Film Noir au Canal, the cult crime film festival on the banks of the Lachine Canal, is pleased to unveil the winning work of its “Make your short film noir” competition. This original initiative invited filmmakers to create in 40 days a short film of 60 to 90 seconds inspired by the great codes of detective films, with a view to becoming the official trailer for the 10th edition of the festival.
Among the 23 submissions received, including several innovative proposals of great cinematographic quality, it was the film A Simple Noir written and directed by Sara Jade Alfaro-Dehghani which won over the jury made up of 15 members of the Film Noir team at the Canal.
Produced by Tyler Klementti, this short film impresses with its direction, but also with the images of cinematographer Shae Paterson, the editing by Warren Goodwin, the original music composed by Karan Viegas and the performances of Mina Zaghari in the role of the private detective, Kristina Pantalone in that of the femme fatale and Maman Fati Golly as the boss.
“Despite its title, A Simple Noir is a work of beautiful complexity. The jury particularly appreciated its ambitious narrative structure and its fluid editing. Avoiding the traps of pastiche, the director appropriates certain codes of film noir to create a free, personal and deeply original work. » – Serge Turgeon, founder and artistic director of Film Noir au Canal
About the winning filmmaker
Sara Jade Alfaro-Dehghani is an Iranian-Mexican author and filmmaker who grew up in Oshawa, Ontario. She moved to Montreal at 17 and considers this city her home, while working and developing projects all over the world. A trained dancer, Sara brings to the screen a keen sense of rhythm and great physical presence, creating films that unfold with intention. Describing herself as a “1950s journalist” at heart, Sara loves investigation: unearthing scoops, exploring characters and building narrative universes that combine absurdity and emotional accuracy. His films often explore language barriers, cultural duality and melodrama. Film noir is his preferred language. Sara has a few collaborations under her belt, including one with New Zealand director Taika Waititi, and recently sold the rights to her film Hair! in Air Canada’s in-flight entertainment program. She is currently developing her first feature film. Outside of film sets, she takes care of her 50,000 bees and listens to the Twin Peaks soundtrack.
In addition to seeing her film presented on the big screen at each screening this year, the winning filmmaker wins a prize worth a total of $3,300, including $750 in cash from Film Noir at Canal, $1,500 in camera equipment rental services from CineGround, a passport to attend the 55th edition of the Festival du nouveau cinéma (FNC), including a double invitation to the opening and closing evenings, a one-year subscription to the Cinémathèque Quebec offering unlimited access to regular programming, a two-year subscription to the magazine 24 images, as well as two double passes to attend film premieres and $250 in cash, courtesy of pixelleX.
“The Festival would like to thank the partners of this competition which has been growing in popularity since its creation in 2023. The quality of the works submitted confirms the relevance of such an initiative which stimulates the creativity of filmmakers who present us with ever more surprising proposals each year. We congratulate the director of the winning short film and thank all the participants. » – François Pintal, new general director of Film Noir at the Canal This Sunday, see you at the canal!
The new edition of Film Noir au Canal opens this Sunday, July 12 at Square Saint-Patrick with the open-air screening of The Big Lebowski (1998) by the Coen brothers, presented in collaboration with the Festival du nouveau cinéma (FNC). From 7 p.m., the evening will begin with music with a performance by the Ukulele Club of Montreal, followed by a presentation of the film by Helen Faradji, critic at Radio-Canada, author of the book Reinventing film noir: the cinema of the Coen brothers and Quentin Tarantino, and director of programming for the Quebec City Film Festival. Admission is free. In the event of rain, the screening will be postponed to Monday July 13.
A launch like the opening film
To mark this first meeting, festival-goers are invited to wear their best costume inspired by one of the characters from the film The Big Lebowski. Those in disguise will have the chance to win a pair of tickets to see the unmissable Ascenseur pour l’échafaud (1958) by Louis Malle, presented in 35 mm on Saturday, July 18 at 8 p.m. at the Cinémathèque québécoise. This special screening is part of the double program Hommage à Jeanne Moreau, an initiative by Film Noir au Canal and the Cinémathèque québécoise aimed at highlighting the exceptional career of the French actress. On this occasion, film buffs will also be able to discover Touchez pas au grisbi (1954) by Jacques Becker, screened free of charge at Square Saint-Patrick on Sunday July 19, at nightfall.
About Six Sunday evenings in the summer, since 2015, Film Noir au Canal has presented cult detective films free of charge outdoors on the banks of the Lachine Canal. Amid silos and industrial buildings, the crime film festival could hardly dream of a better atmosphere. The films screened are from a selection of classic or contemporary film noir masterpieces. Film Noir au Canal is presented thanks to the financial support of W. Maxwell Agendas, the Arrondissement du Sud-Ouest, the Caisse Desjardins du Sud-Ouest de Montréal and the Caisse Desjardins de Montréal.