Emmanuel Schwartz

Following the sudden death of his mother, a mild-mannered but anxiety-ridden man confronts his darkest fears as he embarks on an epic odyssey back home.

Montreal, Winter 2002. Stéphane, 19 years old, fan of Metal, student in graphic design, dreams of becoming an illustrator. But for months he has been caught in a threatening spiral: he is addicted to games. Indebted, without an apartment, avoiding his friends to whom he owes money, Stéphane takes a job as a dishwasher in a restaurant in a major Italian restaurant in Montreal in order to get by. There, he will meet Bébert, a cook who burns the candle at both ends, and Greg, a waiter with disreputable actions. Will Stéphane make it through this new job or will he fall into a downward spiral of bad choices?

When a rookie forest ranger flees into the Quebec wilderness to escape a brutal hazing ritual, he finds himself hunted not only by his peers, but by a towering creature of folklore stalking him through the woods.

Catherine is a teenager going through adolescence just as her parents are getting a divorce. Her social life is no better as bullies and boys add to the pressure of growing up in the chaotic '90s.

After a year of filming abroad, Manu, a once prominent actor, returns to his hometown. But getting back into the business isn't as easy as he thought. After several unsuccessful auditions, he's no longer sure of anything. Against all odds, he lands a job hosting a nighttime call-in radio show. His listeners are mainly newcomers, refugees and exiles with varied life experiences, working graveyard shifts. Manu gradually appropriates this space, this gathering of mixed voices, to launch philosophical questions into the night. His words are engaging. He becomes an anchor for many listeners. His life takes on new meaning.

Three years after a young girl’s disappearance during a trip to Norway, her passport resurfaces in Greenland. Without telling anyone, her 17-year-old sister embarks on a quest to solve the mystery of her disappearance. Torn between the hope of finding their first daughter and the fear of losing their second, her parents, though separated, set off together for Greenland.

On a cold winter's day in 1940, Jules and his family move to live with his uncle, mayor of a settler's village in northern Quebec. He is banned from school because of his rare skin disease. From that moment on, his greatest wish is to be cured. When his dog Spark runs away into the wild forest, Jules has no choice but to look for him. On his way, he meets Asha, a mysterious young indigenous girl. Together, they venture to the other side of the forest, where nature reveals itself full of life and secrets.

Éloi, whose father was killed in a hunting accident a year ago, is called to take part in a strange tribute ceremony in the country. There, immersed in a disturbing world of strange mystical codes, he learns that his father was tracking a huge buck with awe-inspiring antlers alongside the “Indian”. After several outstanding short films, Aurtenèche delivers a first feature that obliquely references the legend of Saint Hubert, who encountered the Almighty while hunting a stag. A cryptic thriller, hidden manuscripts, the quest for self-knowledge, psychotropic drugs: La Contemplation du mystère boldly shifts between moods and genres.

Lou is seventeen and thinks she has her life under control. On her prom night, she decides to run away from her father and her stable life. She seems to be keeping it together, until she comes head to head with a strange woman that has been stalking her through the halls of the school. Losing her composure, Lou spirals and starts to question everything.

Marco & Polo Go Round is a comedic love story with a very surreal twist. A couple confronts the difficulties in their relationship as gravity turns on its head and their world literally falls apart around them.

Simone single-handedly runs a seedy motel, day and night, day after day. She is raising money for her 17-year-old daughter’s education. But when a stranger checks in, everything changes. He doesn’t fit in: he is well-dressed, he has money, and he wants a room for several days. But worst of all, this strangely familiar man seems a bit too interested in Simone’s daughter…

The story of an impossible love between a woman named Fred and a transgender woman named Laurence who reveals her inner desire to become her true self.

Mohawk archaeologist Baptiste Asigny engages in a search for his ancestors following a tragic terrain slump in the Percival Molson Stadium.

A high-class prostitute by choice, Nelly Arcan’s colorful life is recreated in a multi-layered and stylish mix of make-believe and memoir, revealing Nelly’s alter egos: the neurotic writer, the vulnerable lover, the call girl and the star. Nelly shocked the literary world with her elegant writing and the lurid details of sex work in her autobiographical first novel, Whore, which became a critically acclaimed bestseller. Despite unprecedented success, Nelly’s remarkable life ended in tragedy.

Toronto, Canada, 1899. William Lyon Mackenzie King (1874-1950) fervently believes that he is destined to become Prime Minister, but to do so he will first have to fight his personal obsessions and overcome the many obstacles he will encounter on his tortuous path to power.

A cinematic essay that immerses viewers in the world of four author-actor-directors and one actor, whose works explore the question of identity. All based in Montreal, they affirm the urgency and necessity of a new perspective on the collective that reflects a changing world and an increasingly mixed culture.

When Sasha's mother arrives on her doorstep without warning the young musician is unable to hide her trepidation. As she tries to prepare for the most important concert of her career, the reasons for her mother's visit come to light and Sasha must find a way to survive the remaining 24 hours, confronting both the volatile woman and the past that Sasha had worked so hard to leave behind her.

