Ariane takes a job at a local corn plant in Richelieu Valley, Quebec, as a French-to-Spanish interpreter for the seasonal migrant workers employed there. She befriends Manuel, a young man who has left his family behind in Guatemala to earn as much as he can in Canada. As Ariane begins to witness the mistreatment and exploitation of the workers, and as the only one who seems to see them as real people, she finds it increasingly difficult to keep quiet. Everyone from boss to migrant worker feels a deep desperation to keep their job, but the individual choices they make in the face of mounting pressure reveal everyone’s true character. Richelieu is a strong debut inspired by interviews with workers that director Pier-Phillipe Chevigny conducted with the assurance of anonymity. Chevigny realized that through fiction, they may have an opportunity to tell the truth. Filmed in an immersive visual style, audiences are pulled in as Ariane navigates the increasingly complex situation, and are called to question their own complacency: “would I make things right?”
Q&A on September 29
Presented by
Ariane Castellanos, Marc-André Grondin, Nelson Coronado, Eve Duranceau, Luis Oliva
Canada/France/Guatemala
2023
In French and Spanish with English subtitles
Depictions of Racism, Coarse Language, Violence, Crude Content
Education Guide
Curriculum Interests
The Education Guide will be available soon.
- Social 9
- Social 10
- Études littéraires et artistiques + nouveaux médias 10 + 11
- Français langue et culture 12
- Core French 9-12
- Français langue seconde 9-12
- Spanish 9-12
- Études du cinéma et de la littérature francophones 11 + 12
- Economic Theory 12
- Social Justice 12
- Explorations in Social Studies 11
Director
Pier-Philippe Chevigny
Pier-Philippe Chevigny is a filmmaker from Montreal, Quebec. His films combine contemporary sociopolitical subject-matter with a distinct visual style. In 2019, his short film Rebel received worldwide attention: after premiering at TIFF, it went on to screen at over 140 festivals. Pier-Philippe is currently working on a second feature co-written with Chloe Robichaud.
In-Cinema
Date |
Time |
Venue |
| Friday, September 29 | 10:00 am | International Village, Theatre 10 |
| Friday, September 29 | 12:30 pm | International Village, Theatre 10 |
How to Book
Booking is now closed.
Questions? Contact our Ignite team at [email protected]
Credits
Producer
Geneviève Gosselin-G. Milena Poylo, Gilles Sacuto, Alice Bloch, Jean-Francois Bigot, Camille Raulo
Screenwriter
Pier-Philippe Chevigny
Cinematography
Gabriel Brault Tardif
Editor
Amelie Labreche
Production Design
Yola Van Leeuwenkamp