March 27, 2017 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
Five short films—Stone Makers by Jean-Marc E. Roy, Dialogue(s) by Philippe David Gagné, Help! by Noémie Payant-Hébert, A Good Harvest by Bogdan Stefan, and One Night by Serge Bordeleau—can now be viewed free of charge on NFB.ca, along with exclusive interviews with the filmmakers. The works are from the 5 Shorts Project, an NFB initiative that explores the short documentary genre by working with artist-run centres or production centres in different regions of Quebec. This second edition was created in partnership with La bande Sonimage, a Saguenay-based organization that supports cinema and video production in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region. The films were produced by Denis McCready and Colette Loumède (NFB) and Claudia Chabot (La bande Sonimage).
About the films
- Stone Makers by Jean-Marc E. Roy (6 min) – a 2017 Canadian Screen Award nominee in the “Best Documentary Short” category
A routine workday in a granite quarry turns into a captivating industrial symphony. While men work in the background, various pieces of equipment and machines perform for the camera as if they were dancers in a contemporary ballet.
- Dialogue(s) by Philippe David Gagné (6 min)
Gagné has just received the CALQ Prize for Artist of the Year (Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region)
Air force pilots, a heavy metal band and two fans of modified cars are the unlikely focus of a deadpan film-essay on language. Through clever, unpredictable editing, Philippe David Gagné takes great delight in revealing the strange ways in which men communicate.
- Help! by Noémie Payant-Hébert (5 min 30 s)
Lifeguards run down the beach and dive into the ocean to save swimmers from drowning. These dramatic rescues are captured by a hyperactive, spinning camera that becomes one with the elements and challenges how subjective a documentary may be.
- A Good Harvest Bogdan Stefan (6 min 15 s)
In a rural setting, the bleeding of a pig is depicted plainly, as an autumn ritual. A just and moving tribute to the handing down of traditions that, shared across families and generations, perpetuate true social solidarity.
- One Night by Serge Bordeleau (6 min)
A night in a bar like any other… Deftly capturing furtive glances, moments of euphoria and awkward situations, Serge Bordeleau blends tools borrowed from fiction filmmaking with documentary observation to construct a gallery of characters who provide undeniable proof that every night holds a myriad of potential stories.
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Associated Links
La bande Sonimage