Today. Northern Quebec at the beginning of winter.
Mani, a law master’s student, returns to her remote Indigenous reserve and realizes that many outdated paternalistic laws are still in force. Resolved to reintegrate into the community, she gets involved in the debate around a referendum on allowing the free sale of alcohol on the reserve.
This is catastrophic for Laura, a 45-year-old bootlegger, who has been smuggling illegal alcohol onto the reserve for years.
When painful past resurfaces, opposing forces quickly divide the community into two clans who must come face to face to determine the best path to independence.
Mani, a law master’s student, returns to her remote Indigenous reserve and realizes that many outdated paternalistic laws are still in force. Resolved to reintegrate into the community, she gets involved in the debate around a referendum on allowing the free sale of alcohol on the reserve.
This is catastrophic for Laura, a 45-year-old bootlegger, who has been smuggling illegal alcohol onto the reserve for years.
When painful past resurfaces, opposing forces quickly divide the community into two clans who must come face to face to determine the best path to independence.
Director
Caroline Monnet is a multidisciplinary artist of Algonquin ancestry from Outaouais, Quebec. She studied in both Sociology and Communication at the University of Ottawa (Canada) and the University of Granada (Spain) before and installation, her work seeks to communicate complex ideas around Indigenous identity and bicultural living through the examination of cultural histories. She is based in Montréal.
Monnet’s short films have screened at numerous festivals including Toronto International Film Festival ( Ikwé, Warchild, Creatura Dada, Emptying the Tank ), Les Rencontres Internationales Paris/Berlin (Gephyrophobia) and Sundance Film Festival ( Mobilize). She won a Golden Sheaf Award at the Yorkton Film Festival for Best experimental film for Mobilize. She was nominated for two Canadian Screen Awards: Best Short Drama for Roberta and Best Short Documentary Tshieutin. She is currently developing with Microclimat Films her first feature film entitled Bootlegger, selected for both CineMart and Berlinale Co-Production Market 2016. The project won Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival 2017, an award granted by Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC) and Cinéfondation.
Monnet’s short films have screened at numerous festivals including Toronto International Film Festival ( Ikwé, Warchild, Creatura Dada, Emptying the Tank ), Les Rencontres Internationales Paris/Berlin (Gephyrophobia) and Sundance Film Festival ( Mobilize). She won a Golden Sheaf Award at the Yorkton Film Festival for Best experimental film for Mobilize. She was nominated for two Canadian Screen Awards: Best Short Drama for Roberta and Best Short Documentary Tshieutin. She is currently developing with Microclimat Films her first feature film entitled Bootlegger, selected for both CineMart and Berlinale Co-Production Market 2016. The project won Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival 2017, an award granted by Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC) and Cinéfondation.
Cast & crew
CAST
Devery Jacobs (The Order Netflix TV Series, American Gods TV Series)
Pascale Bussières (The Demons, Ville-Marie)
DOP
Nicolas Canniccioni (Gerontophilia, Genesis)
PRODUCER
Catherine Chagnon for Microclimat Films (The Seven Last Words)
Executive producer
Pierre Even (War Witch, C.R.A.Z.Y)
Festivals and awards
- GÖTEBORG FF
- FESTIVAL DU NOUVEAU CINEMA DE MONTREAL - Golden VIFFF and Jury Prize
- IMAGINENATIVE
- SYDNEY IFF
- GOLD COAST IFF
- MONS IFF
- MOOOV
“Caroline Monnet really
succeeds in making us live and
feel this reality that we don’t
know very well.”
succeeds in making us live and
feel this reality that we don’t
know very well.”
