Gonella Productions

LANGUAGE: No Dialog

Genre: dance, historical, LGBTQ+
Running Time: 8 minutes 09
Year of production: 2013

SYNOPSIS

Dedicated to the memory of the Second World War's homosexual victims.
Staged against minimalist backdrops and accompanied by a hypnotic original score, this highly cinematic contemporary dance film abstractly depicts the persecution of homosexuals at the hands of the Third Reich.

PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION

Production Company: Simon Vermeulen
Film exports/World sales: Gonella Productions

CAST

Dancer: Simon Vermeulen
Soldiers: Stéphane Ducharme, Yanick Ethier
Prisoners: Jean-Olivier Nadon, Frédéric Wiper
Body Double: Yoan Leviel

MAIN CREDITS

Director: Kays Mejri
Screenwriter: Kays Mejri, Simon Vermeulen
Choreographer: Simon Vermeulen
Producer: Simon Vermeulen
Associate Producers: Kays Mejri, Simon Lamarre-Ledoux, Jacques Vermeulen, Paul Yellen
Director of Photography: Simon Lamarre-Ledoux
Sound: Christian Thomas
Editing: Benoît Rocheleau, Hamza Mahjoub
Sound Editing: Audio Zone
Music Composer: Christian Thomas

TECHNICAL DETAILS

Genre: Dance
Sub-genre: Historical
Language: None
Country of origin: Canada
Year of production: 2013
Total running time: 8 minutes 09
Shooting format: RED 4K
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1

FESTIVAL SELECTIONS

Film Festival Participations and Screenings

- Festival de Cannes, represented by Telefilm Canada, Palais des Festivals, Cannes, 2013 (Not Short on Talent)
- Toronto International Film Festival, TIFF Bell Lightbox, Toronto, 2013 (Nominated Best Canadian Short Film)
- Vancouver International Film Festival, SFU Woodwards, Vancity Theatre, Vancouver, 2013
- Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, Cinéma du Parc, Montreal, 2013
- Clermont-Ferrand International Film Festival Market, Clermont-Ferrand, 2014
- Beloit International Film Festival, Bagels & More, Club Impulse, La Casa Grande, Beloit, WI, 2014
- Rendez-Vous du Cinéma Québécois, Cinémathèque Québécoise, Montreal, 2014 (Competition Prix Prends ça court!, Competition CALQ Prix à la Relève Artistique)
- Tampere Film Festival, Finnkino Plevna, Tampere, 2014
- Regard sur le Court-Métrage au Saguenay, Salle Murdock, Théâtre Banque Nationale, Saguenay, 2014
- Cinedans, Eye Cinema, Amsterdam, 2014 (Nominated Dioraphte Cinedans Jury Award)
- Loikka Dance Film Festival, Orion, Helsinki, 2014
- American Online Film Awards, online, 2014
- LA Pride Festival, selected by Level Ground, Los Angeles, CA, 2014
- Festival Quartiers Danses, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal, Cinéma Beaubien, Montreal, 2014
- Jumping Frames International Dance Video Competition, The ONE Broadway, Hong Kong, 2014
- Aarhus Filmfestival, Øst for Paradis, Aarhus, 2014
MUVI, online, 2014 (Nominated Best Choreography)
- Festival Paris Courts Devant, Pathé Wepler, Cinéma des Cinéastes, Paris, 2014 (Music Films International Competition)
- On Level Ground Film Festival Shorts Showcase The Audience Awards), online, 2015 (International Competition)
- Festival MURAL, Montreal, 2015
- Tampere Film Festival, Finnkino Plevna, Arthouse Cinema Niagara, Tampere, 2018
- Festival Quartiers Danses, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal, Montreal, 2021
- AudPop Pride Film Challenge, online, 2022 (Winner Grand Prize Jury Award)

Collections

- Canadian Museum for Human Rights Library, Winnipeg
- École de danse contemporaine de Montréal, Montreal
- Vimeo, online (Staff Pics)

Group Exhibition

Transformation, Le Livart, Montreal, 2017 (exhibited with the Glass Shoes)