Initiated in 2007 by Spirafilm, an independent film cooperative dedicated to films and video located in Québec City, the Québec Super 8 project aims to give 8 up-and-coming filmmakers the opportunity to experiment with a format on the decline: 8mm film. Built around the city of Québec, its history, legends and locations, the ambitious project took 4 years before seeing the light of buy levitra online viagra day, from its inception to the impressive post-production process that made the screening possible. The final result is similarly impressive; offering a wide variety of genres, tones and Québécois talents to chew on, Québec Super 8 was presented on August 7^th at the J.A. de Sève Theater, during Fantasia 2011’s “Weekend Fantastique du Court-Métrage Québécois”.

The collective opens with festival-regular Carnior’s “Le Pont” (“The Bridge”), a comedic horror story about the 1916 collapse of the Québec Bridge. Inscribing itself in perfect continuity with his previous work, Carnior’s segment offers the first touch of horror of Québec Super 8’s slate. Deliciously over-played and exploring the known plot of demonic possession, the segment is a good introduction and a canada levitra pills typically Fantasia short film that will delight more than one.

Le Pont

Complete tonal shift, Geneviève Allard’s “Les ondes-marées – Par toi se retirer du paysage qui demeure” (“The Tides – In you, Retreat From the Lasting Landscape”) tells the bittersweet story of a couple, finding each other on the shores of the Saint Lawrence River after a long separation. Evoking the dynamics and relations that exist between geographical distance and emotional distance, Geneviève Allard’s short evolves like pieces of photographic memory and resonates deeply.

Samuel Matteau’s “Trop” (“Much”) is a beautiful drama about the clash of tradition and modernity, as evidenced by a grandfather and his grandson. Roland decides to bring purchasing cialis his grandson to the hippodrome, to watch the last race organized in Québec City. Meeting up with his old friends and appreciating bets and races like he used to, the experience is undeniably less exciting than the “Gameboy” his grandson – whose impatience is as increasing as is bladder is annoying– brought with him. Controlled and leading to a devastating conclusion, “Trop” is the dramatic peak of the short film program, transcending the appeal of the format on which it was shot.

La Rose Noire

Patrick Faucher’s “La Rose Noire” (“The Black Rose”) finds Christian octogenarian Marie-Rose living through the grief of losing the man she met during the summer of 1943 – in the midst of World War II. Alternating between past – shot on 8mm and admirably executed – and the present, “La Rose Noire”, like “Les ondes-marées” builds its narrative with fragments of feelings and memories, offering stark contrast to the next short on the slate, “Le Mort du Cap-au-Diable”.

Finding its inspiration in a seemingly false urban legend, Louis Blackburn’s “Le Mord du Cap-au-Diable” (“The Dead of the Headland of the Devil”) is a comedy steeped in heavy metal, starring St-Foy thugs. The hilarious dialogue and absurd scenario ends with a hysterically unexpected twist, making of “Cap-au-Diable” an excellent complement to Carnior’s darkly humorous short and allowing the program to exhibit refreshing diversity in its tone and genres.

François Gamache, with “La Poisse” (“Jinx”) offers the darkest segment of the bunch, dealing with Jean-Claude’s ultimately failed suicide attempt. Dark comedy with horrific elements, “La Poisse” will recall stylistically the recent cycle of reality horror films and is as short as it is effective in its execution and idea.

Bien à toi

The synopsis is spot-on when it qualifies Pierre Boulanger’s “Bien à toi” (“Yours”) as a “contemplative film tackling a mostly forgotten historical event”. The only silent segment, this short takes us to 1918 and shows the personal repercussions of an anti-conscription demonstration. Offering an interesting commentary on the timelessness of tragedies resultant of state-led foolishness, “Bien à toi” is an excellent segment, with subtle special effects that absolutely deserve a look.

Duchesse

Lastly, François Perreault’s “Duchesse” (“Duchess”) tells the story and obsession a young girl has for monarchy, the idea of becoming a duchess and resulting luxury. Bittersweet use of voice-over, it becomes quickly evident that the girl’s fantasies result from her bleak reality. Showcasing the immense post-production work that went into the project, “Duchesse” also makes excellent use of titles, which prove to be interestingly anachronistic visual element.

The Québec Super 8 collection stands apart from many other short film programs by virtue of  its omnipresent 8mm aesthetic, which also serves to enhance the program’s thematic unity. Québec City is unique in the province’s heritage, a city charged with immense history and a lasting francophone community, which also happens to be largely overshadowed by the cultural capital that Montreal represents. It is great to see a short film program this varied and successful at celebrating a city rich in cultural legacy, as well as looking to preserve a format that has an undeniably potent visual appeal and possesses grain and texture above and beyond any process of digital manipulation contemporary cinema has to offer.

Québec Super 8 had its American premiere at the Rhode Island Film Festival on August 10^th and will be shown in Québec again on the 3^rd, 4^th and 6^th of October, at the Gabrielle-Roy library.

–     Ariel Esteban Cayer

About the author:

Ariel Esteban Cayer

Ariel Esteban Cayer is a film student, programmer for the Fantasia International Film Festival, writer for Panorama-Cinema and an occasional contributor to Fangoria Magazine.