A busy red carpet, a large 1,200-seat auditorium packed to capacity and a warm welcome from the audience: filmmaker Pascal Plante could not have imagined a better scenario for the world premiere of his new film. red rooms, which took place on Tuesday evening at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic.
“It’s a really nice start to the film,” admitted the Quebec director, who was joined by Le Journal on Wednesday lunchtime.
“It was intimidating at first because it’s an impressive hall with 1,200 seats. And I’m always a little uncomfortable seeing my own films in front of an audience. But I whipped myself by telling myself that it was too rare and too precious an opportunity not to enjoy the moment. When you study cinema, you dream of this kind of projection!
“And then the reaction was really, really nice. After the credits rolled, there was an ovation and applause for several minutes. It took us a little by surprise.”
A diverse audience
The Red Rooms, Pascal Plante’s third feature film (after Fake Tattoos and Nadia, Butterfly), has been selected in the official competition of the 57th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, one of the most important events of its kind in Eastern Europe. The filmmaker traveled to the Czech Republic to present the film, accompanied by his two leading actresses, Juliette Gariépy and Laurie Babin.
“When the selection of the film was announced in Karlovy Vary, I received messages from several Quebec filmmakers who were already there to present films and who said to me: ‘You’ll see, you’ll really stumble,'” says Pascal Plante .
“And honestly, it’s really a joy. The reception is wonderful, the rooms are packed, the audience is diverse and quite young, and we’re starting to see great reviews of the film, including one in the Hollywood Reporter. We are very happy!”
break movies
Described as a psychological thriller, The Red Rooms follows two young women (Juliette Gariépy and Laurie Babin) who obsessively follow the highly publicized trial of a serial killer. After the premiere in Karlovy Vary, the film will be presented on July 20 at the opening of the Fantasia festival in Montreal.
“It’s really an honor to open Fantasia,” says the filmmaker. It will be a performance in the hall in front of our families and friends. It’s a perfect showcase to showcase the film at home.”
The Red Rooms hits theaters across Quebec on August 11.