Saguenay, Wednesday, February 13, 2025 – Last week, REGARD – The Saguenay International Short Film Festival – revealed the Quebec actress Marilyn Castonguay to be its spokesperson for this year’s edition. Today, to public and professionals alike, the Festival unveils the 19 members of its five juries, whose choices of winning films will make up the Winner’s program, presented immediately after the official prize-giving ceremony on Sunday March 23.
The jury members of the 29th edition will be in Saguenay from March 19 to 23 and award nearly $130,000 in cash and services to the winners.
Official Competition Jury
The Official Competition jury this year welcomes actress Juliette Gariépy (Quebec), named Revelation of the Year at the 2023 IRIS Gala for her role in Les chambres rouges. She is joined by director Rafaël Ouellet (Quebec), known for the films Camions, Arseneault et Fils and the series Veille sur moi, and sound designer Olivier Calvert (Quebec), whose CV includes a great number of short films. They are also joined by director, producer and cinematographer Miryam Charles (Quebec) and Madison Egan (USA), the youngest programmer ever to join the Tribeca Film Festival team.
Combining the sharpness of experience with the freshness of youth, these five professionals will come together to name the winners of the Grand Prize, the Canadian Grand Prize, the Jury Prize, Best Animation, and Best Documentary.
“It’ll be an immense honour to sit on the jury of the REGARD Festival. This festival holds a precious place in my life: I still remember the first time I attended it as a Concordia film student and the profound impact it had on the way I see our industry. More than an event, REGARD is a true incubator for the next generation of filmmakers. Now, more than ever, at a time when culture is going through a worrying period, we need these spaces of dialogue and solidarity.” - Juliette Gariépy, actress
Focus Competition Jury
The Focus Competition is a showcase for new talent, diversity and marginalised voices. It is important that the jury represents all of its five sections: Tourner à Tout Prix, 100% Régions, Americana, Short & Queer and Regards Autochtones.
Robin L'Houmeau (Quebec) is one the new generation of actors and has already a great number of film and television credits to his name. Also in the jury is Alexandre Dostie (Quebec), whose experience as a distributor, combined with his background as a director and his love of the regions, mixes well with the three documentary enthusiasts: Pierre-Mathieu Fortin (Quebec), producer at the NFB's French-language documentary unit; Aretha Greatrix, director of programming at the Dreamspeakers International Indigenous Film Festival in Alberta; and Ana Alice de Morais (Quebec), co-artistic director of RIDM - Montreal international documentary festival.
These five people will be responsible for selecting one filmmaker from each section of the competition.
FIPRESCI Jury
With the support of the Bureau du cinéma de Saguenay, REGARD will once again host a jury from the International Federation of the Film Press (FIPRESCI). The jury is composed of three film critics: Rachel West (Canada), Pélagie Ng'onana (Cameroon) and Laura Pertuy (France).
The jury will award the FIPRESCI International Critics' Prize to one of the Canadian films in the Official Competition.
AQCC Jury
On behalf of the AQCC (Quebec Association of Film Critics), three Quebec-based film journalists will award the Prix de la critique québécoise AQCC.
Olivier Du Ruisseau (Le Devoir), Martin Bilodeau (Mediafilm) and Alain P. Jacques (Séquences) will select the winner from among the international films in the Official Competition.
Youth Competition Jury
Three people specialising in children's works have been chosen to award this year's Best Youth Film prize: Janice Nadeau (Quebec), illustrator and director of children's films; Christian Gautellier (France), director of the Festival international du film d'éducation d'Évreux since its creation 20 years ago; and Barbada de Barbades (Quebec), a drag artist who has been performing in Quebec since 2005.
Exercising Critical Thinking
At the cinema, or online via the festival website and mobile app., film aficionados can vote for their favourite films in the Official Competition and the Focus Competition. The two short films with the most votes win!
REGARD Trophies Get a Makeover
New for this year, 2025, Quebec artist Marie-Claude Marquis has been commissioned by the Festival to design the 15 trophies awarded at the ceremony. Inspired by vintage objects, Marie-Claude is preparing 15 unique pieces using recycled objects.
Tickets for the event are still available on the festival website.
The programme will be presented to journalists, collaborators and friends of the Festival on Wednesday February 26, 10am, at CEM's Studio Desjardins.