A trained actor, the protagonist is dreaming of playing tragic heroes of the classical repertoire, but his career is going nowhere. In order to earn a living, he becomes “Coquetti the Clown” and gets hired to entertain kids at birthday parties. In the film, we see him on his way to fulfill one of his usual contracts, or so he thinks, not yet knowing that a lifechanging experience awaits him.

While shooting her new film in New York City, a director begins questioning the origin of impulsion. As the shoot begins to fall apart, with her lead actor unable to complete the project, this hybrid film between documentary and fiction takes viewers on an unexpected and compelling journey.

Navigating the treacherous social tides of high school, Marine is cut adrift by Océane, her older sister who’s caught in the thrall of an older man. Meanwhile, their mother struggles to keep her head above water.

Ten years after the tragic death of her parents in a mining disaster, Marianne returns to her hometown. She returns to GOLD, the rock band formed by her childhood friends, Kristoff and Kevin, who is the only survivor of the mining collapse. For GOLD's short-lived trio, commemorative week will slowly drag them into shocking and confusing areas.

A young quebecer descends into alienation and depression.

The story of Tv, beginning on the night he agrees to run away from his affluent suburb in Quebec City to save his best friend Samu. The two 15-year-olds' escape quickly turns into a desperate flight from the police and adults. Their encounter with a group of young orphans living in a cave in the heart of the city will put their friendship to the test. The transition from adolescence to adulthood, the discovery of love, freedom, and the experience of resilience will not be without its challenges.

A reflection on the fate of humanity in the Anthropocene epoch, White Noise is a roller-coaster of a film, a whirlwind of sounds and images. The fourth feature-length work by Simon Beaulieu, this film essay plunges viewers into a subjective sensory adventure—a direct physical encounter with the information overload of daily life. White Noise transforms the imminent collapse of our civilization into a visceral aesthetic experience.

At 16, Pierre doesn't know who he is and fears he will never become the person he imagined. He escapes into the wilderness to meet Michel, a man who has mysteriously come to train him. In the depths of the forest, cut off from the world, Pierre lets himself be guided by the paternal authority and charisma of his new mentor.

Michel Dumont is charged, judged and sentenced for a rape he denies ever having committed. While he serves his time in prison, Solange, who he fell in love with during his trial, embarks on the colossal task of proving his innocence and having the court rehabilitate him.

In 1863, a group of snow-bound travelers invokes the devil, who gives them a flying canoe for them to go home. When one of them finds his wife about to die in labor, he makes a pact with the devil to save her and his newborn daughter Liza. He then cheats the devil of his prize by sacrificing himself. 25 years later, Liza wants to marry her beloved Jos, who has to go away to a remote logging camp to earn money to save his farm, but the devil is determined to ruin her happiness.

No synopsis available yet.

Sigismond Langlois is submitted to a psychiatric evaluation on account of his violent behavior. He just turned 18, and pretends he was born with no image. Throughout the questionnaire, he recounts the peculiar existence of a young man who never saw himself, neither in reflection nor on photo, to the point of sometimes doubting of his own existence. But today, Sigismond is determined to make himself heard.

No synopsis available yet.

On a winter evening, Émilie arrives unannounced at her neighbor Joëlle's house. As the evening goes by, Émilie longs for her neighbor who seems to be impervious to her charms. Exploration of an ambiguous relationship marked with admiration, power games, maternal tenderness and sexual attraction.

Six actors portray six personas of music legend Bob Dylan in scenes depicting various stages of his life, chronicling his rise from unknown folksinger to international icon and revealing how Dylan constantly reinvented himself.

During an opulent and luxurious banquet, complete with hordes of servers and valets, eleven pampered guests participate in what appears to be a ritualistic gastronomic carnage. In this absurd and grotesque universe, an unexpected sequence of events destabilizes the endless symphony of abundance.

During a brief stay in Florence, Camille believes she's victim of an enormous flood. Urgently taken to a psychiatric hospital, she is diagnosed with the Stendhal Syndrome: a temporary psychological disorder well known to affect tourists who are too vulnerable to the beauty of art work. This disorder which is considered benign doesn't worry the medical staff who asks that she be sent back to her country. Back home, she has to come to terms with a tragedy she has wanted to flee: her mom had gone missing right before her departure. Convinced that she has to move on with her life for her mental sanity, Camille decides that it is time to accept the fact that her mother will never come back. But when she goes to Matane, the last place where her mother had been seen alive, Camille comes across many clues that will propel her into an emotional roller coaster.

William is constantly shooting video journals of his life to have as souvenirs for himself. Feeling the end of his relationship with Médéric, his young lover, William spends two days camping with him, taking advantage of the situation by filming the trip and their time spent with another young gay couple. The camera never stops shooting, even when Médéric decides to get it on with another guy in a tent. As Canada's first Dogme95 film, the story is shot on location, with natural lighting and live sound, the camera is hand-held and all superficial elements are forbidden. Yet somehow, in spite of these harsh restrictions during the filmmaking process, the result is warm and beautiful.

No synopsis available yet.