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By premiering such hits as the Oscar-nominated movie Half Nelson in Canada, the Tremblant Film Festival is our country’s new contender on the global film-fair scene. |
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Lights, camera, action! When the Tremblant Film Festival launched in June of last year, the excitement on the mountain was palpable. “Really, 2006 was a year to establish the brand and test the concept. Guests were happy with the film selection, business owners profited, industry attendees made deals and established relationships, and the media fell in love with it,” says François Rodrigue, the TFF’s council president.
A longtime cinephile, Rodrigue conceived and founded the non-profit TFF in 2003 with his friend, director Louis Plamondon. “We joined forces with producer Daniaile Jarry, as well as Guy Primeau, Tremblant’s Resort Association events program director — everyone else works in the film industry,” says Rodrigue. Using Sundance as their model, Rodrigue and Plamondon realized that Tremblant was the perfect place to host their festival, and approached Intrawest. “We gathered resources that would make this festival worthy of international attention, and when we initially had some difficulties in raising support, we decided to invest ourselves and put all our money in the product, because we believed there was a need for it in the industry,” says Rodrigue.
While the Whistler film festival showcases 100% Canadian content and Sundance favours American indies, the TFF’s distinctive offering provides 70% international films and 30% domestic. “It’s a very good setting for cross-continent industry meetings and collaborative development,” says Rodrigue. “Plus, as opposed to Sundance where you have to shuttle around, in Tremblant the infrastructures make everything more intimate and streamlined—you can walk from one venue to another,” says Rodrigue. |
But “Sundance North” doesn’t just shine a spotlight on Quebecois and Canadian celluloid talent; it’s also a showcase for film firsts. Along with Half Nelson—which enjoyed its Canadian premiere at the TFF—many surprise sensations were debuted, like Sur la trace d'Igor Rizzi (On The Trail of Igor Rizzi), a Canadian dramedy that went on to win Best Canadian First Feature Film at the Toronto International Film Festival. Budding directors would do well to pay attention to the newest star on the Canadian film festival circuit. The 2006 edition screened 29 feature films and 10 shorts from over 15 countries, with the same amount of films in 2007. Ultimately, the goal is to grow this 5-day festival into a 10-day extravaganza. With 3,000 additional seats added to the free outdoor screening component of the program, the 2007 festival was even bigger, better, glitzier and even more glam than its inaugural year. Don’t miss take three in 2008! For more details about the Tremblant Film Festival, which took place Wednesday, June 20 to Sunday, |
