CINEMANIA IN ANGOULÊME: QUEBEC IN THE SPOTLIGHT AT THE 18TH EDITION

As part of its ongoing summer initiatives to promote Quebec cinema in Europe, CINEMANIA took part in the Francophone Film Festival of Angoulême (FFA), held from August 25 to 30, 2025. This was a particularly special edition, as the Festival’s 18th edition honoured Quebec, a beloved province for the organization’s two founders, Dominique Besnehard and Marie-France Brière, who had already paid it a brilliant tribute in 2013.

A rich program unfolded in the presence of many guests, including Mr. Henri-Paul Rousseau, Quebec’s Delegate General in Paris. The focus on Quebec was supported by Power Corporation of Canada, Mels, Air Canada, and SODEC.

A few words about the 18th edition: “Vive le Québec”

The Francophone Film Festival of Angoulême (FFA), a longstanding partner of CINEMANIA, celebrated Quebec cinema through a multi-faceted program:

- A retrospective dedicated to Denys Arcand, the renowned Quebec screenwriter and director, showcasing eight of his most iconic films.

- A curated selection of ten Quebec feature films, bridging heritage and contemporary creation. Titles included: C.R.A.Z.Y., Catimini, Incendies, It’s Only the End of the World, A Brother’s Love, Death of a Lumberjack, A Brother’s Love, Red Rooms, Maria Chapdelaine, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person.

- The official competition featured ten films, including Fanny by Yan England, and was judged by a jury chaired by actress Diane Kruger, alongside Fabrice du Welz (director and screenwriter), Imany (singer-songwriter), Baya Kasmi (director, screenwriter, and actress), Michel Field (Director of Culture and Performing Arts at France Télévisions), Patrick Mille (actor and director), Fabienne Pascaud (critic), Simon Thomas (actor), and Sara Montpetit (Quebec actress). Meanwhile, the student jury was chaired by actress Nine d’Urso.

CINEMANIA’s presence on site

As an official partner, CINEMANIA seized this opportunity to reaffirm its commitment to the international promotion of francophone cinema. Guilhem Caillard, General and Artistic Director, took part in several festival activities, accompanied notably by cultural journalist and media personality Catherine Beauchamp (98.5 Montréal). Together, they recorded a number of segments on-site and filmed interviews with performing and cinematic artists.

In an interview with the industry publication Le Film français, Guilhem Caillard stated:

“ I discovered a lot of excellent ideas in Angoulême. For me, it’s a model. The concept of spotlighting a guest country every year at CINEMANIA actually came to me from the FFA. It seemed like a brilliant way to strengthen the sense of belonging to the international Francophonie, and to explore this space sometimes hard to define by highlighting a different territory each year.” (Interview by François Pier Pelinard Lambert, Le Film français #4195, August 22, 2025)

The guest country of CINEMANIA’s 31st edition (November 4–16, 2025) will be announced in the coming weeks.