Goddess of the Fireflies

Goddess of the Fireflies (French: La déesse des mouches à feu) is a Canadian drama film, directed by Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette and released in 2020.[1] An adaptation of the novel by Geneviève Pettersen,[2] the film centres on the coming of age of Catherine (Kelly Depeault), a teenage girl living in a small town in Quebec in the early 1990s.[1]

Goddess of the Fireflies
Film poster
FrenchLa déesse des mouches à feu
Directed byAnaïs Barbeau-Lavalette
Written byCatherine Léger
Based onLa déesse des mouches à feu by Geneviève Pettersen
Produced byLuc Vandal
StarringKelly Depeault
Caroline Néron
Normand D'Amour
CinematographyJonathan Decoste
Edited byStéphane Lafleur
Music byMathieu Charbonneau
Production
company
Coop Vidéo de Montréal
Distributed byEntract Films
Release date
  • February 22, 2020 (2020-02-22) (Berlin)
Running time
105 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageFrench

Cast

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The cast includes Caroline Néron and Normand D'Amour as Catherine's parents, Éléonore Loiselle as her best friend Marie-Ève, and Robin L'Houmeau, Noah Parker, Antoine DesRochers and Marine Johnson as her classmates.

Production

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Kelly Depeault was 17 years old at the time of filming the movie in which she has some nude and explicit sex scenes. While director Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette admits that the shooting went smoothly, she also admits to having worked a lot with the actors during the sex scenes, which were the most delicate to stage according to her.[3]

Release

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The film premiered in February 2020 at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival in the Generation 14plus program.[1] It was subsequently screened at the 2020 Quebec City Film Festival, where it won the Grand Prix.[4] It premiered commercially in Canada on September 25.[5]

Awards and nominations

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Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
Canadian Screen Awards May 20, 2021 Best Adapted Screenplay Catherine Léger Nominated [6]
Best Art Direction/Production Design André-Line Beauparlant Nominated
Best Stunt Coordination Tyler Hall Nominated
Prix collégial du cinéma québécois 2022 Best Film Goddess of the Fireflies Nominated [7]
Prix Iris June 6, 2021 Best Film Luc Vandal Won [8][9]
Best Director Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette Won
Best Supporting Actor Normand D'Amour Nominated
Robin L'Houmeau Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Éléonore Loiselle Nominated
Caroline Néron Won
Revelation of the Year Kelly Depeault Won
Best Screenplay Catherine Léger Nominated
Best Cinematography Jonathan Decoste Nominated
Best Editing Stéphane Lafleur Won
Best Sound Sylvain Bellemare, Paul Col, Bernard Gariépy Strobl, Martyne Morin Nominated
Best Hair Johanne Paiement Won
Best Makeup Kathryn Casault Nominated
Best Casting Murielle La Ferrière, Marie-Claude Robitaille Won
Public Prize Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette, Luc Vandal, Catherine Léger Nominated
Most Successful Film Outside Quebec Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette, Luc Vandal, Catherine Léger Nominated
Quebec City Film Festival September 2020 Grand Prix Won [4]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Jared Mobarak, "Berlin Review: Goddess of the Fireflies Brings 1990s Adolescent Energy to Life". The Film Stage, February 23, 2020.
  2. ^ Kay, Jeremy (January 22, 2020). "Generation 14plus entry 'Goddess Of The Fireflies' among WaZabi Films EFM slate". Screen Daily.
  3. ^ "Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette: "l'adolescence, c'est une prise de risques"". quebeccinema.ca. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Le film "La déesse des mouches à feu" couronné au FCVQ". Le Journal de Québec. September 21, 2020.
  5. ^ Charles-Henri Ramond, "Sorties en salle août et septembre 2020". Films du Québec, July 31, 2020.
  6. ^ Brent Furdyk (March 30, 2021). "Canadian Screen Awards Announces 2021 Film Nominations". ET Canada. Archived from the original on March 30, 2021.
  7. ^ Maxime Demers, "Prix collégial du cinéma québécois : les finalistes dévoilés". Le Journal de Montréal, January 18, 2022.
  8. ^ "Gala Québec Cinéma : La déesse des mouches à feu en tête des nominations". Ici Radio-Canada. April 27, 2021.
  9. ^ "La déesse des mouches à feu triomphe au Gala Québec Cinéma" (in French). Radio-Canada. 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
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