Working as a French-to-Spanish interpreter at a corn plant in the Richelieu Valley Quebec, Ariane (Ariane Castellanos) befriends Manuel (Marc-Andre Grondin), a migrant worker who’s left a family behind in Guatemala in search of better pay. Ariane begins to witness the abuse felt by the Spanish-speaking labourers. She’s forced to choose between turning a blind eye to protect her own job and standing up for the humanity of her fellow workers. Drawing from neo-realist traditions, beautifully photographed and elegantly constructed, Richelieu paints an undeniable portrait of a crisis unfolding across North America. Director Pier-Philippe Chevigny avoids didacticism and delivers an assured, emotionally resonant first feature which announces the arrival of a new Canadian talent.
September 29 & 30: Q&A with director Pier-Philippe Chevigny
Presented by
Media Partner
Ariane Castellanos, Marc-André Grondin, Nelson Coronado, Eve Duranceau, Luis Oliva
Canada/France/Guatemala
2023
Northern Lights
In French and Spanish with English subtitles
Depictions of Racism, Coarse Language, Violence, Crude Content
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
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
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.
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
The Blue Caftan
Richly erotic and deeply moving, Maryam Touzani’s queer-themed film takes us to urban Morocco and into the lives of three beautiful souls. Halim is a master tailor; Mina is his loyal wife; Youssef is the man who slowly comes between them.
The Sun Never Sets
At the suggestion of her much older (divorced) boyfriend, Wendy (Dakota Fanning) takes a summer to reevaluate her life and date other people. She's reluctant at first, but then reconnects with an old flame... A gentle indie comedy from Joe Swanberg.
Hanging by a Wire
The Himalayas, Aug 22, 2023: a cable car bearing 8 passengers (six of them schoolkids) is left dangling 900 feet above the ground when two out of three cables snap. This nailbiting documentary recounts the increasingly frantic rescue attempts.
