LEWIS COHEN

President of the jury

Lewis Cohen has worked as a writer and producer for television and Emmy award-winning documentary films. He wrote and directed the 13-episode television program Cirque du Soleil: Fire Within, winner of two Gemini Awards in 2003. In 2007, Cohen was awarded Best Artistic Program or Documentary for his feature-length documentary Lovesick. Lewis returned as a writer and creative producer for a second season of The Beat in 2011-2012. More recently, he made the documentary, Jews and Money, investigating the kidnapping of a young Parisian Jew for ransom.

DANNY BLANCO-HALL

Danny Blanco-Hall was born in Montreal to a Cuban-Haitian father and a Colombian mother. After completing his studies, he devoted himself to singing, developing a diverse repertoire and performing in a range of venues. In 1998, he made his theatrical debut in the musical Rent, first appearing in Toronto. Upon his return to Montreal, Blanco-Hall pursued his new-found love of acting in a number of American and Canadian projects. In Quebec, he is known for his early work in Les hauts et les bas de Sophie Paquin, Sortie 67 et Temps dur. This year, he will grace the silver screen in several Hollywood productions, such as Riddick, White House Down and X-Men, as well as Mémoires vives and Trauma.

DENIS CHOUINARD

Denis Chouinard graduated from the Judith Weston School for Acting Techniques in Los Angeles, California, after obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Communications (Theater) at the University of Quebec in Montreal. He has written and directed six short films and his three feature-length films, L’ange de goudron, Clandestins and Délivrez-moi have all received awards at international festivals. In addition to his career as a filmmaker, Denis Chouinard has become heavily involved in the promotion and distribution of Quebec cinema, particularly as President of the Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois and Vice-President of the Cinémathèque québécoise. Since 2008, he has been a professor at l’École des médias at the University of Quebec in Montreal.

ANNE LAGACÉ-DOWSON

Anne Lagacé-Dowson is an award-winning reporter and the director of ENSEMBLE for the Respect of Diversity, a non-profit organization working with young people to promote an environment free of bullying and discrimination in Quebec schools. For years she worked as a host on CBC news and current affairs. She hosted and produced shows such as As It Happens and Cross Country Checkup. In Montreal, she helped create C’est La Vie. She was also the host of Radio Noon and Home Run. Anne has been praised by La Presse, who has said that Anne is the hyphen between English and French Canada.

DAVID ULOTH

David Uloth has degrees from McGill University in Biology and Concordia University in Film Production. His 12 short films have been screened at over 200 international festivals and have been sold to several television channels worldwide. His films have also won 18 national and international awards including the Audience Award for Best Canadian Short Film at the Montreal World Film Festival in 2007. David is currently writing three feature-length dramatic screenplays. He will soon direct his first feature-length film, Secrets of Shells, written by his long-time collaborator, Chloé Cinq-Mars.

JENNIFER ALLEYN

President of the jury
Jennifer Alleyn was a journalist and photographer before participating in La Course Destination World (Radio-Canada) in 1991. To launch her cinematographic career, she made 26 short films on five continents. Her first narrative film, Cosmos, won the Art and Experimental Cinema Award at Cannes in 1997. Her film Svanok was awarded the Best Short Fiction Award at the Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois cinema in 2006. In 2008, L’atelier de mon père, Alleyn’s first feature-length film, received the Award for Best Canadian Work at the 26th International Festival of Films on Art in Montreal (FIFA), a Gémeaux award and a Jutra nomination. Jennifer has also worked with Nancy Huston on an installation at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Montreal and as a curator for the exhibit De l’écran au crayon.

ANAIS BARBEAU-LAVALETTE

Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette has made several documentaries, including THE LITTLE GIANTS and REMEMBERING THE ASHES (Focus on Fire), which carry both the Gemini Award for Best Documentary. She signed two long-fiction (THE RING and Inshallah), which will be presented and awarded at many festivals (FIPRESCI Award at the Berlin Film Festival). She wrote a novel (JE VOUDRAIS QU’ON M’EFFACE, finalist in the Booksellers) and publishes chronic travel (EMBRASSER YASSER ARAFAT) In 2012, she was named Artist for Peace this year. In spring 2013, the Place des Arts offers him a white card (duet with Émile Proulx-Cloutier). She then climbs the Multi Cabaret “You Are Free.” She is currently working on new projects while accompanying his latest film (sold in twenty countries) around the world.

PAUL TANA

After studying literature, Paul Tana became interested in cinema. In 1985, Tana directed Caffè Italia, Montreal, a feature-length documentary that won the Louis-Ernest-Ouimet-Molson Prize for Best Quebecois Film of the Year. In 1992, his feature-length narrative film, The Saracen Woman was screened at several festivals and won the SARDeC award for Best Screenplay and the SODEC award for for Best Director. More recently, in 2012 he directed Marguerita, a short documentary that is currently being edited. Since 1989, he has taught film at UQAM and is now head of the undergraduate Communications (Cinema) program and is René-Malo Chair of cinema.

MICHEL MONTY

President of the jury
Over the course of his multifaceted career, Michel Monty has worked as a director, actor, writer, director and teacher. He has directed nearly thirty films and plays, often his own creations. He has written and directed a number of pieces for his company, Trans- Théâtre. He directed his first feature-length narrative film, Une vie qui commence, winning the Bayard d’Or for Best First Film at the au Festival International du Cinéma Francophone de Namur in Belgium. Michel Monty teaches at the Conservatoire d’art dramatique in Montreal and is currently writing two feature films, Accidents de Parcours and Alexis le Trotteur

FAYOLLE JEAN

A graduate of Haiti’s Conservatoire national d’art dramatique, Fayolle Jean is an actor, director and poet. Upon arriving in Quebec in 1979, he became immediately involved in the cultural milieu. Since then, he has taken part in various cinematic and television productions. He has appeared in several television shows, including Jasmine, Music-Hall, Km/h, Pure laine, Bob Gratton, Durham County (Season 3), and Trauma, in which he has had a recurring role. In addition, he has worked with a range of directors in a number of films, including Matusalem (Roger Cantin) A Sunday in Kigali (Robert Favreau), Bon Cop, Bad Cop (Erik Canuel), Suzie (Micheline Lanctôt) and the feature-length film Décharge (Benoit Pilon).

PHILIPPE LECLERC

Philippe Leclerc is an intellectual and progressive activist who has long worked in the student community, social economy, and youth policy. Holds an MA in political science, it is a creative and seasoned entrepreneur, who helped found the Echo Logic Consortium and Nagorik Productions, as well as a producer of experience arts (Zoofest, Just to laugh). He was a candidate in a by-election in the riding of Saint-Laurent in 2010 and has chaired several local and national student associations. He served as Director of Public Affairs of the Just For Laughs Group in the last two years, where he participated in the ideation and development Hahahaïti humor in the Canadian Francophonie.