Prix Iris – Coming Soon
by Staff Editors
(November 21, 2023 – Toronto, ON) The nominees for the Quebec film awards, better known as the Prix Iris, were recently announced and it is our collective opinion, one of the best years for Québec film.
In the all-important Feature Films category, Stéphane Lafleur’s Viking leads the way with a total of 18 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Larissa Corriveau), Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Steve Laplante), Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (Denis Houle) and Breakthrough Actor of the Year (Fabiola Nyrva Aladin).
Monia Chokri’s Babysitter received 14 nominations; These include Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor in a Leading Role (Patrick Hivon), Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Nadia Tereszkiewicz) and Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (Steve Plante).
Pascal Plante’s Les chambres rouges follows closely behind with 13 nominations, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Laurie Babin) and Breakthrough Actor of the Year (Juliette Gariépy, pictured above). This was followed by Francis Leclerc’s The Diver, which was nominated 12 times, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor in a Leading Role (Henri Picard), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Maxime de Cotret and Charles-Aubey Houde) and Breakthrough Actor of the Year (Joan Hart).
Rafaël Ouellet’s Arsenault et fils is in the running for 8 IRIS including Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Actor in a Leading Role (Guillaume Cyr), while Charlotte Le Bon’s Falcon Lake stands out in 6 categories, including Best Film, Best First Film and Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Sara Montpetit). Three feature films are tied with 4 nominations: Confessions by Luc Picard, nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Luc Picard) and Best Original Score (Daniel Bélanger); Farador by Edouard Albernhe Tremblay is a finalist in the Best First Film and Best Visual Effects categories; while Geneviève Albert’s Noémie Says Yes was nominated for IRIS for Best Film, Best First Film and Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Kelly Depeault).
In the documentary section, three films lead the race with 4 nominations: Dear Audrey by Jeremiah Hayes stands out in the categories of Best Documentary Film and Best Editing, while Gabor by Joannie Lafrenière and Geographies of Solitude by Jacquelyn Mills are also both in the running for Best Documentary Film and Best Editing as well as Best Cinematography. Beyond the High Valleys by Maude Plante-Husaruk and Maxime Lacoste-Lebuis as well as Rojek by Zaynê Akyol obtained 3 nominations, while tied with 2 mentions, we find Au-delà du papier by Oana Suteu Khintirian and Humus by Carole Poliquin. Finally, it should be noted that 305 Bellechasse by Maxime-Claude L’Écuyer, This House by Miryam Charles, Je vous salute salope: la misogynie au temps du numérique by Léa Clermont-Dion and Guylaine Maroist and Twice Colonized by Lin Alluna are cited once.
In the Best Animated Short Film category, the films in the running are A Night for the Dogs by Max Woodward, Harvey by Janice Nadeau, Madeleine by Rachel Sancinetti, Marie · Eduardo · Sophie by Thomas Corriveau and Triangle noir by Marie-Noëlle Moreau Robidas. The IRIS Best Documentary Short Film includes Belle River by Guillaume Fournier, Samuel Matteau and Yannick Nolin, Fire-Jo-Ball by Audrey Nantel-Gagnon, Notes sur la mémoire et l’oubli by Amélie Hardy, Oasis by Justine Martin and Zug Island by Nicolas Lachapelle. Finally, the films nominated in the Best Short Fiction Film category are Invincible by Vincent René-Lortie, Nanitic by Carol Nguyen, Blonde Night by Gabrielle Demers, No Ghost in the Morgue by Marilyn Cooke and Simo by Aziz Zoromba.
The IRIS Audience Award highlights the five films that recorded the highest number of admissions in commercial theatres in Quebec during the Gala reference period. Moviegoers can head to noovo.ca to choose between 23 décembre by Miryam Bouchard, Confessions by Luc Picard, Katak le brave béluga by Christine Dallaire-Dupont and Nicola Lemay, Le temps d’un été by Louise Archambault and Les hommes de ma mère by Anik Jean (still image above). The winner will be announced during the Gala Québec Cinéma.
Les Prix Iris also highlights Québec productions that have had an impact beyond the province’s borders. Films in the running this year include: This House by Myriam Charles, produced by Félix Dufour-Laperrière (Embuscade Films), Dounia and the Princess of Aleppo, by Marya Zarif and André Kadi, produced by Judith Beauregard (Tobo), Falcon Lake by Charlotte Le Bon, produced by Nancy Grant, Sylvain Corbeil (Metafilms), Dany Boon, Jalil Lespert (Onzecinq), Julien Deris, David Gauquié and Jean-Luc Ormières (Cinéfrance Studios). Also nominated in this category are Katak the Brave Beluga by Christine Dallaire-Dupont and Nicola Lemay, produced by Nancy Florence Savard (10th Ave Productions) and Viking by Stéphane Lafleur, produced by Luc Déry and Kim McCraw (micro_scope).
Each year, the Gala Québec Cinéma highlights the work of a personality whose accomplishments have left their mark on the public as well as on the history and evolution of the Québec film industry. This year, the IRIS Hommage will be awarded to Rémy Girard.
One of the most beloved actors by the public, Girard has shone in the Quebec film landscape for 50 years now. He has lent his immense talent to some of Canada’s greatest filmmakers — think Yves Simoneau, Robert Ménard, Charles Binamé, Denis Villeneuve, Jean-François Pouliot, Louise Archambaut, Benoît Pilon, Éric Tessier, and of course Denys Arcand, to name a few — and his impressive cinematographic track record alone reflects the extent of his genius.
The Quebec actor is as brilliant in drama (The Decline of the American Empire, The Barbarian Invasions, Incendies, It Rained Birds, You Will Remember Me, The Vinland Club, Testament) as he is in comedy (The Boys, The Neighbours, La Florida, De père en flic, Votez Bougon) and has a career of nearly 60 films to date. Not to mention some forty television series and numerous plays. This year, the Gala Québec Cinéma celebrates an exceptional actor with a remarkable career.
A total of 47 finalist films from all categories will share the 30 IRIS awards that will be presented during the 25th Gala Québec Cinéma, which will be broadcast on Sunday, December 10 at 8 p.m. on Noovo and Noovo.ca, live from Montreal’s Grandé Studios.
SOURCE: Gala Québec Cinéma
