Société de Développement des Entreprises Culturelles (Canada): 6

Fireheart (2022), a computer-animated adventure comedy directed by Theodore Ty and Lauren Zeitoun, takes place in 1930’s New York. The protagonist is Georgia Nolan, a determined 16-year-old with aspirations to become the first female firefighter. Despite being discouraged by her father Shawn, a former firefighter himself, who believes women are not fit for the job. The mayor of New York reaches out to Shawn and convinces him to lead a new team of young firefighters in stopping a serial arsonist using purple gas to hypnotize and kidnap fellow firefighters. In order ...

Based on Amélie Nothomb’s 2007 autobiographical novel, Tokyo Fiancée (2014) is a Belgian romance-drama film written and directed by Stefan Liberski. It was selected for the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. The film received three nominations at the 5th Magritte Awards. After leaving Japan at age five and growing up in Europe, Amélie returns to Japan at age 20 to reconnect with her Japanese roots. She settles into a small apartment in Tokyo and offers French language tutoring as a means of support. One of her students ...

Enemy (2013), a neo-noir surrealist psychological thriller, was directed by Denis Villeneuve and produced by M.A. Faura and Niv Fichman. The protagonist of the film, a quiet and routine-driven history professor named Adam Bell, attends an underground club where an erotic performance leads to a woman almost crushing a live tarantula with her platform high-heel. After being recommended the film Where There’s a Will There’s a Way by a colleague, Adam becomes intrigued when he sees an actor who bears a striking ...

The science fiction drama film, Mr. Nobody (2009), written and directed by Jaco Van Dormael, follows the life of Nemo Nobody. As the last mortal on Earth in a world where humans have achieved quasi-immortality, 118-year-old Nemo’s memories are fading. He shares his life story with a doctor and journalist, discussing his three main loves and the impact of his parents’ divorce on his journey. Throughout the film, the speculative narrative explores alternate life paths resulting from different decisions made by Nemo at ages nine, fifteen, and thirty-four. With a nonlinear structure incorporating the multiverse ...

Polytechnique (2009), a Canadian drama film directed and written by Denis Villeneuve and Jacques Davidts, follows the actions of a troubled young man. Armed with a rifle, he leaves a message for his mother before heading to Polytechnique Montreal – an engineering school – and interrupting a class. With his weapon in hand, he orders the men to leave while commanding the women to stay. When they hesitate, he fires into the ceiling to prove the gravity of his intent. He then proceeds to express disdain towards feminists, despite some of the women denying any ...

Maelström (2000), a Canadian absurdist psychological drama film written and directed by Denis Villeneuve, tells the story of Bibiane Champagne, a successful 25-year-old businesswoman in Quebec during the autumn of 1999. As she is being gutted alive by a fishmonger, Bibiane reflects on her life and the struggles she faces. Despite her achievements as head of three clothing boutiques and being the daughter of a famous person named Flo Fabert, Bibiane has recently had an abortion. During an interview with a journalist, she puts on a confident front but is confronted by her partner and brother Philippe for numerous ...