From July 4 to 20, 2013, an impressive ensemble cast joins Guy Maddin

A bilingual, diverse and all-star local cast

To help create and realize his vision of 12 films shot in 13 days in front of a live audience at Centre Phi, Guy Maddin calls upon an impressive variety of 100% Quebec actors and actresses.

Part of this cast includes household names such as Karine Vanasse, Roy Dupuis, Céline Bonnier, Carole Laure with Lewis Furey and their daughter Clara Furey, Caroline Dhavernas, Paul Ahmarani, Marie Brassard and Sophie Desmarais, as well as Anthony Lemke, Louis Negin, Gregory Hlady, Noel Burton, Romano Orzari, Judith Baribeau, Juliette Gosselin, Kyle Gatehouse and many more.

12 films in 13 days

After the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris in 2012, Guy Maddin is now setting his sights on the Phi Centre to film (and bring to life) his Seances, an entirely novel experience that will culminate in the production of an interactive work (NFB) and a feature film coproduced by Phi Films, Buffalo Gal Pictures and the NFB. Telefilm Canada as well as Manitoba Film and Sound have also been involved in the project since day 1.

From July 4 to 20, the celebrated Manitoba director will shoot 12 films in 13 days with local actors in front of a live audience. These films will serve as the subject matter for two new productions slated for completion in 2014. The public is invited to Phi Centre from Tuesday to Saturday, from 9AM to 6PM (5PM on Saturdays). Admission is free.

Credits

A Buffalo Gal Pictures and Phi Films production in co-production with the National Film Board of Canada. Directed by Guy Maddin, Co-Director: Evan Johnson. Producers: Phoebe Greenberg, Penny Mancuso, Phyllis Laing, David Christensen. Producers, Interactive Content: Alicia Smith and Dana Dansereau. Executive Producer, Interactive: Loc Dao. Executive Producers: David Christensen, Niv Fichman, Jody Shapiro. Produced with the participation of Telefilm Canada and Manitoba Film & Music.

Seances

Seances is a film shoot, an experience and an installation, which will subsequently become a film and an interactive work. The basic premise of Seances is that most silent filmmakers lost at least one film to a twist of fate. Ever since, these films have hovered like ghosts in search of their final resting place. And now Guy Maddin has decided to recreate these lost films. Every day, he will call on the spirits to take hold of the actors, plunging them into a deep trance that will enable them to act out the lost film of the day.

The most amazing part: the public is invited to attend these Seances of cinematic spiritualism. Cameras will be set up to transmit—live and in closed circuit—the shoot taking place inside the Phi Centre.

Guy Maddin

Guy Maddin is a Canadian multidisciplinary artist, screenwriter, filmmaker and producer. He has more than ten features to his credit and numerous short films. A Member of the Order of Canada and of Manitoba (his home province), Guy Maddin has won several awards for his work, including Best Canadian Feature Film at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) for My Winnipeg.

Guy Maddin has also collaborated with the NFB on the creation of Night Mayor, an experimental film presented at TIFF in 2009 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the NFB. In his decision to recreate a number of lost films for the sole pleasure of the world’s cinephiles, Seances is without a doubt the most daring project of Maddin’s brilliant career. The project began in 2012 at the Centre George Pompidou in Paris where he shot 18 films. And now it continues at the Phi Centre with the shooting of 12 films in 13 days.

The Phi Centre

The Phi Centre is a versatile space with venues that adapt to accommodate the event at hand: launches, conferences, seminars, screenings, exhibitions, concerts, performances, interactive installations. It has creative studios and production suites equipped with the latest technology for all artistic needs. It’s a multifunctional centre where art can express itself in its various forms. It’s a space where people can exchange, learn, discover, launch, shoot, record, and more.

The Phi Centre is an initiative of Phi and its founder, Phoebe Greenberg. Phi’s mission is to provide the public with excellence in all types of art from every possible horizon. Phi is also at the head of three of the most dynamic entities in the art world: Phi-Music, Phi-Films and Phi-Creation.

Buffalo Gal Pictures

Buffalo Gal Pictures is an independent production company based in Winnipeg, Canada. We have developed and produced many challenging and diverse projects by creating collaborative relationships with creative talent and building successful co-production partnerships. Buffalo Gal Pictures has produced or co-produced numerous feature films including Claudia Llosa’s Cry / Fly (in post-production), Guy Maddin’s film Keyhole, Cherien Dabis’ Amreeka; Guy Maddin’s My Winnipeg and The Saddest Music in the World, Kari Skogland’s The Stone Angel and Gary Yates’ High Life and Seven Times Lucky. Our films have screened at the Toronto IFF, Sundance, Directors’ Fortnight and the Berlinale, and garnered many international awards.

About NFB

The National Film Board of Canada creates groundbreaking interactive works, social-issue documentaries and auteur animation. The NFB has produced more than 13,000 films and won over 5,000 awards including 4 Canadian Screen Awards, 7 Webby Awards, 12 Oscars and more than 90 Genie Awards. The NFB’s award-winning content can be seen at NFB.ca and on apps for smartphones, tablets and connected TV.