The premier 2014 viewing for the Chinook Film Group will be Gabrielle (2013), a film directed by French-Canadian director Louise Archambault.
The screening will be held at the Cochrane Movie House Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. and tickets are available at Java Jamboree and Movie Experts for $10.
Centered on a young woman with a gift for music, Gabrielle also has Williams syndrome, which is described as a genetic condition “characterized by medical problems, including cardiovascular disease, developmental delays and learning disabilities.”
Gabrielle finds love with a fellow choir member and together, she and her boyfriend set out to dispel the fears of their friends and family who are fearful of the couple’s pursuit of happiness due to their medical concerns and developmental delays.
It’s a love story about perseverance and fighting prejudice, starring Gabrielle Marion-Rivard, Alexandre Landry and Melissa Desormeaux-Poulin.
The feature film was funded through the Telefilm’s Canada Feature Film Fund and was produced by Luc Dery and Kim McCraw from micro_scope production company.
The release earned critical acclaim and several awards at 2013 festivals, including ‘Best Actor’ (Alexandre Landry) at the Gijon International Film Festival; the ‘Audience Award’ for Archambault at the Locarno International Film Festival; the ‘Audience Award’ for production company ‘micro_scope’ at the Namur International Festival of French-speaking Film; and the 2014 ‘Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award’ for ‘Best Supporting Actor in a Canadian Film’ (Alexandre Landry).
The film may be looking at a nomination in the ‘Best Foreign Language Film’ category at the 2014 Oscars.
