July 21, 2020 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
The result of 10 years of research, the long-awaited Babel Films/NFB feature documentary Les Rose (The Rose Family), directed by Félix Rose, arrives in theatres on Friday, August 21, at the Cinéma du Musée in Montreal and the Cinéma Cartier in Quebec City. The film will also be showing in theatres elsewhere in Montreal and throughout Quebec, with dates to be announced soon. The theatrical release will follow the doc’s world premiere on August 14 as the featured opening night film for the Festival Les Percéides – Festival international de cinéma et d’art de Percé, at the Ciné-Parc Paradiso in Petit-Pabos, Quebec, in the Regional County Municipality of Rocher-Percé. The director will be in attendance at the premiere. The film’s official trailer is also being released today.
In October 1970, members of the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ), including Paul Rose and his brother Jacques, kidnapped labour minister Pierre Laporte, sparking an unprecedented crisis in the province. Fifty years later, filmmaker Félix Rose, son of Paul and nephew of Jacques, draws on rare archival material and previously unseen interviews to situate the October Crisis in its social context, as seen through the history of the Rose family and Quebec’s rampant inequality prior to the Quiet Revolution. The result is a unique film—a highly personal journey that contextualizes pivotal events that marked the history of modern Quebec. The filmmaker draws on the talents of a number of acclaimed Quebec artists, including director of photography Eric Piccoli and editor Michel Giroux (The Memory of Angels and The Devil’s Share), as well as musicians Philippe Brach and La Controverse.
Quote
“It’s hard for a child to understand that his father and uncle were involved in the death of a man. My whole life, I’ve wanted to understand the chain of events and motives that led to the October Crisis. Les Rose is the culmination of a personal journey. By telling the story of my working-class family, I hope to shed new light on this tumultuous period of Quebec’s history.” – Félix Rose, Director
Quick facts
- Theatrical screenings starting Friday, August 21
- o In Montreal, at the Cinéma du Musée
- o In Quebec City, at the Cinéma Cartier
- The director will be present at some screenings.
Other theatres in Montreal and other regions of Quebec to be announced in the next few weeks.
- World premiere, opening the Festival Les Percéides
Friday, August 14 at the Ciné-Parc Paradiso in Petit-Pabos, Quebec, in the Regional County Municipality of Rocher-Percé, with the filmmaker in attendance. Festival Les Percéides – Festival international de cinéma et d’art de Percé will be held August 14 to 21, 2020.
Visit the film’s Facebook page to learn more about other screening dates and venues: https://www.facebook.com/LesRoseLeFilm / (in French).
About the film
Les Rose (The Rose Family) by Félix Rose (127 min 58 s)
Produced by Babel Films (Philippe-A. Allard, Marco Frascarelli, Eric Piccoli and Félix Rose) and the NFB (Colette Loumède and Nathalie Cloutier)
In October 1970, members of the Front de libération du Québec kidnapped government minister Pierre Laporte, sparking an unprecedented crisis in the province. Fifty years later, Félix Rose sets out to understand what could have led his father and uncle to commit the acts that ultimately ended in the tragic death of their hostage.
About the filmmaker
Félix Rose developed his political and social consciousness at a young age, and he is passionate about history. While still in his teens, he discovered direct cinema and the work of Pierre Perrault. After studying film and television, he joined Babel Films, where he started as an editor and screenwriter for the web series Temps mort (2010–2012). He then turned to directing, making the documentary Avec la gauche (2014), which follows a candidate for the Québec Solidaire party on the campaign trail. In 2017, with co-director Eric Piccoli, he made Yes, a film about a Quebec artist who travels to meet the people of Scotland on the eve of their independence referendum. Les Rose is his most recent film.
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Related Products
Electronic Press Kit | Images, trailer, synopses: The Rose Family
Associated Links
Babel Films
Cinéma du Musée
Cinéma Cartier
Percéides – Festival international de cinéma et d’art de Percé
French version here | Version française ici.