Sophie Deraspe

Sophie Deraspe (born October 27, 1973) is a Canadian director, director of photography, and producer. She is considered one of the leading figures of new Quebec cinema. Her work, which often deals with contemporary art, constantly questions limits, particularly those related to representation, as well as the limits of “reality” and fiction.

Sophie Deraspe
Born (1973-10-27) October 27, 1973
Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec
NationalityCanadian
Occupationfilm director, screenwriter
Years active2006—
Notable work
Vital Signs, The Amina Profile

She is known for her 2015 documentary The Amina Profile,[1] an exploration of the Amina Abdallah Arraf al Omari hoax of 2011.

She wrote and directed the narrative feature films Missing Victor Pellerin (Rechercher Victor Pellerin) in 2006,[2] Vital Signs (Les Signes vitaux) in 2009,[3] The Wolves (Les Loups) in 2015,[4] (FIPRESCI award in Torino).[5]

In 2019 she wrote, directed and shot Antigone, inspired by the 2008 death of Fredy Villanueva in Montreal and loosely adapting the play by Sophocles, saying the story of a women who defies the law for something greater resonated with her, and she wished to update it.[6][7] The film, starring Nahéma Ricci, premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival and won the festival's award for Best Canadian Film.[8][9] Antigone is chosen to represent Canada in the 2019 Oscars race. [10]

Biography

After studying visual arts in Austria, Sophie Deraspe majored in French literature and then film studies at the Université de Montréal from 1995 to 1998. After graduating with a B.A., she worked as a trainee in the directing department on such seminal Quebec feature films as Philippe Falardeau's debut feature La moitié gauche du Frigo [The Left-Hand Side of the Fridge, 2000] and André Turpin's Le crabe dans la tête [Soft-Shell Man, 2001], and served as DOP on numerous film and television productions. In 2001 she took a seat on the board of directors of Vidéographe, a Montreal-based artist-run center, serving as chairperson from 2007–2008.

In 2001 her documentary short film Moi, la mer, elle est belle was selected for Official competition at the Festival du film francophone de Namur (Belgium). Saute la coche, her fiction short, screened at festivals around the world, winning two prizes.

A first feature: Rechercher Victor Pellerin [Missing Victor Pellerin]

In 2006 Sophie Deraspe finished her first independent feature, the confounding Missing Victor Pellerin, which was awarded a Special Jury Mention (International competition) at the Montreal Festival of New Cinema.

A filmic investigation of a mysterious painter who has gone missing, the film screened at the Museum of Modern Art (New York) and in some twenty national and international festivals. At home, it was the opening night film at the Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois in Québec city – and later at the Quebec Film Week in San Francisco. The film received national distribution in Canada and screened theatrically in New York in 2007.

According to the eminent critic Marcel Jean (now director of the Cinémathèque québécoise) in the magazine 24 images (no 129): “The screenwriter, editor, camerawoman and actress of Missing Victor Pellerin, Sophie Deraspe plunges headlong in this unclassifiable debut feature film whose point of view – of significant resonance – essentially poses the question of appearances: it presents the world as a vast hoax in which Victor Pellerin's project can be viewed as scandalous in that it lifts the curtain on a corner of this vast fraud. The result is promising, filmmakers who, from their very first film, demonstrate both real ambition and a capacity to make us smile being few and far between.”

Numerous other critics also heaped on the praise: “Is Montrealer Sophie Deraspe's astonishing first film a documentary, mockumentary, cinematic installation piece, cinema vérité, performance workout, full-on fiction or flat-out hoax? Only one thing is obvious: it is a mind game of museum-worthy proportions” (John Griffin, The Montreal Gazette); “A small jewel of mind-boggling ingenuity” (Manon Dumais, Voir); “Unquestionably one of the most original Quebec films of the year” (Annabelle Nicoud, La Presse); “An uncanny, uncategorizable film... comic yet human” (Charles Petersen, The Village Voice); “An enigmatic and utterly compelling story” (Jeannette Catsoulis, The New York Times).

