Inflation and COVID pass, culture remains. Our artists are proud bulwarks against the prevailing gloom and will continue to contribute in 2024 to entertain and inspire us to think. Here's what's on our radar as we start the new year.
Celine Dion: the secret
Photo from Celine Dion Ultras Instagram account
Celine Dion attended a Katy Perry concert in Las Vegas in early November.
(CB) – Will come back, won't come back? We used the same three words to question the future of our national diva a year ago. At the time, the recent announcement of his illness had unsettled all of his admirers. Today, the mystery remains, but Céline's surprise outings this fall — to a Canadiens game and a Katy Perry concert — add extra intrigue. A Las Vegas arts columnist even predicted his return to the stage at the Resorts World Theater this spring.
Cinema in Quebec: a promising summer
DIDIER DEBUS SCISSORS/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC
Director Ricardo Trogi and actor Jean Carl Boucher during filming of the film 1995 in Quebec last October.
(MD) – The success of the films “Time for a Summer” and “My Mother's Men” allowed Quebec cinema to experience its most successful summer of cinema in a long time in 2023. Good news: the summer of 2024 looks just as promising for our cinema, especially thanks to the releases of the musical film Nos Belles-Sœurs (in cinemas on July 11) and the comedy 1995, the fourth part of the popular autobiographical series by Ricardo Trogi (in cinemas from July). 31).
Concerts: Legends are coming
Photo archives/AFP
Bruce Springsteen will finally return to Quebec in 2024.
(MP) – There will be no shortage of opportunities to see our international idols in 2024. Among the legends, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Iron Maiden, Pantera, Andrea Bocelli and many others will travel through the province of La Belle. Next year there will also be concerts by rising stars such as Olivia Rodrigo and Arlo Parks.
Musicals: It's Abundance
Photo from the archives of Joël Lemay, Agence QMI
José Dufour will star in the musical Tootsie.
(BL) – Fans of musicals will be spoiled for choice in 2024, with more than a dozen productions expected on stages across the province. In addition to the return of the classics Don Juan and Starmania, we can discover the first Quebec adaptations from Waitress, Tootsie and other producers, as well as a handful of original creations dedicated to specific monuments of our culture: the life of Rose Ouellette – known as La Poune – is featured in The focus of “The Giant” is on stage, while the film “Le Matou” with Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge’s son makes the jump to the stage. In short, a year worthy of Broadway for Quebec.
Taylor Swift: The circus is coming… to Toronto
Photo archive Xavier Collin/MEGA/WENN
Toronto is on Taylor Swift's 2023 itinerary.
(CB) – Unless there's a big surprise that no one saw in their crystal ball, Taylor Swift won't be traveling through Quebec in 2024. On the other hand, the circus will eventually stop in Toronto for not just one, or two, but six concerts at the Rogers Centre, home of the Toronto Blue Jays, which can hold more than 50,000 people. Think about it! More than 300,000 of the megastar's fans will take the Queen City's downtown by storm for a week. Have we ever witnessed such excitement for a musician in the country?
Dune: finally the second part
Photo provided by Warner Bros.
Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya return in the second part of Dune.
(MD) – Postponed for several months due to Hollywood's actors' strike, Quebec filmmaker Denis Villeneuve's blockbuster sequel will finally hit our screens on March 1. Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya and Rebecca Ferguson reprise their roles in this second installment of the adaptation of Frank Herbert's sci-fi classic, which will also feature several newcomers including Florence Pugh and Austin Butler. In a recent interview with Total Films magazine, Denis Villeneuve emphasized that Dune: Part II will be “more of an action film” than the first.
Charlotte Cardin: Consecration in Paris
Thierry Laforce / QMI Agency
Charlotte Cardin has a big year ahead in France
(CB) – First there will be the Olympics in January, then Zénith in December. After conquering the hearts of Quebecers and then Canadians, Charlotte Cardin is preparing to spend her best year in France. By taking the stage at two legendary venues in Paris, she joins a select club of Quebec artists who have found recognition in the City of Lights. In 2024, more than ever, Montrealers will be among our most brilliant cultural exports on the planet.
Comedy shows: new features
Photo from the archives of Joël Lemay/QMI Agency
Katherine Levac will present a new show in 2024.
Year after year, comedy shows are broadcast in large numbers in Quebec. The first half of 2024 will be no exception and will see the start of at least eight new tours. Among them, the new shows of friends Katherine Levac (The Man of My Life) and Rosalie Vaillancourt (MILF), who will be present in the new season of Sortez-moi d'ici, will certainly be popular. The polarizing Mike Ward will continue to perform with Modeste at the event, while the “new guy” Louis Morissette will offer his first-ever solo show: Under Pressure.
Television in crisis
Photo Adobe Stock
(MP) – Bad news rained down on Quebec's television community in 2023 with the announcement of massive job cuts at TVA, Bell Media and CBC/Radio-Canada. Declining advertising revenue, strong competition from digital broadcast platforms, rising production costs and inflation… TVA and Radio-Canada plan to reduce production and acquisition of programs in 2024. In times of crisis, our television demonstrably maintains its place among Quebec viewers through the success of Chanteurs Masqués and Révolution. Will it find solutions to ensure its survival in 2024?
Artificial intelligence among us
Photo Adobe Stock
(MP) – Artificial intelligence has taken up more and more space in 2023 and has every chance of still being talked about in 2024. Songs that perfectly imitate our idols, works of art that are created in a few seconds and that makes the term artificial intelligence possible in several steps, languages, possibility of creating films using artificial intelligence, question of copyright… The cultural sector that has this new reality concerned must respond to this new challenge. The strike of screenwriters and actors in Hollywood, aimed, among other things, at protecting against the rise of artificial intelligence, has already opened several doors for reflection. Will artificial intelligence kill professions or, on the contrary, will it become an interesting creative tool?