May 7, 2018 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) returns to the La Rochelle International Film Festival this year with a strong lineup of films by renowned filmmakers. Two feature documentaries will be included: Labrecque, une caméra pour la mémoire/Labrecque From Film to Memory (ACPAV/NFB), by Michel La Veaux, which will be making its European premiere at the festival; and Premières armes/First Stripes (NFB), by Jean-François Caissy, back in Europe after its world premiere in Berlin and its selection for the Hot Docs Festival in Toronto. There will also be a tribute to animator Theodore Ushev, with screenings of eight of his short films. All three directors will attend the festival, which runs from June 29 to July 8, 2018.
Labrecque, une caméra pour la mémoire by Michel La Veaux (90 min) – European Premiere
- Filmmaker and cinematographer Michel La Veaux shares his love of moviemaking with one of the pioneers of Quebec cinema: Jean-Claude Labrecque. At once a respectful tribute and a touching portrait, the documentary plays out like a conversation between two friends.
- This is the filmmaker’s third visit to the festival. He came here in 2016 with his first documentary feature, Hôtel La Louisiane (Les Films Outsiders), and also in 1980, a year in which Quebec was honoured in La Rochelle.
- Labrecque, une caméra pour la mémoire was produced by Nicole Hubert with executive producer Bernadette Payeur for the Association coopérative de productions audiovisuelles (ACPAV) in co-production with the NFB, with Nathalie Cloutier as producer and Colette Loumède as executive producer.
- The film will also be presented at two other festivals in France in fall 2018: the Festival de cinéma québécois des grands lacs, in Biscarrosse, from October 17–22; and the Festival international du film d’histoire de Pessac, from November 19–26.
Premières armes by Jean-François Caissy (106 min)
- As they undergo 12 weeks of intensive training, young civilians are gradually moulded into Canadian Armed Forces soldiers. With little experience in the ways of military life, they quickly learn that, from now on, the group takes precedence over the individual, and country comes before self.
- Jean-François Caissy returns this year to La Rochelle, where he previously screened his documentary feature La marche à suivre/Guidelines (NFB, 2014), the second in his series of films exploring the stages of life.
- Premières armes was produced at the NFB by Johanne Bergeron, with executive producer Colette Loumède.
Tribute to Theodore Ushev
Selected short films by this gifted, prolific animator:
Tzaritza (NFB, 2006, 7 min)
Drux Flux (NFB, 2008, 4 min)
Lipsett Diaries (NFB, 2010, 14 min)
Nightingales in December (FNC, 2011, 3 min)
Gloria Victoria (NFB, 2012, 7 min)
Blood Manifesto (NFB, 2015, 2 min)
The Sleepwalker (Unité centrale, 2015, 4 min)
Blind Vaysha (NFB, 2016, 8 min, Oscar-nominated), both presented onscreen and in VR
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Related Products
Electronic Press Kit | Images, trailers, synopsis: First Stripes
Associated Links
La Rochelle International Film Festival
ACPAV