A second feature: Les signes vitaux [Vital Signs]

In 2009 Sophie Deraspe's second feature, Vital Signs, premiered in competition at the Festival of New Cinema (Montreal). It took the prize for Best New Canadian Film at the Whistler Film Festival (Canada), where the film's star, Marie-Hélène Bellavance, was named Best Actress for her widely praised debut performance.

In February 2006, the film screened in competition at the prestigious International Film Festival Rotterdam, competing for a Tiger Award.

From the start, critics raved: “A must-see” (Guillaume Fournier, Voir); “Unflinching, the beauty here is stripped naked and true. Superb acting and cinematography” (John Griffin, The Montreal Gazette). The film was featured on the cover of Ciné-Bulles magazine (winter 2010).

Vital Signs went on to a remarkable international career, winning over fifteen prizes at such festivals as:

  • SXSW Film Festival, Austin, Texas, USA, Official selection, March 2010.
  • Internationales Frauenfilmfestival, Cologne, Germany, Official competition, Special Jury Mention Prize, 2010.
  • Off Camera, Cracow, Poland, Official competition, April 2010.
  • Polar Lights International Arctic Film Festival, Murmansk, Russia, Official competition, Special Jury Prize and Best Actress Award, 2010.
  • Edinburgh International Film Festival, UK, Official competition, 2010.
  • Festival Internacional de Ciné de Santiago, Chile, Official competition, Special Jury Mention, 2010.
  • Festival Internacional de Cine de Monterrey, Mexico, Official competition, Best Film, Best Director, and Best Sound, 2010.
  • Mumbai International Film Festival, India, Official competition, Best Actress, 2010.
  • Festival du film francophone de Tübingen-Stuttgart, Germany, Official competition, Best Film, 2010.

Vital Signs was number four on Ciné-Bulles magazine's list of best films of 2010.

Two films in 2015: Les Loups [The Wolves] and Le profil Amina [A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile]

2015 was particularly productive for Sophie Deraspe, who completed two features that year.

The Wolves, a Canada-France co-production, brought together a range of Quebec's best-known actors: Évelyne Brochu, Louise Portal, Benoît Gouin, Gilbert Sicotte as well as a complete newcomer, Cindy-Mae Arsenault, a native of the Magdalen Islands, where the film was shot. The film tells the story of a young woman who arrives on an island in the Atlantic during the spring thaw and sets out to become part of the community of islanders, who maintain the tradition of seal hunting to earn their livelihood.

The Wolves, which was distributed by Les Films Séville International, was shown at the Whistler Film Festival, where the jury honored the performance by Louise Portal with a Special Mention. The Wolves was also chosen as the opening night film of the 2015 Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois, before going on to a theatrical release in Quebec and screenings at numerous international film festivals. At the Torino Film Festival in 2015, the Fipresci jury named it Best Film.

A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile (its US title) is the director's first feature-length documentary. After drawing a great deal of buzz at its world premiere in Official competition at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, the film continued its trajectory at numerous festivals around the world. IFC picked up the US rights for distribution theatrically and on their digital platform docclub.com [archive].

Critics were ecstatic. La Presse gave it 4 ½ stars, calling it “powerful, brilliant... extremely well constructed” while Variety praised its “slippery, deftly woven narrative.”

A partial list of festivals and awards includes:

  • Sundance Film Festival, Park City, 2015, Official competition [archive].
  • Hot Docs, Toronto, Canada, 2015 – Special Jury Prize, Canadian Feature Documentary [archive].
  • TLVFest, Tel Aviv, Israel, 2015 – Best Documentary Feature [archive].
  • GAZE, Dublin, Ireland, 2015 – Best Documentary [archive].
  • Istanbul International Independent Film Festival, Turkey, 2015, Official competition.
  • BFI Flare, London, England, 2015.
  • Frameline Film Festival, San Francisco, 2015 – Honorable Mention (Outstanding Documentary) [archive].
  • Japan Prize 2016, Grand Prize [archive].

