Québec

Discovering Québec cinema immediately arouses the curiosity of critics and cinephiles alike. It is a cinema that combines tradition and modernity, born within a cultural environment shaped by diversity, immigration, coexistence and the intermingling of cultures. Canada, its country of origin, has indeed developed as a land open both to Indigenous cultures and to influences from elsewhere.

The cinematograph made its appearance in Québec only a few months after the Lumière brothers’ first public screenings. Its beginnings, however, were not easy: the Catholic Church looked unfavourably upon movie theatres, which it regarded as contrary to the religious spirit. The situation gradually evolved thanks to a generation of pioneers, including Léo-Ernest Ouimet, priest and filmmaker Maurice Proulx, and Claude Jutra, director of “Mon oncle Antoine” (1971), considered one of the major films in the history of Québec cinema. These early initiatives helped establish cinema as a major cultural, intellectual and social force within Québec society.

It would be impossible, within the scope of this presentation, however brief, to retrace the entire rich and multifaceted history of Québec cinema. What particularly draws our attention is the remarkable place occupied by women, both as subjects and as active participants in the creative process. This reality is notably linked to the cultural transformations that have shaped Québec cinema. It was within this context that the organization “Réalisatrices Équitables” was founded, advocating gender equity in directing and equitable access to funding resources for film, television and new media.

Québec has seen the emergence of many women filmmakers, including Monia Chokri, Chloé Robichaud, Sophie Dupuis, Louise Archambault, Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette and Charlotte Le Bon, among others. It is also worth noting that Canada in general, and Québec in particular, is home to several Moroccan women filmmakers, including Halima Ouardiri, Yousra Benziane, Lamia Chraïbi and Sanaa Akroud, whose artistic experiences and ambitions transcend geographical boundaries. Québec cinema thus resonates with our own reality and includes within its landscape creators who share close cultural ties with us.

The cinema of Québec women filmmakers addresses powerful social and political issues while being marked by an intimate and profoundly human sensitivity. It challenges dominant patriarchal models and questions traditional representations of women. From the pioneering women filmmakers of the 1970s to the new generation of filmmakers, their works have sought to redefine the place of women, move beyond stereotypes, and deconstruct the complex relationships between identity, the body and freedom.

It is precisely this creative richness and diversity of perspectives that the festival has sought to embrace in this edition through the cinematic experiences it has chosen to showcase.