Regard – The Saguenay International Short Film Festival kicked off its 29th edition today, running until 23 March. Featuring 200 shorts across 38 programmes, the festival will showcase works from 65 countries, with 90 from Quebec and 100 from Canada. Notable filmmakers include Francis Leclerc, Caroline Monnet, Vincent René-Lortie, Pierre-Luc Latulipe, Pier-Philippe Chevigny, and Theodore Ushev, alongside emerging talents.
Founded in 1996 and headed by Marie-Michèle Plante, Regard is one of the main film festivals dedicated to shorts in North America and home to the country’s only short film market. Industry events include masterclasses, panel discussions, and one-on-one sessions with experienced filmmakers and seasoned professionals. 400 guests are expected to be in attendance.
This year, the gathering expands with two new venues in downtown Chicoutimi: the Festival HQ REBAR and Le Pigeonnier, hosting Marché du court activities.
European Animation at Saguenay
As usual, the Canadian festival will host a raft of European animated projects across the different sidebars. Out of the 53 animated titles showcased by Regard, 29 productions feature European involvement.
This year’s line-up presents a diverse array of narratives. From Portugal, A Menina com os Olhos Ocupados by André Carrilho tells a cautionary tale about a young girl too absorbed in her phone to notice the world around her—until an accident forces her to reconnect.
Meanwhile, France brings a wealth of visually striking and conceptually rich works, including Acrobats, where a girl transforms family tensions into surreal circus-like performances; Filante, which follows Paulette’s search for her missing pet rat under the guidance of a mysterious shooting star; and S the Wolf, an exploration of masculinity through the lens of a man’s hair and personal identity. Other French entries include Zizanizzz, where a fly disrupts a composer’s work, and Los Carpinchos, a co-production with Chile and Uruguay, which weaves a tale of trust and coexistence between capybaras and chickens.
The selection also highlights animation from Central and Eastern Europe. Slovakia, in collaboration with the Czech Republic and France, presents Salut L’été, a humorous take on family vacations gone awry, while Hurikán follows a man’s frantic journey to save his favourite beer stand in a chaotic Prague district. From Ukraine and Slovakia, I Died in Irpin offers a deeply personal reflection on the experience of war. From Lithuania, Ignas Meilūnas presents Hoofs on Skates, a tale set in a winter wonderland.
Next, the Netherlands brings Quota, a dystopian satire on carbon emissions, whilst Ireland’s Inside, The Valley Sings uses animation to depict the psychological impact of solitary confinement. The UK’s The Eating of an Orange ventures into themes of conformity and self-discovery through a visually arresting surrealist lens.
Meanwhile, German productions include GERHARD, which takes an innovative AI-driven approach to biographical storytelling, and Becoming Air (co-produced with Canada and Sweden), a poetic exploration of the movement of breath and molecules across time and space. These European shorts, spanning intimate personal stories to grand philosophical themes, showcase the breadth of animation as an art form.
This Year’s Offering Programme Beyond Animation
Opening on 19 March at Théâtre C, the Official Competition features over 50 new releases exploring love, friendship, and social issues. Highlights include the world premieres of A Dying Tree (Vincent René-Lortie) and Le Punk de Natashquan (Nicolas Lachapelle), as well as Platanero (Juan Frank Hernandez, fresh from Sundance) and Pidikwe (Caroline Monnet, Berlinale premiere).
The five-part Focus Competition highlights emerging voices, including Tourner à Tout Prix (self-produced works), 100% Régions (regional filmmakers), Short & Queer, Americana, and Regards Autochtones. The latter, now the Alanis Obomsawin Award, will be presented by the filmmaker herself.
Returning festival favourites include Arts & Essai, Genre Films, and Coups de cœur du public. New themes include Récits de guerres, Le mal dominant (‘Mental Health’), and Sorcelleries. Special events feature Dialogues avec Phillip Barker et Vincent René-Lortie and Kinomada’s 15th-anniversary retrospective.
Youth programmes include P’tites vues (ages 3-7), Grandes vues (8-12), and Vision⁷, curated by teens. Drag artist Barbada hosts Storytime on 22 March.
Festival-goers can enjoy the infamous Cabaret, 5 à 7 gatherings, and the Ruelle du court pétanque tournament. On 23 March, the awards ceremony will take place at Le Pigeonnier, unveiling 15 winners selected by five different juries.
You can browse the full festival programme here: https://festivalregard.com
