This year's Berlinale entries from Québec focus primarily on the experiences of young people. From puberty to the consequences of sibling rivalries to intimate family portraits, a wide variety of topics are covered.
By Clara de Oliveira Seyler
Three of the nine Canadian entries were made by filmmakers from Montréal. All of them were shown in the Generation section, which tells stories from the point of view of young protagonists and is aimed primarily at a young audience. Zoé Pelchat's short film Gaby les Collines, for example, humorously deals with the pitfalls of puberty and growing up. Pelchat gained international attention with her series DOMINOS, set in Montréal, and won an award for it at the 2018 Canneseries festival. She celebrated her world premiere at the Berlinale this year with Gaby les Collines. The 13-year-old protagonist Gaby is visiting her father in the Magdalen Islands for the summer. For Gaby, everything seems the same, but the others suddenly perceive her differently. When a boy very explicitly comments on her breasts, she realizes: as her body changes, so does her effect on others. Initially unsettled by the reactions of those around her, Gaby gradually regains control over her body and fights the male gaze.
Touching insights
The short film Nanitic by Montréal filmmaker Carol Nguyen, on the other hand, strikes more serious notes. Through the eyes of the little girl Trang, Nanitic provides touching glimpses into the life of a family whose daily routine is defined by the care of her dying grandmother. Trang carefully observes her aunt, who devotedly cares for her grandmother around the clock. Nevertheless, she keeps her distance, as the hospital bed and the medication have a frightening effect on the little girl. The living room with the grandmother's bed becomes its own little microcosm in which time seems to stand still. Carol Ngyuen gained notoriety with her documentary No crying at the dinner table, which premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. She co-produced the film with Montreal filmmaker Aziz Zoromba. Zoromba is also represented at the Berlinale. His short film Simo deals with the competition and jealousies between the two brothers Emad and Simo and has already won an award at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. At first, the conflicts are limited to minor scuffles, but Simo soon commits a momentous mistake out of carelessness when he takes over his brother's gaming live stream. But the crisis also offers the family a chance to come closer together again. Zoromba's film was recently awarded the Coup de cœur Denis Villeneuve prize at the short film gala Prends ça court! in Montréal. Simo is also in competition in four categories at the REGARD festival in Saguenay at the end of March.
