Online cinema
Dans un rectangle absolu, le printemps
Sarah Seené
”In Quebec, as everywhere else on the planet, the spring of 2020 was strangely marked by the Covid-19 pandemic and confinement. So I decided to take advantage of this singular time to put the upheaval of seasonal rebirth into images in the form of a short animated film made with my scanner, flowers gleaned from my neighborhood and everyday objects. The rectangular scanning surface of the digitizer, like a symbol of the confinement between our four walls, remains the sole setting for this film. This project is the fruit of a number of experiments carried out between May and December 2020, aimed at pushing my artistic work off its beaten track, leading me to explore frame-by-frame animation for the first time and to momentarily move away from analog to a digital practice.”
Le spectre visible
Sarah Seené
Lightning is the combination of thunder and intense electromagnetic radiation in the visible part of the spectrum. As unpredictable as it is sudden, this natural phenomenon leaves its mark on those who experience it. The Visible Spectrum is a portrait of five people who were not struck by lightning – but rather “fulgurated” – as they survived its impact. Each of their experiences is unique in its physicality, metaphysical dimension or philosophical significance. Through the intimacy of their stories, the essence of their faces, voices and bodies, and supported by the meta-media presence of a filmic texture electrified by static charges, this short documentary elaborates a sensitive reflection about life when it has so suddenly brushed against death.
Il fait gris dans ta tête, tout à coup
Sarah Seené
Il fait gris dans ta tête, tout à coup (All of a sudden it’s gray in your head) is the work of two artists who also form a couple. This visual poem, which combines Super-8, Polaroid and paint on film, recounts a traumatic event they both shared. With modesty and delicacy, images and words interact, giving rise to a sensory autobiographical work of great meaning.
Orbites
Sarah Seené
Marie-Christine, who lost her sight some years ago, explores life in a particularly sensory way—through her fingertips. Through her personal experience, she arouses her son’s curiosity and sense of wonder about the beauty of the universe. Drawing from a constellation of highly textured analogue images and a rich tapestry of sound, Orbits journeys into the sensorial depths of Marie-Christine’s memory, pondering the very essence of love and legacy.
Le silence a disparu
Sarah Seené
The silence subtly disappeared sometime in mid-January 2019, following a traumatic event that occurred one year before. Since then, white noise, scintillating sounds, and other dysfunctional frequencies have been with me every moment of every day, like impalpable symbols of trauma, superimposed. This self-portrait, shot in Super 8 film, illustrates the sensory chaos provoked by permanent tinnitus. I have had to tame this ‘phantom pain’, like perpetually surging sound waves, to define a new state of silence.
Lumen
Sarah Seené
Lumen (meaning ”light” in Latin) is a very short documentary film shot on Super-8 that portrays a young girl with oculocutaneous albinism. Despite the hypersensitivity engendered by this genetic disease, the depigmentation of his skin and eyes gives him an extraordinary aura. This film echoes the Fovea photographic series about visually impaired young people.
La mer en soi
Clara Prieur
The spirit of the sea is strong. One that many of us who have grown up by its shores hold within us. Even at times when we are far from this untamable element, the energy remains, and affects who we are, and how we think. The sea inside is a reflection on this connection, juxtaposed with the winter time urban environment where we currently reside. Movement based expression travelling through delicate peace, excitement, and moments of violence sculpt this interpretation. With this melee between our memories, fantasies and reality, comes the satisfaction of reconnecting with our identity.
Salir
Clara Prieur
When a woman has been abused, how can she regain power over her body and mind? How can she resurface? Salir is an immersion into sensorial memories and an attempt at embodying resilience. Dance places the body at the center of a cathartic process, and becomes the driving force of an emotional journey to wash away violence. In this narrative, two performers embody different aspects of the same character, offering contrasting perspectives on her relationship with the world.
Nos cendres
Marie-Claude Béchard
When Ophélie visits her depressed mother, who lives isolated in the forest, she discovers that she is very ill because of her addiction to cigarettes. Disturbed by the thought of losing her, Ophélie decides to stay at home to help her quit. Little does she realize that cigarettes are not the only cause of her mother’s suffering.
Flots gris
Joëlle Desjardins Paquette
Adrift from a difficult break up, Livia is haunted by a peacock. An urban Western from the heartland of East Montreal.
Sans dehors ni dedans
Joëlle Desjardins Paquette
Under the omniscient gaze of an iguana, a 10-year-old boy takes care of his mother, a singer going adrift.
Memento Mori
Clara Prieur
On a Monday morning, a man rings at Mary’s door. Just before he disappeared, he delivers her a strange parcel: a magnificent fruit tray adorned with a ribbon inscribed with a date. What is this date? Why is an hourglass hidden between pomegranates and bunches of grapes? Dreading a sign announcing her death, Mary wonders if she is not living her last week. We dive into her mind for these seven capital days, looking for inner peace and this mysterious deliverer of forbidden fruits.