Traveling Distribution is proud to announce its participation in the 33rd edition of the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival which will be held in Austin, United States from March 12 to 18. Two Quebec films distributed by the company will be presented in competition this year, namely A Wolf in the Suburbs by Amélie Hardy and Ce qu’on gauche Behind by Jean-Sébastien Hamel and Alexandra Myotte. For these three filmmakers, it will be a renewed experience to participate in this prestigious festival.
Presented as a world premiere in the short documentary competition, A Wolf in the Suburbs takes us to Mississauga where neighbors are vigilant and where the grass on the lawns never exceeds 20 cm. Except for Wolf Ruck, who despite himself has become the unlikely hero of an absurd fight: saving his wild lawn. The film will be screened on March 14 and 17, in the presence of the director and her team.
A graduate in cinema at UQAM, Quebec filmmaker Amélie Hardy (Hello Stranger, 2024) is making her second appearance at SXSW. His documentary approach combining humanity, aesthetics and ingenuity in depicting reality defines his artistic signature. His projects, including Notes on Memory and Oblivion (2022), La vie humaine (2021) and Train Hopper (2019), have received numerous distinctions in addition to traveling to world-renowned festivals.
A Wolf in the Suburbs will then have its Canadian premiere at REGARD – International Short Film Festival in Saguenay on March 21, competing in these five awards: Canadian Grand Prize, Jury Prize, Best Documentary, FIPRESCI Prize and Audience Prize official competition.
Presented at Locarno, at TIFF and in Clermont-Ferrand, What We Leave Behind is the most recent work of the writer-director duo Jean-Sébastien Hamel and Alexandra Myotte, recognized internationally notably for their film A Hole in the Chest, which traveled to more than 130 festivals and won around thirty awards, in addition to reaching the short list for the Oscars© 2025.
Exploring trauma with a unique signature, this new animated short film between thriller and horror transports us into the world of Dan who has a gaping hole in his neck that won’t heal. For what? He doesn’t remember it anymore and can’t talk about it. Back in the sinister arena of his childhood, he will have to find that part of himself that he once left behind and which prevents him, now an adult, from being complete.
What We Leave Behind will have its American premiere at SXSW, in the animated short film competition, on March 14 and 17 in the presence of the filmmakers. It is also part of the REGARD Festival selection and will be screened on March 20, in competition for: Jury Prize, Best Animated Film, FIPRESCI Prize and Audience Prize in official competition.
A WOLF IN THE SUBURBS – with the participation of Wolf RuckDocumentary. Quebec (Canada). 2026. 18 minutes. In English version with French subtitles. Director: Amélie Hardy | Screenplay: Amélie Hardy | Production: Rosalie Chicoine Perreault (Metafilms) | Photo direction: Myriam Payette | Artistic direction: Judith Maltais | Editing: Louis Chevalier-Dagenais | Sound: Camille Demers-Lambert and Christophe Voyer | Music: Joseph Marchand | Distribution: Traveling |
SCREENINGS AT SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST (33rd edition – March 12 to 18, 2026)Documentary Short Program 1Saturday March 14 at 11 a.m. | Rollins Theater at the Long CenterTuesday March 17 at 6 p.m. | Rollins Theater at the Long Center
SCREENING AT THE REGARD FESTIVAL (30th edition – March 18 to 22, 2026)Competition 10Saturday March 21 at 9 p.m. | Theater C
WHAT WE LEFT BEHINDAnimation. Quebec (Canada). 2025. 11 minutes. In French with English subtitles. Director: Jean-Sébastien Hamel and Alexandra Myotte | Screenplay: Jean-Sébastien Hamel and Alexandra Myotte | Production: Jean-Sébastien Hamel and Alexandra Myotte (Sémaphore Films) | Artistic direction: Alexandra Myotte | Editing: Jean-Sébastien Hamel | Sound: François Lacasse and Jean-Sébastien Hamel | Music: Brandon Hopkins | Distribution: Traveling |
SCREENINGS AT SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST (33rd edition – March 12 to 18, 2026)Animated Short ProgramSaturday March 14 at 6 p.m. | Rollins Theater at the Long CenterTuesday March 17 at 11 a.m. | Rollins Theater at the Long Center
SCREENING AT THE REGARD FESTIVAL (30th edition – March 18 to 22, 2026)Competition 6Friday March 20 at 9 p.m. | Theater C