On the day the official program is unveiled, REGARD takes the opportunity to introduce the juries responsible for determining the prize winners. From near and far (but not too far!), the 14 people chosen for this precious task, all devout fans of the 7th Art, will distribute nearly $100,000 in money and services offered by our many public and private partners.
Official competition jury
The festival team is extremely proud to announce the 25th edition will feature an all-female jury made up of industry professionals: director Sophie Dupuis (Chien de garde, Souterrain); artist and director Caroline Monnet; the programmer Céline Roustan (Palm Springs, Dublin, SXSW, Short of the week), the committed feminist artist Miss me, and last but certainly not least, the irreplaceable Manon Barbeau, director, screenwriter and founder of Wapikoni Mobile. These five great women will present the $5,000 cash Grand Prize, offered by the Bureau du Cinéma de Saguenay, and the $5,000 cash Canadian Grand Prize, offered by the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, in collaboration with MTL Grand, and an offer of $25,000 in creative services. They will also present the Jury Prize, presented by Spira and Strateolab, the Best Animated Film prize, presented by Rodeo FX, and the Best Documentary prize, presented by CRAVE.
“This jury of professionals represents the strength and talent of women to create, explore and develop. We wanted to underline the increasingly marked and significant presence of women in the arts and film industry. Not only do we believe there will be more and more, we believe that they are here to stay.” - Mélissa Bouchard, director of programming
Parallel competition jury
The 2021 parallel competition jury is made up of Julie Rousson, programmer and professional meetings’ coordinator at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival; Sébastien Simon, director, editor, teacher and programmer at the Busan International Short Film Festival; and Paul Landriau, programmer and co-founder of the festival Plein(s) Écran(s). This trio will determine the recipient of the Shoot No Matter What! prize, presented by Unis Tv, Spira and the Consulat général de France à Québec, rewarding a Quebec film that has been produced without the financial assistance of public institutions. What’s more, among the films in this program, moviegoers will have the chance to vote for their favourite film from June 14 to 27 on the online REGARD platform. The Unis Tv (web) Audience Award will receive a cash grant from the TV channel and a service award from Post-Moderne.
The parallel jury will also choose the winner of the Americana competition, which focuses on first time filmmakers from the three Americas. The winning cash prize will be offered by Roméo & Fils. Finally, the jury will select the 100% Regions winner, presented by Hydro-Québec in collaboration with La Bande Sonimage and Peak Média. The purpose of this prize is to reward filmmakers who work outside the major centres and therefore promote local cinema.
The FIPRESCI Jury
For the fifth year in a row, REGARD enthusiastically welcomes three members of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) as jurors. Thanks to the support of the Saguenay Film Commission, three critics in the field will be able to see all the films from afar and thus award the FIPRESCI International Critics' Prize, presented by Outpost MTL and SLA Location, to one of the Canadian films in competition. This jury is made up of Jihane Bougrine, cultural journalist and film critic for VH Magazine; Inge Coolsaet, Belgian critic and translator; and Pat Mullen, vice-president of the Toronto Film Critics Association.
AQCC Jury
Once again, three local film critics will award an international filmmaker with the Prix de la critique québécoise AQCC on behalf of the Association Québécoise des Critiques de Cinéma (AQCC), in collaboration with Lussier & Khouzam. The jury will be made up of Alexandre Blasquez, critic at Cinemaniak and CISM radio host; Jérôme Michaud, film critic for 24 images and programmer; and Claire Valade, critic for Panorama-Cinéma and Séquences.
The public’s choice
In June, the public will have an important role to play determining the winner of the Audience Award, presented by Nutrinor. From June 7 to 13, during the live part of the festival, a form will be available at festivalregard.com for people to vote for their favourite short film in competition. Online audiences will then take over from June 14 to 27, when they can vote for their favourite movie by simply adding a heart next to the title. We will know the winner at the very end of the festival on June 28.
Youth jury award
Finally, the prize for Best Youth Short Film, presented by Hydro-Québec, is given by classes registered with the School component of REGARD. Deliberations took place earlier this winter and each participating group voted for their favourite film from a program of approximately 45 short films. We will find out the identity of the winning filmmaker, along with all the others, during the virtual awards ceremony on Thursday, June 17.
For more info concerning the juries, head here !