In New France before the Conquest, Marie, an Aboriginal slave, was the servant of the region’s surgeon. His daily life is bleak and alienating. The encounter with a little girl she imagines to be hers, however, will give her the motive to take radical action.
The team
Directors: Julien G. Marcotte and Jani Bellefleur-Kaltush
Writer: Julien G. Marcotte in collaboration with Jani Bellefleur-Kaltush.
Distribution: Soleil Launière, Fred-Eric Salvail, Dorothée Gauthier-Nolett and Geneviève Boivin-Roussy
Production: Geneviève Gosselin-G.
Distribution & International Sales: Welcome Aboard
Cinematography: Nicolas Poitras-Gamache
Set Design: Rebecca Dory
Sound: Devin Ashton-Beaucage
Editing: Pier-Philippe Chevigny
Sound Design: Patrice LeBlanc
Festivals & Awards
- Vancouver International Film Festival, 2023 (World Premiere)
*Best Canadian Short Film - New Cinema Festival, 2023 (Québec’s Premiere)
- TIFF’s Top Ten, 2023
- Not Short on Talent, Clermont-Ferrand, 2024
- VUES Festival, 2024
- Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma, 2024
- Les Filministes, 2024
* Jury’s mention - International Film Festival of Ottawa, 2024
* Audience’s honourable mention - REGARD, 2024
- Canadian Film Fest, 2024
- Dawson City International Film Festival, 2024
- CSC Awards, 2024
The Directors
JANI BELLEFLEUR-KALTUSH
Originally from the Innu community of Nutashkuan, Jani Bellefleur-Kaltush is a director, artist, and translator. She has directed several short films, one of which won an award at the imagiNATIVE Festival in Toronto. Nika tshika uiten mishkut was presented in official competition at the International Documentary Meetings of Montreal (RIDM), at the Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois in Montreal and at the Festival Regard sur le court-film in Saguenay. His latest film Tshima it (Amen) was selected at several festivals. In 2017, she participated in a collective exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts entitled Kushapetshekan / Kosapitcikan. In 2022, she made La Forge – Édition 2022 and is in the middle of writing several projects.
JULIEN G. MARCOTTE
Julien G. Marcotte is a screenwriter and director based in Montreal. After earning a bachelor’s degree in film studies, he directed his first short film, Louise from 9 to 5 (2021), starring Fanny Mallette and Hubert Proulx. The film had its world premiere at the Off-courts Trouville festival and its Canadian premiere at the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma. His next film, Katshinau (2023), co-directed with Jani Bellefleur-Kaltush, explores slavery in 18th-century New France. At its world premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival, it won Best Canadian Short Film.