Diverciné 2011 in Ottawa

The 9th edition of DiverCiné Festival honours Francophone cinema !
Ottawa, from Wednesday, April 13, to Saturday, April 16, 2011
Organized by the Embassy of France in Canada
and Canadian Heritage, in partnership with
Canadian Film Institute and Library and Archives Canada
Location: Auditorium – Library and Archives Canada – Ottawa
DiverCiné: A World View of la Francophonie is an expression of the identities, the imaginations and
the cultures of the Francophone world in all its diversity. The festival showcases films selected by
major international festivals, but rarely seen in Canada, and introduces the Canadian audiences to
original works by filmmakers from Francophone countries around the world.
DiverCiné is a cultural event that celebrates creative productions from Canadian and international
Francophonie.
Dates and times to remember:
Festival Opening Gala Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at 7:00 pm screening of Buried Secrets by Raja Amari –
Venice Film Festival selection – in the presence of the director – screening and discussion followed by a
cocktail. By invitation and contest winners only.
Festival Dates
Tuesday, April 13, to Saturday, April 16, 2011
Location
Auditorium of the Library and Archives Canada
2011 Film Selection
11 new releases, emphasis on the new generation of directors noted
at major international festivals, 3 directors present, a screening for invited school classes only, a special, free
all-ages screening, and for the first time, a day dedicated to la Francophonie des Amériques.
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La Journée de la Francophonie des Amériques – April 14
In partnership with the Alliance of Francophone Producers of Canada, the Centre de la francophonie des
Amériques and the Front des réalisateurs indépendants du Canada, for the first time, DiverCiné is organizing
la Journée de la Francophonie des Amériques, a day dedicated to talent from Francophone countries in the
Americas. The celebration will include three films, from Ontario, Quebec and Haiti. Two directors will be
present (Dominic Desjardins and François Delisle) and will also participate in the discussion on the
cinematographic creation in different Francophone Canadian spaces, as well as the possibilities of closer
collaboration, followed by a cocktail reception.
2011 DiverCiné Film Selection:
Tuesday April 12
7:00 pm – Opening Gala – Buried Secrets by Raja Amari - in the presence of the director - Tunisia
Cocktail – by invitation and contest winners only
Wednesday April 13
1:00 pm: Eleanor’s Secret by Dominique Monféry – France – for invited school classes only
6:30 pm – Buried Secrets by Raja Amari (in the presence of the director) - Tunisia
9:00 pm - Soirée Vues d’Afrique: The Place In Between by Sarah Bouyain – Burkina Faso
Thursday April 14
La Journée de la Francophonie des Amériques
3:00 pm – Eat, For This Is My Body by Michelange Quay – Haiti
5:00 pm – Twice A Woman by François Delisle – Canada – Quebec – in the presence of the director.
Evening:
7:00 pm – Discussion – Création cinématographique et francophonie canadienne, led by Danièle Grenier, host
of the show "Divines tentations" on the First Channel of Radio-Canada 90.7 FM, in the presence of Dominic
Desjardins (director), François Delisle (director) and Mark Chatel (producer).
8:00 pm Cocktail reception
9:00 pm – Everybody’s Couch by Dominic Desjardins - Canada – Ontario – in the presence of the director.
Friday April 15
7:00 pm - Soirée Radio-Canada: A Screaming Man by Mahamat Saleh Haroun - Chad
9:00 pm – Tuesday After Christmas by Radu Muntean - Romania
Saturday April 16
2:00 pm – All-ages screening: Eleanor’s Secret by Dominique Monféry – France – free screening, limited
seating
4:00 pm – Mascarades by Lyes Salem - Algeria
7:00 pm – Lily Sometimes by Fabienne Berthaud - France
9:00 pm – Every Day Is A Holiday by Dima El Horr – Lebanon
www.divercine.com
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2011 DiverCiné Film Selection:
Opening Gala
Tuesday April 12
7:00 pm – by invitation and contest
winners only
In presence of the director
Wednesday April 13
6 :30 pm
Buried Secrets
Director: Raja Amari
Official selection, Venice Film Festival 2010
Starring: Hafsia Herzi, Soundes Bel Hassen, Wassila Dari
Tunisia – 2009 – 91 min
Arabic and French, with French subtitles
Aicha, Radia, and their mother live removed from the world, in the underground servants’ quarters of a
deserted mansion. The precarious balance of their daily life is shaken by the arrival of a young couple who
move into the main house. A bizarre cohabitation settles between the couple and the three women who
decide not to make their presence known to these unexpected neighbours. They cannot leave their hiding
place as it conceals secrets buried for years...
