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Strong lineup of eight NFB productions screening at RVQC 2025. Two world premieres: Jenny Cartwright’s Les perdants, opening the fest, and Dominique Leclerc’s Posthumains.

PRESS RELEASE
03/02/2025

February 3, 2025 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) will be represented in the 2025 Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma (RVQC) program with eight productions, including two feature-length films making their world premieres: Jenny Cartwright’s Les perdants (A Losing Game), selected as the festival’s opening film, which probes our electoral system and the ways in which it is dysfunctional; and Dominique Leclerc’s Posthumains (Posthumans), a look at the ethical challenges of technologies designed to outsmart disease, aging and death.

The lineup of NFB titles at the RVQC also includes the Quebec premiere of Trécarré, by Acadian filmmaker Natalie Robichaud, as well as documentaries and animated films that have won acclaim at major national and international festivals. The 43rd Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma runs from February 19 to 27, 2025, in Montreal.

Quote

“It’s an honour to be opening the 43rd RVQC with Jenny Cartwright’s Les perdants and to see the festival shining such a strong spotlight on French-language documentary, with five NFB productions selected. The works being presented reflect what’s most important to us here at the NFB: they highlight the essential role of filmmakers, who create spaces for dialogue and reflection on the issues at stake in our society and its future.” – Nathalie Cloutier, Executive Producer, French Documentary Unit and Eastern Documentary Unit

The NFB at RVQC 2025

Les perdants (A Losing Game) by Jenny Cartwright (documentary, 98 min) – WORLD PREMIERE
RVQC opening film: Wednesday, February 19, 7 p.m., Sir George Williams Alumni Auditorium, Concordia University

  • Les perdants follows three people who ran for office in the 2022 Quebec provincial election, casting a critical eye on our electoral system—and the many ways in which it is dysfunctional. The film opens in theatres in Quebec on February 28.

Posthumains (Posthumans) by Dominique Leclerc (documentary, 88 min) – WORLD PREMIERE
Screening: Sunday, February 23, 5 p.m., Cinéma du Musée

  • Through conversations with cyborgs and transhumanists, Posthumains explores the ethical and political issues raised by new technologies that seek to enhance human abilities. The film will be launched online soon on nfb.ca, and the play Une vie intelligente by Dominique Leclerc will be presented at the Duceppe Theatre in Montreal starting February 26.

Trécarré: à la source du son de la Baie Sainte-Marie (Trécarré: Exploring the Saint Mary’s Bay Sound) by Natalie Robichaud (documentary, 30 min) – QUEBEC PREMIERE
Screening: Friday, February 21, 7 p.m., Hydro Québec Theatre, Cinémathèque québécoise

  • Brimming with energy and lively tunes, Trécarré takes us into the heart of an Acadian community where music has been a way of life for generations. It was named Best Acadian Short Film at the 2024 Festival international du cinéma francophone en Acadie.

Le tableau (The Painting) by Michèle Lemieux (animation, 11 min 56 s)
Screening: Sunday, February 23, 6:15 p.m., Fernand Seguin Theatre, Cinémathèque québécoise (“Maître dans l’art” program)

  • Animated on the pinscreen, this troubling yet tender film revisits the tragic fate of Queen Mariana of Austria and her 1652 portrait by painter Velázquez.

LOCA by Véronique Paquette (animation, 5 min 19 s)
Screening: Sunday, February 23, 6:15 p.m., Fernand Seguin Theatre, Cinémathèque québécoise (“Maître dans l’art” program)

  • With a mastery of both dance and animation, the filmmaker combines mixed techniques to channel the essence of tango through evocative imagery of bodies that are equally furtive and powerful. Following its world premiere at the 2024 Sommets du cinéma d’animation in Montreal, LOCA went on to be selected by close to 20 festivals.

Ninan Auassat: Nous, les enfants (Ninan Auassat: We, the Children) by Kim O’Bomsawin (documentary, 93 min)
Screening: Tuesday, February 25, 7:45 p.m., Theatre 12, Cinema Cineplex Odeon Quartier Latin

  • This documentary from Abenaki filmmaker Kim O’Bomsawin celebrates the power and vitality of Indigenous youth, speaking for themselves. The film won awards at the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) and the Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM) in 2024.

Cohabiter (Living Together) by Halima Elkhatabi (documentary, 75 min)
Screening: Wednesday, February 26, 5:30 p.m., Fernand Seguin Theatre, Cinémathèque québécoise

  • Against the backdrop of the housing crisis, young people looking for the ideal roommate open up about themselves in this engaging portrait of a generation accustomed to playing all their identity cards. The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

En surface (In the Shallows) by Arash Akhgari (animation, 4 min)
Screening: Wednesday, February 26, 9:30 p.m., Hydro Québec Theatre, Cinémathèque québécoise (“Qui bouge, perd” program)

  • En surface is a deep dive into the shallow and fragmented world of news, entertainment and ads. The film won the DGC Award for Best Canadian Animation at the Ottawa International Animation Festival.

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French version here | Version française ici.

Media Relations

  • About the NFB

    Founded in 1939, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is a one-of-a-kind producer, co-producer and distributor of distinctive, engaging, relevant and innovative documentary and animated films. As a talent incubator, it is one of the world’s leading creative centres. The NFB has enabled Canadians to tell and hear each other’s stories for over eight decades, and its films are a reliable and accessible educational resource. The NFB is also recognized around the world for its expertise in preservation and conservation, and for its rich and vibrant collection of works, which form a pillar of Canada’s cultural heritage. To date, the NFB has produced more than 14,000 works, 6,500 of which can be streamed free of charge at nfb.ca. The NFB and its productions and co-productions have earned over 7,000 awards, including 11 Oscars and an Honorary Academy Award for overall excellence in cinema.