Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre’s Jutra Selected For Directors’ Fortnight At Cannes

^[1]The prestigious Cannes International Film Festival ^[2] has announced that Jutra, a short film directed and produced by Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre (MJSTP Films ^[3]) in co-production with the National Film Board of Canada ^[1] (Marc Bertrand), will feature on the lineup of the 46th Directors’ Fortnight ^[4]. An international showcase organized by the Film Directors’ Guild (Société des Réalisateurs de Films, SRF), the Directors’ Fortnight will take place from May 15–25, 2014. Based on skilfully assembled archival footage and animated sequences, Jutra is an ingenious portrait of the great Quebec filmmaker Claude Jutra ^[5], director of Mon oncle Antoine. Pursuing the process she began in 2006 with McLaren’s Negatives, Saint-Pierre has created a new animated documentary in which she encapsulates the career of a filmmaking legend with finesse and originality.
Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre graduated from Concordia University and founded MJSTP Films, an independent production company, in 2004. Over the years, she has developed a cohesive body of work that sits at the crossroads of animation and documentary. Many of her films, notably Post-Partum, Passages, McLaren’s Negatives and Le projet Sapporo, have won awards. Jutra marks her first co-production with the NFB.

Claude Jutra (1930–1986) is a major figure in Quebec film history. His works include the masterpieces Mon oncle Antoine and À tout prendre. He also co-directed A Chairy Tale with Norman McLaren. The annual Jutra Awards, which pay tribute to the year’s best Quebec films and their makers, are named in his honour.

Jutra will also feature on the Not Short on Talent ^[6] program created by Danny Lennon for Telefilm Canada and will also be screened at Hot Docs ^[7], the Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto from April 24–May 4, 2014.

“An original mix of animation and documentary, Jutra by Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre juxtaposes the two genres to push the boundaries of filmmaking,” said Claude Joli-Coeur, Acting Government Film Commissioner and Chairperson of the National Film Board of Canada. “As such, it aptly illustrates how the NFB, on the eve of its 75th anniversary, continues to serve as a creative space where parallel worlds and uncommon visions can find their place and flourish.”