(Montreal) It is with a new broadcaster that the Gala Québec Cinéma will celebrate its 25th anniversary on Sunday evening, while Noovo will present for the first time on its airwaves this major event which, as its name suggests, rewards the best of the Quebec film industry.
The films Viking, by Stéphane Lafleur, and Babysitter, by Monia Chokri, will be favorites for this evening which will be hosted by comedian Jay Du Temple, well known to Noovo audiences thanks to his six seasons at the helm of the reality show Occupation Double.
Viking, which topped the nominations ranking with 18, has already begun its harvest, as the film won seven Iris awards during the Artisans Gala, which took place Thursday evening at Studio TD in Montreal. The feature film was notably rewarded for the quality of its visual effects and costumes, as well as in the category of casting of roles.
For its part, Babysitter had received 14 nominations, but came away empty-handed in the eight categories where the winner was announced during the Artisans Gala.
The two films will cross swords again on Sunday evening, since Lafleur and Chokri find themselves in the running in the categories of best film and best direction, just like Pascal Plante for The Red Rooms and Francis Leclerc for The Diver.
To be eligible for this year’s gala, films had to be released between March 2022 and August 2023.
In the male performance category for a leading role, Guillaume Cyr (Arseneault et fils), Patrick Hivon (Babysitter), Steve Laplante (Viking), Henri Picard (The Diver) and Luc Picard (Confessions) will compete for the title.
As for actresses in a leading role, five women are in the running: Larissa Corriveau (Viking), Kelly Depeault (Noémie says yes), Hélène Florent (A respectable woman), Léane Labrèche-Dor (My mother’s men) and Sara Montpetit (Falcon Lake).
This year, the Iris tribute will be awarded to actor Rémy Girard.
For this first edition of the Gala Québec Cinéma on its airwaves, Noovo promises a “revisited” formula which will oscillate between moments “sometimes comical, sometimes touching”. The generalist Bell Media network has taken over from Radio-Canada, which decided to end its agreement with this gala last year.
Antoine Bertrand, Christine Beaulieu, Chloé Djandji, Patrick Huard, Anik Jean, Kat Levac, Alexis Martin and Pascale Montpetit are among the artists who will come to present prizes, the organizers of the evening announced.
The gala, which will be recorded from Studios Grandé in Montreal, will begin at 8 p.m. Sunday evening on Noovo.
