Jo-Ann, a 57-year-old bartender, dreams of becoming a singer and actress. Oscillating between spectacular and intimate, between extra and ordinary, Jo-Ann infuses her daily life (and the film) with true main-character energy. At the crossroads of genres, Fire-Jo Ball paints the portrait of a woman who loves all things rosy even, if her life isn’t always so.
Walking the line between fact and fiction, Fire-Jo-Ball shines a light on Jo-Ann, a 57-year-old barmaid who dreams of being a singer and actress.
Jo-Ann, a 57-year-old barmaid, dreams of becoming a singer and actress. Oscillating between the spectacular and the intimate, the extra and the ordinary, she uses her daily life (and the film) to act out her starring role. Blurring the line beween genres, Fire-Jo-Ball immerses the audience in Jo-Ann’s world as she maintains a light-heartedness despite her scars, barely conveyed but deeply felt. The creative collaboration between the filmmaker and her protagonist allows the latter to become the main character of their movie, and to reach, for one song, her crowning glory. Intimate without being voyeuristic, this balanced short film draws the portrait of a woman who loves all things rosy, even if her life isn’t always so.
Fire-Jo-Ball is the result of several years of work and research. I first ventured into more than fifty neighbourhood bars, dark even in the daytime, to find the right bar, the right clientele and the right barmaid for my project. At that time, the working title was Alone Together, because it was primarily the customers who intrigued me and gave me the desire to delve into this universe, which was so far removed from the ones I know. Then, one evening, I met Jo-Ann in a West Island tavern. She was on the customer side, and I remember saying to one of my collaborators, “I wish she was a bartender… I want her.” And Jo-Ann turned around and explained that she was usually a bartender there; she would soon be back from professional exhaustion leave.
I continued to visit a few bars to confirm my choice, but Jo-Ann won my heart right away. I’ve met plenty of interesting people in these places, but at some point it’s all about the feeling. And Jo-Ann was tearing my heart out, positively.
I became very close to her afterwards, and a relationship of trust, even collaboration, developed between us.
I would thus say that I have a special and privileged relationship with my protagonist, as well as with the universe around which she gravitates.
Long live Marjo and Labatt 50!
Researched, Written and Directed by
Audrey Nantel-Gagnon
Starring
Jo-Ann Thibault
Producer
Nathalie Cloutier
Editor
Rébécca Gagnon-Paolitto
Director of Photography
Cloé Lafortune
Location Sound
Jacob Marcoux
Jordan Choinière
Sound Design
Marie-Pierre Grenier
Line Producer
Mélanie Lasnier
Production Manager
Laurie Pominville
With the participation of
Louka Wesley
Mélanie Caron
Daniel Leduc
Jean-Pierre Bouffard
Eliza Tremblay
Additional Images
Étienne Dagenais
Additional Production Manager
Fiona Cully
Camera Assistant
Myriam Payette-Bourdages
Star film shoot
Assistant Director
Carlos Cortes
Camera Assistant
Laura Torres
Assistant Art Director
Samuel Graveline
Key Grip
Clémentine Martin
Key Gaffer
Mirko Lafrenière
Best Boy Gaffer
Simon Di Genova
Motion Consultant
Alice Blanchet-Gavouyère
Stylist
Audrey Nantel-Gagnon
Dresser
Judith Chartier
Makeup Artist and Hairdresser
Lydia Depeault
Photographer
Didier Pigeon-Perreault
Location Sound
Jérémie Mazan
Participants
Myriam Bernet
Jean-Pierre Bouffard
Adrian Giraud
Miguel Lambert
Daniel Leduc
Frédérique Lespérance
Olivier Maltais
Annie Martineau
Léa-Marie Paiement
Anastasia Popov
Philippe Sasseville
Marleen Smith
Technical Support – Editing
Pierre Dupont
Marie-Josée Gourde
Patrick Trahan
Translation and Subtitling
difuze
Graphic Design
Mélanie Bouchard
Valérie Gaudreault-Guilbert
Online Editing and Colourization
Yannick Carrier
Foley
Stéphane Cadotte
Foley Recording
Geoffrey Mitchell
Re-recording
Isabelle Lussier
The director thanks
Sarah Salem, Colette Loumède, Loïc Darses, Sabrina Cochrane, Martin Mact, Linda Fournier, Maurice Martin, Marie-Chloé Racine, Elina Klod, Adèle Foglia, Dominic Remiro, Charles Gaudreau-Lerhe, my parents, Line Daoust, Taverne La Chic Régal, Brasserie Côte-Saint-Paul, Guy Lefebvre (Ɨ), Norma Soccorso and everyone who sat in a dark pub and confided in me
Music
Amoureuse
Marjolaine Morin and Jean Millaire
Published by David Murphy et Cie
Performed by Marjo
Licensed by David Murphy et Cie
Provocante
Marjolaine Morin and Jean Millaire
Published by David Murphy et Cie
Performed by Marjo
Licensed by David Murphy et Cie
Vivre ou passer son tour
Marie-Carmen Aubut, Jean-Pierre Isaac, Marc Oswald Bilodeau
Published by Éditions Numuz and Unidisc
Performed by Marie-Carmen
Licensed by Unidisc
Additional Music
American Bar, MuzaProduction – Pond5
Bar Fight, FlashFluharty – Pond5
Bar Room Brawl Rock, PurpleBeeMusic – Pond5
Sitting On A Old Bar Stool – P5, RadioDirect – Pond5
Strip Bar, Maori_Music – Pond5
Legal Advisor
Julie Patry
Media Relations
Sophie St-Pierre
Marketing Manager
Karine Sévigny
Marketing Coordinator
Jolène Lessard
Administrator
Sia Koukoulas
Senior Production Coordinator – Administration
Brenda Nixon
Studio Coordinators
Stéphanie Lazure
Gabrielle Dupont
Senior Production Coordinators
Joëlle Lapointe
Chinda Phommarinh
Production Coordinators
Alexandra Bourque
Lucia Corak
Alexandra Levert
Technical Coordinators
Esther Viragh
Luc Binette
Daniel Claveau
Executive Producer
Nathalie Cloutier
This film was produced as part of
the REPÊCHAGE initiative
with the kind collaboration of the Film Program at
ÉCOLE DES MÉDIAS DE L’UQÀM
Quebec, Canadian Francophonie & Acadian Documentary Studio
© 2023, NATIONAL FILM BOARD OF CANADA