Abandonment in the collective film The Seven Last Words (2019)

Canadian filmmaker, musician and composer Kaveh Nabatian assembles six directors beside himself for the multidisciplinary omnibus project The Seven Last Words. Besides himself and Sophie Deraspe are Ariane Lorrain, Sophie Goyette, Juan Andres Arango, Karl Lemieux, and Caroline Monnet who are joined by the British Callino String Quartet. The films were shot in Iran, Haiti, Colombia, Nunavut and Québec in 35mm, 16mm and HD while Marc Boucrot (of Gaspar Noe’s Enter the Void and Love) was the film's editor.

«Among the shorts, Sophie Deraspe tackling the most famous phrase, “My God. My God. Why have you forsaken me?” has the greatest impact.»[11]

Antigone (2019)

A soaring, contemporary adaptation of the Sophocles play, Antigone, written and directed by Sophie Deraspe, revisits the myth in the story of a 16-year-old girl who has immigrated to Canada with her grandmother, sister and two brothers following the tragic murder of their parents. When tragedy strikes again, and her older brother is killed by police and her younger brother threatened with deportation, Antigone defies the legal and social order to save what remains of her family.

After its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it was named Best Canadian Feature Film, Antigone was chosen to represent Canada at the Oscars in the category Best International Feature Film.

Filmography

Actress

Film
  • 2006: Missing Victor Pellerin

Television
  • 2012: Les dames aux caméras : as herself

Director and scriptwriter

Feature Film
  • 2006: Missing Victor Pellerin
  • 2009: Vital Signs
  • 2014: The Wolves
  • 2015: A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile (documentary)
  • 2019: The Seven Last Word
  • 2019: Antigone

Short Film
  • 2011: La part du déterminisme

Television
  • 2012: La vie nous arrive (documentary)

Director of photography

Feature Film
  • 2006: Missing Victor Pellerin
  • 2009: Vital Signs
  • 2019: The Seven Last Words
  • 2019: Antigone

Short Films
  • 2000: Solitude dans la foule
  • 2007: Pierre Gauvin, un moine moderne
  • 2011: La part du déterminisme

Bibliography
  • DEQUEN, Bruno and Philippe GAJAN (dir.), thematic section titled Renouveau du cinéma québécois, 24 images, no 152, June–July 2011, pp. 4-34.
  • DEQUEN, Bruno (organizer) et al., “Table ronde sur le renouveau du cinéma québécois,” Nouvelles Vues, no 12 (spring-summer 2011).
  • DERASPE, Sophie, “Les signes vitaux, entretien avec Sophie Deraspe,” Ciné-Bulles, no 278, Montreal, January 2010.
  • FARADJI, Helen, “Nouvelle vague 2.0?”, 24 images, Premiers plans blog, February 26, 2009.
  • FARADJI, Helen, “Les cordonniers,” 24 images, Premiers plans blog, November 4, 2010.
  • SIROIS-TRAHAN, Jean-Pierre, “La mouvée et son dehors: renouveau du cinéma québécois,” Cahiers du Cinéma, no 660, Paris, October 2010, pp. 76–78.