All-ages screening
Wednesday April 13
1 :00 pm
for invited school classes only
Saturday April 16
2 :00 pm
Free screening, limited seating
Eleonore’s Secret
Director: Dominique Monféry
Starring: Jeanne Moreau, Julie Gayet, Pierre Richard
France – 2009 – 80 min
French
Natanaël, soon to be 7 years old, still doesn’t know how to read. When his eccentric old aunt bequeaths her
book collection to the young boy, Natanaël is quite disappointed! He soon discovers that the books have a
secret: once night falls, the books’ heroes—including the lovely Alice, the wicked fairy Carabosse, and the
terrible Captain Hook—come to life. They warn Natanaël that they are in danger of disappearing, along with
their stories, forever! Natanaël, who is shrunk by Carabosse, faces the treacherous Ramastou, giant crabs,
and the hungry ogre… Will he get there in time to say the magic words and save his friends? Just because
something is made up doesn’t mean it isn’t real!
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Vues D’Afrique Evening
Wednesday April 13
9:00 pm
The place in Between
Director: Sarah Bouyain
Grand Prize, Amiens Festival 2010; official selection Venice, Toronto, and Namur festivals
Starring: Dorylia Calmel, Assita Ouedraogo, Blandine Yameogo
Burkina Faso – 2010 – 82 min
French with English subtitles
Amy, a young mixed-race woman, travels to Bobo, Burkina Faso, to reconnect with her mother, from whom
she was separated at the age of 8. She discovers only her aunt living in the family home and finds the
courtyard of her childhood both comforting and unsettling. She feels a stranger in a city she no longer
recognizes. For years now, Mariam, a Burkinabe housecleaner in Paris, has lived as a furtive shadow on the
margins of society.
Journée de la
Francophonie des
Amériques
Thursday April 14
3:00 pm
Eat, For This Is My Body
Director: Michelange Quay
Grand Prize, Miami Film Festival
Starring: Sylvie Testud, Catherine Samie
Haiti – 2008 – 105 min
French with English subtitles
Haiti, the black island, abandoned in all its poverty and misery. Madame, a white woman, lives in a colonial
fantasy in which she teaches and cares for the damned of this world. This is a hypnotic and visceral film
experience that brings us to the depths of the spiritual and material suffering in the first black republic.
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Journée de la
Francophonie des
Amériques
Thursday April 14
5:00 pm
In presence of the director
Twice a Woman
Director: François Delisle
Official selection, Pusan, Chicago, and Nouveau Cinema of Montréal festivals
Starring: Évelyne Rompré, Étienne Laforge, Marc Béland, David Boutin, Martin Dubreuil, Marie Brassard
Canada–Quebec – 2010 – 94 min
French with English subtitles
Catherine flees an abusive marriage to begin a new life. She calls upon a group of women who provide her
with a new identity and help her move to a new town, where she finds and job and begins to rebuild her life.
Life is hard and her teenage son doesn’t deal well with the upheaval. But Catherine—now known as Sophie—
hangs on and even meets a new man, a truck driver who is fascinated with her. The spectre of her violent
husband is always there, but little by little she learns to confront it.
