On Tuesday, November 28, at onf.ca/tremplin, the National Film Board of Canada,
in collaboration with Radio-Canada, is launching the 10th edition of Tremplin, a national competition aimed at filmmakers from Canadian francophone-minority communities outside of Quebec. Winners get a chance to make their first or second professional short documentary and, by the same token, they get to create a French-language work in their home region. Those selected to participate will benefit from professional guidance and have access to the NFB’s expertise at each stage of the process, from writing to directing and post-production. The winning works will be broadcast on ICI RADIO-CANADA TÉLÉ. Since Tremplin was first created in 2006, 323 projects have been submitted, 85 finalists have undergone training and 27 films have been made. Radio-Canada has partnered with the NFB for the Tremplin contest since 2007.
Coast-to-coast talent: below, some of the winners
West: Marie Ka (British Columbia), who directed Standing Tall,
has just started her own production company. Marie-France Guerrette (Alberta), who made Together in Harmony and My Father, the King, is a professional filmmaker who heads her own production company. Caroline Monnet (a Winnipeg resident when she participated in Tremplin), director of 360 Degrees, whose short film Mobilize
was produced by the NFB and selected to screen at Sundance, is currently at work on a fiction feature in Paris and also exhibits her installations in Canada and the U.S.
Central: Katia Café-Fébrissy (Ontario), who made Social Me, has just completed an indie film. Andréanne Germain, director of So, Where Do We Fit In?, continues to work as a filmmaker.
Acadie: Daniel Léger, director of A Sunday at 105, is currently working on his third NFB production, a feature-length film. André Roy, who made A Part of Me, recently completed a 360-degree short documentary with the NFB entitled The 3rd Wheel.
North: Sarah McNair-Landry (Nunavut), director of Never Lose Sight, continues to film and photograph her expeditions and was nominated for a National Geographic award.
Most Tremplin films can be viewed free of charge on NFB.ca in English, and a special Tremplin playlist is available in French on ONF.ca: https://www.onf.ca/selection/concours-tremplin-les-laureats/
A few details about the films made through Tremplin
- Over the years, short films by Tremplin competition winners have proved successful at festivals such as the Festival international du cinéma francophone en Acadie, winning a total of eight awards, including two for Daniel Léger’s A Sunday at 105 (Acadie), one of the NFB’s most popular films online, with close to half a million views. The other FICFA-award-winning works produced through Tremplin are The Trap
by Lina Verchery (Acadie), Alanna
by Julie Plourde (Yukon), Inhabiting Dance
by Julien Cadieux (Acadie), Like a Thief in the Night
by Marie-Thérèse François (Acadie), Family Business
by Justin Guitard (Acadie) and Cafeteria
by Francine Hébert (Acadie). The latter also won the Prix du public Radio-Canada at the 2016 Éloizes.
- Several films by Tremplin winners have also been shown at the Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM) and the Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois festivals; at the latter, Family Business by Justin Guitard and Emma Makes Movies
by Mélanie Léger won the award for Best Franco-Canadian Film in 2013 and 2014 respectively. Cafeteria by Francine Hébert won the award for best Franco-Canadian film there in 2016.
- Caroline Monnet’s 360 Degrees won the award for best short documentary at the Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival in 2008.
- A number of Tremplin films also screened at the Rendez-vous de la Francophonie, a major cross-Canada cultural event. For example, two shorts—Bittersweet Blues
by Stephanie David and The Last Key
by Julien Capraro—screened 75 times in 38 Canadian cities in March 2017.
Competition registration details
- The Tremplin contest is open to emerging French-speaking filmmakers residing outside Quebec who wish to make a first or second professional documentary of approximately 20 minutes in length.
- The registration period runs from November 28, 2017, to February 19, 2018. To view full details of the Tremplin competition and download the registration form, application kit and competition regulations, visit onf.ca/tremplin.
- Applications from Eastern Canada will be assessed by the Canadian Francophonie Studio – Acadie in Moncton, while those from Central and Western Canada will be assessed by the Canadian Francophonie Studio in Toronto.
Filmmakers and films, by region
British Columbia
- Marie Ka (Standing Tall)
- Julien Capraro (The Last Key)
Yukon
Nunavut
- Sarah McNair-Landry (Never Lose Sight)
Alberta
- Marie France Guerrette (Together in Harmony and My Father, the King)
Manitoba
Ontario
Acadie (New Brunswick and Nova Scotia)
- Mélanie Léger (A Strange Hat and Emma Makes Movies)
- Daniel Léger (A Sunday at 105)
- Mathieu D’Astous (Turning Tides) Lina Verchery (The Trap)
- Anika Lirette (They Had Thirteen Children…) Julien Cadieux (Inhabiting Dance)
- Marie-Thérèse François (Like a Thief in the Night)
- Amélie Gosselin (Infusion) Justin Guitard (Family Business)
- Karine Godin (My Radio) Francine Hébert (Cafeteria)
- Stephanie David (Bittersweet Blues)
- André Roy (A Part of Me)
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About the NFB
The NFB is Canada’s public producer of award-winning creative documentaries, auteur animation, interactive stories and participatory experiences. NFB producers are embedded in communities across the country, from St. John’s to Vancouver, working with talented creators on innovative and socially relevant projects. The NFB is a leader in gender equity in film and digital media production, and is working to strengthen Indigenous-led production, guided by the recommendations of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. NFB productions have won over 7,000 awards, including 18 Canadian Screen Awards, 17 Webbys, 12 Oscars and more than 100 Genies. To access NFB works, visit NFB.ca or download our apps for mobile devices.