SCREEN MACHINE
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SCREEN MACHINE (LA MACHINE ÉCRAN) PRESENTS
LA DERNIÈRE VOIX
(The City Without Windows)
A short film written and directed by Julien Fonfrède and Karim Hussain
Synopsis:
One day,
all the windows in the City disappeared... Then the rain started... No matter what people tried, nothing could stop the water. Soon, disease spread, robbing people's abilities to speak; the endless rain killing all other forms of communication with its acidic torrent. This was a time when dialogue became a new challenge. When everything we knew had to be reinvented. This was also a time, in the midst of a chaotic, decaying environment, when a man tried to cope with the loss of his former lover.
Credits:
Directed by: Julien Fonfrède, Karim Hussain
Written by: Julien Fonfrède, Karim Hussain
Produced by: Anne Cusson, Julien Fonfrède, Karim Hussain, Valérie Truong
Cinematography: Karim Hussain
Music and Special Sound Design: David Kristian
In collaboration with: S.O.D.E.C, Télé Québec
Production company: Screen Machine (La Machine Écran)
Starring: Pascale Montpetit, Marc-Andy Henry, Lexei Bacci, Mahalia Verna, Chris Piggins
35 mm / 1:85 / 12.43 minutes / Sound Projection Format: Dolby SR
Language: French with English subtitles
Year: 2002
Country:Canada
Screen Machine (La Machine Écran)
4071 Drolet, Montréal, Québec, H2W 2L5, Canada - Tel.: (514) 992-1274/ Fax: (514) 842 6709 –
PRESS CLIPINGS
“With La Dernière Voix, Fonfrède and Hussain do not only show proof of irrefutable talent, but also open the doors to the subconscious to allow a world transcended by the magic of imagination…. Faithful to their thematic preoccupations, the image has been sculpted to the point of conjuring up an aura of mystery.
SÉQUENCES MAGAZINE (Québec)
«An ambitious Science Fiction film … Influenced by (bits of) Blade Runner - beautiful photography and rainy ambience- the film takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where communication is on the verge of extinction and where people communicate in scaring messages on their bodies.»
DVDRAMA, le premier quotidien du DVD (France)
«In La Dernière Voix, the world is on the verge of extinction: the rain is ceaseless, all the windows have disappeared – and disease has spread, silencing humanity. This is an astonishingly lurid film about decay and the need to find a new way to communicate.»
TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Toronto, Canada)
«An astonishing short film depicting a city crumbling under an endless rain and where oral communication has disappeared. Serious and beautifully sentimental…»
VOIR MAGAZINE (Montréal, Canada)
«La Dernière Voix is more proof that Quebec is a different country. It’s a vision of a creepy, unexplained apocalypse, told in haunting tableaux and widly poetic, whispered voice-over. OK, this film might not exist without Tarkovsky’s Solaris, but so what? … Miss it at your peril. This one’s a winner…»
NOW MAGAZINE (Toronto, Canada)
«… A standout, La Dernière Voix is written and directed by Montreal bad boys Julien Fonfrède and Karim Hussain. Narrated by Pascal Montpetit, this is a surreal fable that is full of astonishing imagery and novel ideas…»
MIRROR MAGAZINE (Montreal, Canada)
«A real surprise. Former shock-jocks Julien Fonfrède and Karim Hussain have assembled a thoughtful, even contemplative 12 minute film about a disease that is gradually robbing all the inhabitants of a rain-invaded city of the power of speech. Full of terrible beauty, haunting sounds and worrying ideas, this drowned apocalyptic vision is hard to shake. J.G. Ballard would approve.»
THE GAZETTE (Montreal, Canada)
«Fantasy is not necessarily a word you associate with our chez nous cinema, but Julien Fonfrède and Karim Hussain’s La Dernière Voix is a work of rich, albeit morbid, imagination…An impressive visual poem about love and the end of the world…»
HOUR MAGAZINE (Montreal, Canada)
«Forty days and nights of rain destroyed the world; but what was it like as the rain fell? La Dernière Voix, water erodes much more than the material world of this mythic city, affecting language, communication, and identity as well. Surreal images and an ambient musical score make this film unforgettable in both its execution and its message. »
HAWAII INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (USA)
«La Dernière Voix is a film with an impressive art direction directed by Montreal up and coming genre directors Julien Fonfrède and Karim Hussain.»