Awards
  • TIFF 2019: The best Canadian feature film trophy was awarded to Sophie Deraspe's Antigone.[12]
  • 2016 - A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile: Best Documentary, Society, Prix Gémeaux, Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.
  • 2016 - A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile: Nominated for Best Documentary, Gala du cinéma québécois.
  • 2016 - A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile: Grand Prize, Japan Prize, awarded by the NHK in Tokyo.
  • 2015 - The Wolves: Fipresci Prize, Turin Film Festival.
  • 2015 - Birks Diamond Tribute to the Year's Women in Film: Telefilm Canada and Birks, 2015, Toronto International Film Festival.
  • 2015 - A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile: Special Jury Prize, Canadian Feature Documentary, Hot Docs, Toronto, Canada.
  • 2015 - A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile: Best Documentary, TLVFest, Tel Aviv, Israel.
  • 2015 - A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile: Best Documentary, GAZE, Dublin, Ireland.
  • 2015 - The Wolves: Special Jury Mention for Louise Portal, Whistler, Canada.
  • 2010 - Vital Signs: Special Jury Prize, Torino Film Festival, Italy.
  • 2010 - Vital Signs: Best Film, Festival du film francophone de Tübingen-Stuttgart, Germany.
  • 2010 - Vital Signs: Best Actress, Mumbai International Film Festival, India.
  • 2010 - Vital Signs: Regiofun, Katowice, Poland, Special Mention for Nicolas Fonseca, producer.
  • 2010 - Vital Signs: Valois Magelis Prize (student jury), Festival du film francophone d’Angoulême, France.
  • 2010 - Vital Signs: Best Film, Best Director, and Best Sound, Festival Internacional de Cine de Monterrey, Mexico.
  • 2010 - Vital Signs: Special Jury Mention, Festival Internacional de Ciné de Santiago, Chile.
  • 2010 - Vital Signs: Special Jury Prize and Best Actress, Polar Lights International Arctic Film Festival, Murmansk, Russia.
  • 2010 - Vital Signs: Special Jury Mention, Internationales Frauenfilmfestival, Cologne, Germany.
  • 2009 - Vital Signs: Best New Canadian Film, Whistler Film Festival, Borsos Competition, Canada.
  • 2009 - Vital Signs: Best Actress (Marie-Hélène Bellavance), Whistler Film Festival, Borsos Competition, Canada.
  • 2006 - Missing Victor Pellerin: Jury Mention (International competition), Festival of New Cinema, Montreal.
  • 2004 - Saute la coche: Special Jury Prize, (Official competition), KFKF, Athens.
  • 2004 - Saute la coche: Grand Jury Prize, Children's Rainbow Film Festival, Nish, Serbia-Montenegro.
  • 1998 - Rien à voir: Jury Mention, Rétrospective de l’Université de Montréal, Canada.
gollark: Or use the Ap, which is lower-time.
gollark: Perhaps it is actually time-based, with chances being great on some days and awful on others.
gollark: or something like that.
gollark: ***TURN OR DIE***
gollark: What if we *tell* them they will be but don't?

See also

References
  1. "Online Hoax: Sophie Deraspe Discusses Her Sundance Doc The Amina Profile". Filmmaker. January 28, 2015.
  2. "Nothing what it seems in twisting tale of missing artist". Toronto Star. March 2, 2007.
  3. "Quebec director Sophie Deraspe wrote, directed and shot Borsos winner". Vancouver Sun. December 7, 2009.
  4. ""Les loups" de Sophie Deraspe ouvrira les Rendez-vous du cinema quebecois". Canadian Press. 26 November 2014.
  5. https://www.filmsquebec.com/loups-sophie-deraspe-prime-turin/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. Roy, Marie-Josée. "Sophie Deraspe amènera Antigone au cinéma québécois (Entrevue)". The Huffington Post (in French). Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  7. "La droiture d'Antigone, de Sophie Deraspe" (in French). Radio-Canada. 9 September 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  8. Vlessing, Etan (15 September 2019). "Toronto: Taika Waititi's 'Jojo Rabbit' Wins Audience Award". The Hollywood Reporter.
  9. Hertz, Barry (July 31, 2019). "TIFF 2019: Toronto festival's Canadian lineup a mix of familiar faces, exciting rookies and a starring role for David Cronenberg". The Globe and Mail.
  10. "Canada Selects TIFF Winner 'Antigone' For Oscar Race". Deadline. September 20, 2019.
  11. Smith, Justine (2019-06-14). "Anthology film The Seven Last Words is unified by music and human vulnerability". Cult MTL. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
  12. "Toronto: Taika Waititi's 'Jojo Rabbit' Wins Audience Award". hollywoodreporter.com. 15 September 2019.
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