Marianne Farley – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

Kingston Canadian Film Festival 2023: Female Overview – Rachel West reports

February 28, 2023August 2, 2023 Rachel West Carly Stone, Charlotte Le Bon, Falcon Lake, Lindsay MacKay, Marianne Farley, Marta McDonald

At this year’s event, 15 out of 28 features films and 21 out of 38 short films are directed by women according to KCFF’s Logistics Manager, Marta McDonald, meaning women-directed films make up nearly 55% of programming. When it comes to achieving gender parity, “there’s not a specific mandate that’s been crafted” by the festival but there is a conversation around “what kind of voices we want to be heard in the festival, whether that’s women, Indigenous voices, BIPOC or Black voices,” says McDonald.

Movie of the Week Reviews

MOVIE OF THE WEEK June 18, 2021- LES NOTRES

June 13, 2021June 24, 2021 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, Emilie Bierre, Jeanne Leblanc, jennifer merin, Judith Baribeau, Les Notres, leslie combemale, loren king, Marianne Farley, Marilyn Ferdinand., motw, Movie of the Week, Pam Grady, Paul Doucet, Quebecois films, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole

Emilie Bierre delivers a gripping performance as 13-year-old Magalie in Quebecois writer/director Jeanne Leblanc’s wrenching drama Les Notres. Unexpectedly pregnant and left feeling adrift and out of control as her life constricts around her, Magalie is a child who’s forced to make adult decisions after a trusted family friend — literally — abuses that trust. But, as she learns, decisions have consequences.

Reviews

LES NOTRES – Review by Sandie Angulo Chen

June 7, 2021June 13, 2021 Sandie Angulo Chen Emilie Bierre, Jeanne Leblanc, Les Notres, Marianne Farley, motw, Movie of the Week, Paul Doucet, Quebecois films

Canadian writer-director Jeanne Leblanc’s family drama centers on 13-year-old Magalie, whose unexpected pregnancy throws her small Quebec town into a state of constant gossip. Everyone is quick to blame Magalie’s best friend and neighbor Manuel, who happens to be the Mexican-born teen foster child to the town’s beloved mayor -and his wife.

Reviews

LES NOTRES – Review by Jennifer Merin

June 7, 2021June 12, 2021 Jennifer Merin Emilie Bierre, Jeanne Leblanc, Les Notres, Marianne Farley, motw, Movie of the Week, Paul Doucet, Quebecois films

Les Notres, Quebecois writer/director Jeanne Leblanc’s beautifully crafted, taut and extremely gripping coming-of-age drama, centers on 13-year old Magalie (Emillie Bierre), a joyful and talented schoolgirl whose life falls apart when she realizes she’s pregnant and circumstances force her to face and experience the full impact of sexual predation by – no spoiler because it’s evident early in the narrative — the beloved mayor of the tight-knit community in which she lives.

Reviews

LES NOTRES – Review by Loren King

June 7, 2021June 12, 2021 Loren King Emilie Bierre, Jeanne Leblanc, Les Notres, Marianne Farley, motw, Movie of the Week, Paul Doucet, Quebecois films

Among several recent standout films such as Groomed and Slalom that are about the sexual manipulation and abuse of young girls, director Jeanne Leblanc’s Les Notres (Our Own) distinguishes itself for its seeming “normal” depiction of small town life until it gradually turns dark and uncomfortable.