TAKE ONE, FILM AND TELEVISION IN CANADA (CANADA)
«Full of dark anguish, Julien Fonfrède and Karim Hussain’s La Dernière Voix is truly original and a groundbreaking cinematic experience…»
CINÉ-COURT.COM, LE SITE WEB DU COURT-MÉTRAGE (FRANCE)
LA DERNIÈRE VOIX
- SCREENING HISTORY -
NOMINATED FOR A JUTRA (BEST SHORT FILM), 2003,
QUEBEC’S FILM ACADEMY AWARDS YEARLY CEREMONY
PARTICIPATION AT FESTIVALS
1) ESPOO-CINÉ(Finlande, august 2002)
2) LE FORUM DES IMAGES / L’ÉTRANGE FESTIVAL(Paris, France, august/september 2002)
3) TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL(Canada, september 2002)
4) VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL(Canada, september/october 2002)
5) SITGES: FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL DE CINEMA DE CATALUNYA(Spain, october 2002))
6) FESTIVAL OF NEW CINÉMA AND NEW MÉDIAS(Canada, october 2002)
7) DONOSTIA – SAN SEBASTIAN(Spain, october 2002)
8) L’ÉTRANGE FESTIVAL DE STRASBOURG(France, october 2002)
9) STOCKHOLM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL(Sweeden, november 2002)
10) HAWAII INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL(USA, november 2002)
11) NEMO: FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL DU CINÉMA INDÉPENDANT DE PARIS(Paris, january 2003)
12) ROTTERDAM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL(Netherland, january 2003)
13) FESTIVAL DU COURT MÉTRAGE DE CLERMONT FERRAND(France, january 2003)
- special market screening –
14) LES RENDEZ-VOUS DU CINÉMA QUÉBÉCOIS(Canada, february 2003)
15) REGARD SUR LE COURT MÉTRAGE AU SAGUENAY(Canada, february 2003)
16) FESTIVAL DU NOUVEAU MONDE(Canada, february 2003)
17) BRUSSELS’ INTERNATIONAL FANTASY FILM FESTIVAL(Belgium, march 2003)
18) MALAGA INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL(Spain, march 2003)
19) ÉTRANGES NUITS DU CINÉMA(Switzerland, april 2003)
20) VANCOUVER SHORT FILM FESTIVAL(Canada, April 2003)
21) INDEPENDENT EXPOSURE(USA, April 2003)
TRAVELING EVENT: screenings in SAN FRANCISCO, PORTLAND, GREENSBORO (North Carolina)
FESTIVALS CONFIRMED AT THE PRESENT
22) PUCHON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL(South-Korea, july 2003)
SPECIAL SCREENINGS ORGANIZED BY THE TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (PART OF THEIR FILM CIRCUITPROGRAM)
2003: TORONTO(February 16), TORONTO(March 15), VANCOUVER(February 19), KINGSTON (February 27), WATERTON (ALBERTA - June 7)
RELEASED IN THEATER IN MONTREAL (BETWEEN MAY 2-8, 2003) BEFORE THE KOREAN FEATURE FILM THE ISLE (Dir.: Kim Ki-Duc)
SOLD TO CANAL +, FOR TELEVISION BROADCAST (TERRITORRIES INCLUDE:FRANCE, BELGIUM, NETHERLANDS, SWITZERLANDS, POLAND, AFRICA, LUXEMBOURG, NORDIC TERRITORRIES)
SCREEN MACHINE
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DIRECTORS
JULIEN FONFRÈDE
Born in Paris in 1970, he lives in Montreal since 1992. He always worked with Asia, starting as a journalist, then as a chief editor for a French-Canadian magazine focusing on Asian cultures and later on working as a programmer for various film festivals. In 1998, he published a book on Hong Kong cinema, all while working on numerous short and feature films as an assistant director. He has also worked as a production manager on various documentaries on cinema (including CINEMAS OF THE WORLD: HONG KONG, seen on CANAL + as well as HBO and the DISCOVERY CHANNEL). He recently founded his own production company, LA MACHINE ÉCRAN / SCREEN MACHINE, through which he co-produced and co-directed the short film LA DERNIÈRE VOIX (THE CITY WITHOUT WINDOWS). He is currently teaching East Asian Cinema at the University of Montreal. He is also currently co-producing (with THE KLOCKWORX (Japan) and the Canadian production company ZUNO FILMS) ASCENSION, Karim Hussain’s second feature film.
