November 16, 2016 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

Steve Patry’s new feature-length documentary Waseskun, produced by Nathalie Cloutier and Denis McCready at the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), will screen at the Cinéma Paraloeil in Rimouski on Tuesday, November 29, at 7:30 p.m., with the director in attendance. The film will be shown in its original version, with French and English dialogue and French subtitles.This event marks the launch of a series of planned screenings in various regions of Quebec, following the film’s world premiere at the Festival de cinéma de la ville de Québec and its theatrical release and added screenings in Montreal.

About the film

While shooting his previous film, De prisons en prisons (nominated for a Jutra award for best feature documentary in 2015), Steve Patry discovered the Waseskun* Healing Center, an alternative detention centre run by Indigenous people for members of Indigenous communities.

In keeping with his filmmaking philosophy, Patry settled in at the centre for an extended period of time. Over the course of a year, he filmed three days a month on location, sharing the rhythms and regulations of daily life—for those incarcerated and determined to overcome their challenges as well as for the attentive staff. This approach allowed Patry to earn the confidence of the men, who freely and directly shared their thoughts with him.

This closeness to his subjects has resulted in a remarkable film, made in the true tradition of cinéma vérité. Each scene draws us into the unvarnished daily realities of life for these men, as they struggle—sometimes with themselves—to overcome their own suffering and history and find balance in their lives.

*Waseskun is a Cree word that can be translated as “just after a storm, when the dark clouds begin to part, the blue sky appears, and the first rays of sunlight shine through.”

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Associated Links

Cinémathèque québécoise
Waseskun