The Iris: a gala night in unfamiliar territory

magictr | June 6, 2020 | Enterteiment | No Comments

The gala of the prix Iris was brilliant. “The red carpet would have been extraordinary, ensures the dg of Quebec cinema, Ségolène Roederer […] there was a nice effervescence. We are in unknown territory, but the excitement remains.”

June 4, 2020

Updated June 6, 2020 at 4h17

The Iris: a gala night in unfamiliar territory

Eric Moreault

The Sun

Pandemic or not, it had to give the price Iris, which celebrate excellence in quebec cinema. The director general of Quebec cinema, Ségolène Roederer, is formal. The trophies are even manufactured! But forget the red carpet… but still. A dissemination on the Web, and then waves to one of four categories, on 10 June, will celebrate this exceptional cuvée marked by a representation of women is particularly noted.

“It was very concrete in my head : we are going to give one way or another,” is she says in telephone interview.

The concept of the “gala on the sofa” has emerged after discussions with Radio-Canada. No less than 24 prizes will be first awarded at the ceremony, which starts at 19h and will be posted on the website by tv and ARTV. Then the four winners in the Iris of the main categories are welcomed on the set of HELLO, HELLO!

“All of our discussions were leading us to [the issue], which envisaged a special film for the occasion.” They then continued with them on the form that it would take”.

The winners of the best performances of men and women, as well as those of the audience award and best film will be so popular live show hosted by Jean-Philippe Wauthier over the airwaves by Tv (and on HERE tou.tv), from 21h.

It was evidently necessary classes that will engage a wide audience, failing to present “the high mass” in the usual way. “I am so grateful for this opportunity”, stressed Ségolène Roederer. In the circumstances, “all is a small miracle. We are lucky to do something”.

The Wife of my brother of Monia Chokri, competing in the categories best film and best direction.

LIBRARY THE SUN

The year of the women

Distancing physical forces, it was impossible to meet all the winners. The mourning of the usual gala, in a room “with 850 people” and aired on Sunday evening on tv, was not necessarily easy for all. As the raw material is very complicated this year. And very feminine…

No less than six of the seven feature films in the race for the best film are the work of a woman : Antigone; Fabulous; The wife of my brother; It was raining birds; Young Juliet and Kuessipan… And the category Revelation of the year it receives as actresses!

“It was a great, great sadness. The red carpet would have been extraordinary. And we had a great creative team. There was a nice effervescence. We are in unknown territory, but the excitement remains. And the desire to participate in it is blatant.”

Antigone, Sophie Deraspe, is including in the race for the best film, best director and best screenplay.

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This strong women’s delegation is desired (and expected) for many years in an environment of male-dominated, which in fact offered little, except in the female role significant. There was no bias for both of the part of juries to encourage this emergence, supporting Ségolène Roederer.

“This is absolutely not taken into account. We have been overwhelmed with joy by this wave of talent in female. It has been seen as early as the fall that something was happening, that there was this strength and diversity. After, one can ask if the new rules [of funding] for the equity, have helped to make all these movies at the same time. But, at the same time, there is not a film that does not deserve to be done.”

The system in place, with a screening committee who votes in a private and a vote in universal professionals of the quebec cinema, does not allow for “a dynamic of jury of festival” where there may be an agenda, argues the DG, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary at the head of Quebec cinema. “We aim to be the most universal possible.”

Kuessipan, director Myriam Verreault, is in the running for the best film, best director and best screenplay.

LIBRARY THE SUN

What’s the future?

The gala current will differ from the previous ones. And next year could also. As for the Oscars, Quebec cinema should review its rules of eligibility for various categories after the amazing success on Netflix Until the decline of Patrice Laliberté (the drama was to take the poster in the dining room, but the COVID-19 changed the situation).

This amazing visibility for a feature film from quebec will surely make people think more about how to distribute their works. There is also the uncertainty that surrounds the cinema.

Things will change. What all this will look like in the future? What will be the impacts? There are so many factors to take into consideration that “it is very difficult to know. It is something that is complicated”.

Especially as things moved quickly in the last two months. “In the operating theater, there was something a little unchangeable, a little complicated and that made a bad noise a little. And here, we have really been forced to think about things differently [with platforms] online. We will be forced to look at things in multiple dimensions.

“I wish, of course, that the operating room remains the fer-de-lance. But there are so many things going on. Is-this that drive-ins are going to become the cultural mecca of our province? (laughter) Who knows?”

Still, argues Ségolène Roederer, that “the damage will be enormous for our society. We can see that social inequalities are increasing in a terrifying way. We do not have the choice to see that it is going through a major crisis.

“In our industry, there will be things very difficult. The whole basis of this industry and that is why it is able to create in good conditions, it is necessary to protect it all. I don’t know how our urge to tell stories is going to turn.”

Only one certainty : “we will have to work together.”