Competition 5&6
Host: Louise Morel (Travelling Distribution)

A conversation led by the talented Alexia Roc (Aux garçons de mon âge) and Zoé Pelchat (C’est ma sœur), joined by the incomparable Alexandra Myotte and Jean-Sébastien Hamel (Ce qu’on laisse derrière). Powerful, striking, and deeply moving, their works draw on the emotional landscape of childhood to explore resilience, solidarity, and emancipation, while highlighting the rich dialogue between cinema and other artistic disciplines.

In Aux garçons de mon âge, Sasha tries to assert herself at a dance summer camp. Driven by vibrant music and choreography, the film thoughtfully addresses femininity, consent, rape culture, and the strength of sisterhood. This sense of musicality and solidarity continues in C’est ma sœur, where two sisters support one another as the younger faces prejudice related to her Down syndrome. Taking a different approach, Ce qu’on laisse derrière uses animation as a powerful metaphorical tool. Set in a nightmarish world from which its protagonist struggles to escape, the film confronts the trauma of sexual violence with unflinching honesty.

Alexia first caught the attention of Festival REGARD in 2023 with Bergen, Norvège, making such a strong impression that she has since joined the international preselection committee. Zoé continues the remarkable trajectory she began with Lune and Gaby les collines, confirming her artistic maturity with C’est ma sœur, which recently premiered at the Berlinale. After winning nearly thirty awards at major festivals with Un trou dans la poitrine (2023), Alexandra and Jean-Sébastien return in full force with this hard-hitting new film.