Québec is showcased at Venice like never before at various events related to the 80th Venice International Film Festival with an incredible selection of no fewer than 14 projects (film and immersive) and three publishers.
This year, for the very first time, Québec is being honored at the Venice Production Bridge (VPB) as part of this festival. In addition to Québec, the VPB also features a focus on Germany.
The Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC) will be present under the Québec Créatif umbrella, and will also have a booth on the Venice Immersive Island. SODEC is working in collaboration with the Québec Government Office in Rome and Xn Québec.
Download the Focus Québec brochure.
Official Competition
Direction: Bertrand Bonello
Screenplay: Bertrand Bonello, Guillaume Breaud
Co-production (France-Québec): Sons of Manual (Québec), Les Films du Bélier (France), My New Picture (France)
September 3 | 4:30 p.m. | Sala Grande
In a near-future where artificial intelligence reigns supreme, human emotions have become a threat. To get rid of them, Gabrielle must purify her DNA by going back into her past lives. There, she reunites with Louis, her great love. But she’s overcome by fear, a premonition that catastrophe is on the way.
Venice Immersive – Competition
Direction, screenplay: Félix Lajeunesse, Paul Raphaël
Production (Québec): Felix & Paul Studios
Enter a realm of enchantment with Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: The Seven Ravens, an augmented reality pop-up book that draws from advancements in AR to transport you to the heart of a timeless tale narrated by award-winning author Neil Gaiman. The magic of the fairy tale classic is reimagined through cutting-edge technology, creating a spellbinding experience that transcends traditional storytelling. Captivating visuals and interactive elements merge to bring the story to life.
Details | Trailer (coming soon)
Best of Immersive – Out of Competition
Direction, screenplay: Félix Lajeunesse, Paul Raphaël
Production (Québec): Felix & Paul Studios
Filmed outside the International Space Station, this cinematic VR feature offers a full 360° open perspective of our planet that will leave you breathless. Fly over the Earth and witness the Overview Effect – the realization astronauts experience when they see our world from low orbit. Gain a deeper understanding of our planet’s place in the universe and the importance of protecting it for future generations. Part of the EMMY award-winning Space Explorers series.
Note the participation of Quebec conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin in the film Maestro (United States), selected in competition in the Classical category. Yannick Nézet-Séguin contributed as a consultant to the orchestral direction and as conductor for the entire musical score of this biographical film on the great conductor Leonard Bernstein, directed and performed by Bradley Cooper.
Giornate degli Autori
Direction, screenplay: Delphine Girard
Co-production (Québec-Belgium-France): Colonelle Films (Québec), Versus Production (Belgium), The Reunion (Belgium), Haut et Court (France)
September 5 | 4:45 p.m. | Sala Perla
Dary assaults Aly, Aly calls the police, Anna takes the call. In the aftermath of that night, they must face the echoes of the violence that changed all three of them.
Direction: Ariane Louis-Seize
Screenplay: Ariane Louis-Seize, Christine Doyon
Production (Québec): Art et essai
September 3 | 5 p.m. | Sala Perla
Sasha is a young vampire with a serious problem: she’s too humanistic to bite! When her exasperated parents decide to cut her off, her survival is threatened. Luckily for her, Sasha meets Paul, a lonely teenager with suicidal tendencies, who agrees to offer her his life. What was supposed to be an exchange of courtesies turns into a nocturnal epic in which the two new friends seek to fulfill Paul’s last wishes before sunrise.
August 31 | 7:45 p.m. to 10 p.m. | Sala Laguna
C.R.A.Z.Y., which was released in 2005, stars Michel Côté, Marc-André Grondin and Danielle Proulx and tells the story of a young man born in 1960 who denies his homosexual urges while seeking his father’s approval. As one of the most successful Québec films of the first decade of the new millenium, C.R.A.Z.Y. has enjoyed rarely equalled critical and commercial success.