KARIM HUSSAIN
Since his youth Karim Hussain has been shooting short films in Super-8, which has allowed him to experiment and push the medium in new directions. His first feature film, SUBCONSCIOUS CRUELTY (2000) has established him as a cult director in the international genre scene for its originality and audacity. He has since Co-Written the screenplay for the Spanish film OBLIVION (which will be directed this year by Nacho Cerda, and produced by the Spanish major studio FILMAX), Co-Written COFFIN OF LIGHT, a documentary for Donostia Kultura (Spain), Co-Directed, Co-Produced and Photographed the short film LA DERNIÈRE VOIX (THE CITY WITHOUT WINDOWS), and has worked on various films as a cinematographer. He is currently finishing his second feature film, ASCENSION, a Canadian film co-produced with THE KLOCKWORX (Japan), which he wrote, directed and photographed, and features Marie-José Croze (ARARAT, MAELSTRÖM). Between 1997 and 2001 he also worked for Montréal’s Fantasia Film Festival as a programmer and organizer.
Filmography:
2003 - ASCENSION (35mm Feature)
2002 - LA DERNIÈRE VOIX (Co-Director, 35mm Short)
2000 - SUBCONSCIOUS CRUELTY (35mm Feature)
SCREEN MACHINE
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ACTORS
PASCALE MONTPETIT
(Narration)
One of Québec’s best known stars, Pascale Montpetit made her debut in H (1991) but was introduced to the general public in the hit television series BLANCHE (1993). Afterwards, she has appeared in numerous television series, as well as the theatrical features LE CŒUR AUX POING (1998), LA BEAUTÉ DE PANDORE (2000) and SAVAGE MESSIAH (2002).
LEXEI BACCI
(Woman)
One of Québec’s best know porn stars, Miss Bacci has, beyond her various videos as an actress, recently moved onto starring in and directing her own films, including THE RISE OF LOUIS 16, CLIMAXING CLEOPATRAS and BLONDES PREFER GENTELMEN. She is an outspoken activist for sex work and a television personality who regularly appears on talk shows to discuss various issues involving sex and the media. She is currently preparing her own television talk show, which centers around her favorite subject... Website:
MUSIC
DAVID KRISTIAN
One of Montreal’s most respected electronic musicians, David Kristian has dozens of albums to his credit and an international cult reputation. In addition to his electro-acoustic and techno releases, David Kristian also works extensively in motion picture soundtracks, both in the music department and sound design realm. His films include DIVIDED INTO ZERO (1999), ENTROPY 1 (1999), SUBCONSCIOUS CRUELTY (2000), OTAKU (2001), LA DERNIÈRE VOIX (2002), and most recently ASCENSION (2003). Website:
SCREEN MACHINE
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CO-PRODUCERS
ANNE CUSSON
A former expert in post-production for Montreal company GLOBAL VISION, Anne Cusson moved into film production with LA DERNIÈRE VOIX, and has subsequently worked in the production of the features ASCENSION (2003) and SAVED BY THE BELLES (2003). She is the Co-Founder of SCREEN MACHINE.
VALÉRIE TRUONG
Valérie Truong has worked in the fields of arts and communication, most notably cinema, for the past ten years. She was responsible for all public and media relations for the popular International Fantasy Film Festival FANTASIA, based in Montreal. She has also worked in international film distribution for a Montreal based company. She is currently involved in the communication and promotion of the arts in Canada and abroad for the Canada Council for the Arts, a national agency.
DIRECTORS’ STATEMENT
LA DERNIÈRE VOIX is a melancholic and tale of love and survival at the end of the world. Its genesis is rooted in one simple idea : what would happen if one day all the windows in the world disappeared ? From this poetic and surreal concept, we decided to invent a sombre world where there is no more distinction between the outside and the inside. A world of contradiction where no emotions can hide. A world on the verge of extinction where people are weakened by an incessant rain, filled with pestilence, and which brought upon us a disease that silenced humanity.
The desperation and insanity that stands from such a situation is one of the themes that we wished to explore as well… Once these people are faced with the inevitable fact that they will die, they push themselves to the greatest of extremes, with basic, naive and perversely black and white concepts in order to remotely retain any sense of social control, or society in general. They revert back to the most horrifically delusional ideas of racial and political hierarchy willingly, essentially the dying finding comfort in repression and dream-like fascism, as they struggle to preserve the act of communication. If love is the only emotion left for them that is universal, then it can only take the form of pain when it is communicated between them.
That and we wanted to complicate our lives technically by shooting a film in the rain.