individuals who work in the small New Brunswick community of Memramcook. Produced at the NFB by Jac Gautreau and Dominic Desjardins, the most recent film by Daniel Léger (A Sunday at 105, Inseparable) turns a compassionate lens onto a little-known humanist gem of a place.
Coming soon to a screen near you!
The Artisans will tour the Atlantic provinces following its world premiere in Moncton. Screenings with the director in attendance are scheduled for a number of communities (dates and venues to be announced in fall 2018). The one-year tour will end in Memramcook—the place where it all began!—with a screening at Monument Lefebvre in September 2019.
About The Artisans
For more than 35 years, The Artisan Workshop in Memramcook has provided employment for people with intellectual disabilities. Staff are hired on a full-time basis to perform a range of tasks, including creating decorative objects, woodworking, preparing light meals, shredding paper, and sorting bottles, cans and other materials for recycling. More importantly, the centre serves a vital function, providing these adults with a valuable social setting where they can thrive and find personal fulfillment. “We’re beautiful, the whole gang,” says Jean, the self-described “handyman and best-looking” member of the group, who also narrates the film. “We are special.”
About the filmmaker
Daniel Léger describes himself as “a poet of the everyday.” This multidisciplinary artist has been making a living doing what he loves (making music, writing or filmmaking) since 2002. His first NFB film, A Sunday at 105 (2007), received more than a million views on the institution’s website and won awards on the festival circuit, including Best Canadian Short at the 2007 Festival international du cinéma francophone en Acadie (FICFA). Inseparable (2011) also screened to wide acclaim, including at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. In 2014, Léger received the “media artist of the year” award at the Prix Éloizes and was a Gémeaux finalist in the Social Documentary category. The Artisans (2018) is his third NFB film.
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Related Products
Electronic Press Kit | Images, trailers, synopsis: The Artisans | Trailer available in French here.
Associated Links
Festival international du cinéma francophone en Acadie
Théâtre Capitol