Talk to Me
Synopsis
TALK TO ME alternates between two separate narratives and manifests the challenges facing two introverts as they try to find balance and harmony in interacting with the outside world. The short chronicles 36 hours of their struggle to engage in society while trying to keep their sense of self, intact. Drawing from the dance film genre, this short film’s narrative flows between storytelling and acrobatic performance, teetering on the line where narrative structure and circus performance meet. By the film’s end, the quirky protagonists discover their center despite the flux of everything being off-kilter around them.
Festivals
AWARDS
Audience Award - short film
Quebec Film Days in Italy, 2021.
Audience Award - francization class
Longues vues sur le court, Canada, 2021.
Best Canadian Short Film
Image+ Nation, Canada, 2021.
Lodestar Award - best short film outside of Yukon
Dawson City International Short Film Festival, Canada, 2021.
Audience Award - short film
Dawson City International Short Film Festival, Canada, 2021.
Best Cinematography
Sapporo International Short Film Festival, Japon, 2021.
SELECTIONS
The Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival/Quebec in court (out of competition), France, 2020.
Quebec Film Days in Italy, 2021.
Dawson City International Short Film Festival, Canada, 2021.
Reel to Real, Vancouver, Canada, 2021.
RVQC - Rendez-Vous Quebec Cinema, Montreal, Canada, 2021.
Full reel, France, 2021.
Regard Festival, Chicoutimi, Canada, 2021.
Les Perceides, Canada, 2021.
Off-Courts Trouville, France, 2021.
Bueu's International Short Film Festival, Spain, 2021.
Atlantic Film Festival, Canada, 2021.
Thessaloniki International Short Film Festival, Greece, 2021.
San Francisco Dance Film Festival, 2021.
Cinemagic On the Pulse, Ireland, 2021.
Sapporo Short Film Festival, Japan, 2021.
Image+ Nation, Canada, 2021.
Longues vues sur le court, Canada, 2021.
Director: Jules de Niverville
Performers: Angela McIlroy-Wagar, Caesar Mispellon, Julius Bitterling, Ruben Ingwersen
DOP: Kes Tagney
Art Direction: Roger Martin
Editing: Jules de Niverville
Sound: Félix Boisvert
Production: Jules de Niverville (Misfits Productions Inc.)
Version
Original: No dialogue
Format
2. 35:1/stereo
HD appleprores422.mov + HD H264.mov/23.976 fps
A visual and media artist, Jules has been oscillating between photography and film for 30+ years. Following his Concordia University degree in filmmaking he was soon working in the industry as set decorator and assistant art director in both local and American feature productions, including television series and advertising. His photography has led to numerous publications; exhibited in group shows in Montreal and Brussels during their respective MOIS DE LA PHOTO, as well as solo shows around the world. His career has since shifted to cinematography and editing (with a specialization in dance for camera productions). His first film TWITCH had a successful run on the short film festival circuit with screenings in more than 50 festivals internationally, winning three awards. Jules’ second film PARLE-MOI/TALK TO ME also won multi-awards and garnered accolades in the festival circuit. HUBRIS is Jules’ third film using dance and circus artistry as a vehicle for storytelling. TWITCH tackled a narrative of conquering fear towards self-acceptance, and the whimsical TALK TO ME featured a contortionist and stilt walker to mirror the sense of never fitting in. HUBRIS moves further into the discussion of identity in examining the role that one’s sense of purpose plays in contributing to dissociative isolation (cult of the individual) and precursor to human-caused environmental degradation. HUBRIS makes reference to the current climate crisis, and seeks to strike a poetic balance in conceptualizing a filmic language aimed at soliciting a visceral response. Co-creating with co-producer Kathy Sperberg has helped propel HUBRIS to be his most ambitious project to date.