This event is led by SODEC, in collaboration with the Québec government office in Rome, with support from MELS, and presented by Québec producers Pierre Even from Item 7 and Richard Speer from Attraction, in the presence of the sons of Jean- Marc Vallée.
August 31 | 10:30 p.m. | La Villa
Along with French-language successes C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005) and Café de Flore (2011), such films as Dallas Buyers Club (2013), Wild (2014) and Demolition (2015) made Jean-Marc Vallée one of the most sought-after directors in North American auteur cinema. His series Sharp Objects (2018) and Big Little Lies (2017-2019) were also met with great popular success.
This event is organized by SODEC, in collaboration with the Québec government office in Rome and Giornate degli Autori.
August 31 | 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. | Sala Laguna
Monia Chokri won acclaim for her roles in films such as Xavier Dolan’s Les Amours imaginaires and Laurence Anyways. She went on to direct feature films such as La femme de mon frère, Simple comme Sylvain, and Babysitter, with the latter winning awards at the Monte Carlo Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival.
This masterclass will be moderated by Ilaria Ravarino, Editor in Chief, The Hollywood Reporter, Rome.
Venice Production Bridge (VPB)August 31 to September 5 | 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. | Venice Immersive Market | Immersive Island
Looking for somewhere cool and calm?
Meet at the Québec créatif kiosk operated by Xn Québec!
Take advantage of this opportunity to meet with Québec creators and set up business meetings, while discovering our Québec XR works.
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Direction: Ãnanda Safoà
Interactive Screenwriting: Nikolaus Roche-Kresse, Ãnanda Safoà
Production: Art et essai
(Extract)
Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: The Seven Ravens
Direction, screenplay: Félix Lajeunesse, Paul Raphaël
Production: Felix & Paul Studios
(Trailer)
Space Explorer: Blue Marble – ORBIT 1
Direction, screenplay: Félix Lajeunesse, Paul Raphaël
Production: Felix & Paul Studios
(Complete work)
Tartupaluk
Direction, screenplay: Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory
Production: Scintilla
(Demo)
Under Water
Direction: Chélanie Beaudin-Quintin Bathory
Screenplay: Oriane Morriet
Production: Art et essai
(Prototype)
FICTION FEATURE FILMS
FEATURE-LENGTH DOCUMENTARIES
IMMERSIVE PROJECTS
⇒ Learn more about the Book Adaptation Rights Market.
⇒ Learn more about the Final Cut in Venice.
September 2 | 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. | Meet the Creators Area | Immersive Island
Emmy Award-winning and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Paul Raphaël is Chief Innovation Officer and Co-founder of Felix & Paul Studios with Félix Lajeunesse and Stéphane Rituit.
Felix & Paul Studios is a pioneer in immersive entertainment and has made its mark by creating and producing immersive virtual, augmented, and mixed reality experiences that have dazzled audiences around the world.
This meeting will be moderated by Michel Reilhac and Liz Rosenthal.
September 3 | 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Spazio Incontri Immersivo | Immersive Island
Exploring the evolution of digital culture as a harmonious counterpoint to collective contemporary art experencies.
Panel discussion suggested by Phoebe Greenberg (Founder & Chief Creative Officer, PHI) and Myriam Achard (Chief New Media Partnerships & PR Officer, PHI).
This panel discussion will be moderated by Michel Reilhac.
September 3 | 3:30 p.m to 5 p.m. | Palazzo del Casinò | Press Conference Room
Philippe Falardeau is a Québec filmmaker know for such award-winning films as Congorama, My Salinger Year, and The Good Lie. His work has been recognized and acclaimed internationally, and Monsieur Lazhar was nominated for an Oscar.
Internationally acclaimed German filmmaker Edward Berger has directed such remarkable series as The Terror, Patrick Melrose and Your Honor, which have won Emmy, Golden Globe and BAFTA awards. He also garnered no fewer than four Oscars out of a total of nine nominations in 2023 for All Quiet on the Western Front.
The conversation will be moderated by Guy Lodge, film columnist at The Observer and U.K. film critic for Variety.
