Our TV scores. Increasingly. For a number of years, producers and broadcasters have recognized the importance of engaging people beyond our productions. No more complexes, no more language barriers, we invest and quietly establish ourselves as fertile ground for the union of stories that are well filmed, well acted and produced with modest means. Proof that talent and creativity abound in our beautiful province.
• Also read – Digital platforms: timeless journeys through time
This National Day weekend, I could have lauded the series from home that are catching the foreign eye and ending up on channels around the world. Some are discarded as-is, others are adjusted. The proliferation of platforms promotes exchange and visibility. In recent months, Newens Studio, which is part of the TF1 Group, has acquired the rights to the Complètement lycée in France. C’est comme ça que je t’aime was sold in the United States, Israel, France, Spain, Germany, Scandinavian countries and English Canada. Plan B received an English adaptation and was purchased in Germany, France and Belgium. When Audrey returned, she received a warm welcome on Canal+ in France and won over the Italians too.
I could also mention La Confrérie coming to France on the Playzer platform and in Belgium on Pickx+, …Me neither on 6play with our French cousins and A criminal affair coming to Australia, Latin America and the USA USA, Great Britain and Spain caused a sensation thanks to Olympusat. These are just the latest examples of a long, non-exhaustive list of achievements that have enriched our view of our production since the mega success of Un gar, une fille.
ambassador
The pride could also bear the name of François Arnaud, who continues to assert himself outside our borders. He joined Yellowjackets and is taking part in the pilot of The Judgment, a series for ABC. Sophie Nélisse is also an excellent ambassador who can be seen in Yellowjackets. Just like Théodore Pellerin, who was chosen to play Jacques de Bascher, lover of Yves Saint-Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld, in the Disney+ series Kaiser Karl. He can also be seen in the series Franklin with Michael Douglas on Apple TV. This pride could be named Karine Vanasse, Yanic Truesdale, Caroline Dhavernas, Suzanne Clément and a few others. Or even Jean-Marc Vallée, who left an unforgettable mark on the Hollywood television universe and therefore worldwide.
festivals
But here are other series that have represented us well at major festivals lately. Being present at a cutting-edge event creates conversation, draws the attention of others and, who knows, boosts sales overseas. It’s not uncommon for festivals to benefit from scoops. This was the case with “The Pearls” (since available on Club Ilico), “The Candidate” or “After the Deluge”. This presence ensures that a show’s quality is elevated, creating anticipation even before it hits our airwaves and making it stand out from a pool of productions with stiff competition. It is a first seal of approval, so to speak.
We do good shows in Quebec. By revealing our uniqueness, we recognize the universality of our challenges and become unifiers. By opening ourselves to the world, we give ourselves the chance to promote, nurture and be proud of our art.
For you Flora
Photo courtesy of ICI Télé
Series by Sonia Bonspille Boileau with great sensitivity on a topic as topical as it is important: the painful legacy of boarding schools to a brother and sister of Anishnab origin, whose paths were as different as their relationship to reconciliation. The series is an Official Selection at the La Rochelle Fiction Festival in September 2022, winner of the Diversify TV Awards at MIPCOM in October 2022, Best Miniseries award at the C21 International Drama Awards in London in December 2023, as well as two awards at the Telly Awards last month in New York.
► Available as VOD
geolocate love
Photo courtesy of Tou.TV
This adaptation of the novel by Simon Boulerice, which tells the story of a young man’s romantic encounters through a job application, was notable for receiving the French-speaking prize at the Rockie Awards at the Banff World Media Festival a few days ago. The web series was nominated in the Rockie Awards Short Game Series category, along with other outstanding Quebec web series, Vidanges and Martine à la plage.
► Available on ICI Tou.tv
Lac Mégantic – that’s no coincidence
Photo courtesy of VRAI
Philippe Falardeau offers us a documentary series that is as surprising as it is alarming on the circumstances surrounding the Lac-Mégantic rail disaster. The evidence is overwhelming and yet little, if any, change has been made. It’s an in-depth investigation that I hope will be useful and that appeared in April at the Canneseries Documentary Series Competition and then in May at the famous Hot Docs, the largest documentary film festival in North America, in Toronto.
► Available when TRUE
raspberry time
Photo provided by QUEBECOR CONTENTS
Written by Florence Longpré and Susie Bouchard and directed by Philippe Falardeau, this series explores the delicate relationship between farmers and foreign workers, while the protagonist Elisabeth (the excellent Sandrine Bisson) must ensure the survival of the family farm. after her husband’s death, while fighting back against her in-laws, whose values she doesn’t share. First shown at the conclusion of the Berlinale Series (in Berlin), it won Best Miniseries at the Seoul International Drama Awards in September, and subsequently won the Reflet d’Or Best Series award at the Geneva International Film Festival in Switzerland.
► Available at Club illico
seem to go
Photo courtesy of ICI Télé
A delightful series about four young adults with cystic fibrosis whose friendship and solidarity transcend grief and fear. A beautiful slice of life, finely written (by Jean-Christophe Réhel) and produced (by Sarah Pellerin) with ingenuity and freshness. Screened at Série Mania in March, the film stood out in competition at the Canneseries and recently won the student award for best short series.
► Available on VOD and on the Télé-Québec website
Good Morning Chuck (or The Art of Harm Reduction)
Photo provided by Danny Taillon
Jean-François Rivard’s latest work, about the whims of a star presenter in a house of sobriety, stood out for its style during Series Mania in March and then in the official competition at Canneseries in April.
► Available on Crave