Journée de la
Francophonie des
Amériques
Thursday April 14
9:00 pm
In presence of the director
Everybody’s Couch
Director: Dominic Desjardins
Winner of the TV5 Prize for Best Francophone Film
Starring: Steve Adams, Antoine Gratton, Marc Lamontagne
Canada–Ontario – 2010 – 76 min
French with English subtitles
Zoé finds herself hitchhiking across Canada after a break-up with her boyfriend. She doesn’t have a lot of
money, so she is counting on her good luck and the generosity of the people that she meets. On the way, she
befriends Alex, who decides to give up everything and go with her. A hopeless romantic convinced that he has
found his soul mate, Alex has his determination put to the test during the long journey. As they travel from
coast to coast, they get to know each other and experience a fresh start.
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Radio-Canada evening
Friday April 15
7:00 pm
A Screaming Man
Director: Mahamat Saleh Haroun
Jury Prize, 2010 Cannes Film Festival
Starring: Youssouf Djaoro, Diouc Koma, Emile Abossolo M'Bo
Chad – 2010 – 92 min
Arabic and French with English subtitles
Present-day Chad. Adam, a sixty-something former swimming champion, is pool attendant at a smart
N'Djamena hotel. When the hotel gets taken over by new Chinese owners, he is forced to give up his job to
his son Abdel. Terribly resentful, he feels socially humiliated. The country is in the throes of a civil war and
rebel forces are attacking the government. The authorities demand that the population contribute to the
"war effort", giving money or volunteers old enough to fight off the assailants. The District Chief constantly
harasses Adam for his contribution. But Adam is penniless; he has only his son...
Friday April 15
9:00 pm
Tuesday after Christmas
Director: Radu Muntean
Official selection, Cannes Film Festival 2010 – Un Certain Regard
Starring: Mimi Branescu, Mirela Oprisor, Maria Popistasu
Romania – 2010 – 99 min
Romanian with French subtitles
Paul Hanganu married Adriana 10 years ago. They have an 8-year-old daughter, Mara. For the past six
months, Paul has been involved in an extramarital affair with Raluca, a dentist. In the days leading up to
Christmas, Paul struggles to find time for Raluca, for gift shopping, and for his family. He decides to take his
daughter to the dentist for one last visit, but an unexpected change in Adriana's schedule brings the two
women in the same room for the first time. The meeting forces Paul to face a difficult decision.
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Saturday April 16
4:00 pm
Mascarades
Director: Lyes Salem
Nomination for the César Award for Best First Work, 2009
Starring: Lyes Salem, Sara Reguigue, Mohamed Bouchaïb
Algeria – 2008 – 92 min
Arabic with French subtitles
Mounir Mekbek lives with his family in a small village in the heart of the Algerian countryside. Very proud and
sure of himself, he has only one dream: to finally be appreciated by his fellow villagers. Screwing up his
carefully maintained image is his headstrong, narcoleptic sister Rym, who falls asleep anywhere and whom
the village is convinced will end up a spinster. One evening, Mounir returns from town drunk and announces
that he's found a suitor for his sister. The fake story snowballs until the suitor morphs into a rich, blonde
Australian. The village begins preparing for the wedding in earnest—but without a bridegroom in sight.
Saturday April 16
7:00 pm
Lily Sometimes
Director: Fabienne Berthaud
Starring: Diane Kruger, Ludivine Sagnier, Denis Ménochet
France – 2010 – 108 min
French with English subtitles
Lily is like no one else. She lives in a whimsical world in harmony with nature at her mother’s home in the
middle of the countryside. Her older sister, Clara, married to an up-and-coming attorney, lives and works in
Paris. When their mother dies, Clara has to look after Lily, a situation that turns her life and job upside down.
Under Lily’s influence, Clara re-examines her life and gets a taste of a certain freedom.
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Saturday April 16
9:00 pm
Every Day is a Holiday
Director: Dima El-Horr
Starring: Hiam Abbas, Manal Khader, Raia Haidar, Fadi Abi Samra
Lebanon – 2009 – 82 min
Arabic and French with English subtitles
It's Independence Day in Lebanon; three women who have never met before are on the same bus heading to
visit a prison in a remote area of the country. Travelling through an arid landscape littered with mines and
decapitated dreams, the journey transforms into the women's quest for their own independence.
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