from FNC

10 ½ by Podz and Curling by Denis Côté, screen as the opening and closing films of the 39th FNC.

10½, the second feature by Podz, is the story of Tommy (Robert Naylor), a 10-year-old well-known to social services. A rebellious kid who resists affection as much as authority, he is dismissed as a lost cause by most of his teachers. Only Gilles (Claude Legault), his new teacher, detects a glimmer of hope in a boy whose only language is violence.

Curling chronicles a winter in the lives of Jean-François and Julyvonne Sauvageau, an overprotective father and his young, socially isolated daughter. Strange things happen to disrupt their quiet, uneventful routine. The film, recently awarded the Silver Leopard for best director and a best actor award for Emmanuel Bilodeau at the prestigious Locarno festival, stars Emmanuel Bilodeau, Philomène Bilodeau, Roc Lafortune and Sophie Desmarais. A movie of commitment and compassion!