News

Exclusive: UTA has signed rising Canadian actor Théodore Pellerin for representation in all areas.

This August, Pellerin will be seen starring in Lurker, the critically acclaimed feature directorial debut of Alex Russell, which was snapped up by Mubi for U.S. distribution and Focus Features for international following its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, where it broke out as one of this year’s buzziest titles.

In the psychological thriller set in Los Angeles, the actor plays Matthew, a young retail clerk who cunningly inserts himself into the inner circle of a pop star (Archie Madekwe) with whom he’s become infatuated.

Upcoming, Pellerin will also be seen starring in Pauline Loquès’ debut feature Nino, a Parisian drama that premiered in competition at Cannes Critics’ Week, where the actor was awarded the Rising Star Award.

Pellerin previously starred as the Marquis de Lafayette in Apple TV+’s Franklin,...

In 2018, Mike Flanagancreated what is considered to be one of his masterpieces: the 10-episode miniseries The Haunting of Hill House, based on the novel of the same name by Shirley Jackson. This story about adult siblings grappling with their troubling childhood memories in an incredibly haunted house is one of the best supernatural shows to date. Flanagan particularly excels at diving into the emotional worlds of his characters. Sadly, the show ended after its first season, but fear not. If you are looking for an equally creepy and poignant family drama, the solution isXavier Dolan's 2022 miniseries The Night Logan Woke Up. This 5-episode adaptation of Michel Marc Bouchard's 2019 play La nuit où Laurier Gaudreault s'est réveilléis in many ways the tonal twin of The Haunting of Hill House and a beautiful series you won't want to miss.

European powerhouse Studiocanal, part of Vivendi’s Canal+ Group, has rolled out robust sales on Xavier Dolan’s Sundance-selected psychological thriller “The Night Logan Woke Up,” Spanish period drama “The Vow” and a bevy of first documentaries.

The deals underscore the continuing upside for Studiocanal of illustrious cinema talent exploring premium TV direction, as well as the company’s beneficial diversification into documentary sales and daily series.

A Sundance world premiere and Canal+ original based on Michel Marc Bouchard’s play “La Nuit où Laurier Gaudreault s’est réveille,” “The Night Logan Woke Up” has sold to Netflix for the U.S., Star Channel Japan, Sbs Australia, Filmin for Spain and Portugal and Wdr Germany, among major territories.

Among a slew of deals, “Logan,” which marks the first TV series from Cannes Jury Prize-winning Quebecois actor-director Dolan, has also been licensed by Studiocanal to BeTV Belgium, Lumiere Benelux, Ltv Latvia,...

International TV market MIPCOM Cannes kicked off Monday with a flurry of licensing deals, a sign that despite the uncertainty and challenges facing the global TV industry, there is still business being done.

Paramount Global Content Distribution announced a major European deal on Monday, licensing the new Good Wife spin-off Elsbeth to French free-to-air network TF1 in France. The show features Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni, the astute but unconventional attorney she played in both The Good Wife and The Good Fight. Wendell Pierce co-stars as NYPD Captain C.W. Wagner and Carra Patterson as Officer Kaya Blanke.

Studiocanal announced a raft of deals for The Night Logan Woke Up, the first TV series from famed Canadian film auteur Xavier Dolan (I Killed My Mother, Tom at the Farm), with Netflix taking U.S. rights and international deals signed with Star Channel Japan, Sbs Australia, BeTV Belgium, Canal+ Poland, Wdr...

Maple Syrup Massacre is an editorial series where Joe Lipsett dissects the themes, conventions and contributions of new and classic Canadian horror films. Spoilers follow…

There’s a moment, very late in Tom at the Farm, when the film’s antagonist Francis Longchamp (Pierre-Yves Cardinal) wears a denim jacket with USA emblazoned on the back. The film’s protagonist – Tom – has been held hostage by Francis for several weeks by this point while the pair role play domestic roles in a psychosexual power game. Francis, it should be noted, is also the older brother of Tom’s recently deceased lover and Tom submits to the ruse, in part, because Francis smells and resembles his ex.

At the end of the film, however, Tom finally flees into the Québec woods, steals Francis’ car, and escapes back to the safety of Montreal, the largest city in the province and the third biggest in Canada.

Just last night, the Drama Company NYC celebrated the opening of theOff-Broadway premiere of Lilies, or The Revival of a Romantic Drama written by Michel Marc Bouchard with English translation by Linda Gaboriau, and direction by Andrew Benvenuti. Lilies - fully staged for the first time in New York City - is presented at The Theater Center 50th Broadway with an all-male cast of 11 actors.

Xavier Dolan, the filmmaker behind films such as “Mommy” and “Matthias & Maxime,” is preparing to make his television directorial debut.

Variety reported that Dolan is working on “The Night Logan Woke Up,” a psychological thriller miniseries that is adapted from Michel Marc Bouchard’s eponymous theater production. Dolan will write and direct the five-part series and is teaming with film production company StudioCanal, the Canal Plus premium TV network, and Quebecor Content for the project.

The miniseries will star original cast members from Bouchard’s play, including Dolan, Julie Le Breton, Magalie Lépine-Blondeau, Éric Bruneau and Patrick Hivon, and Julianne Côté.

Per Variety, the series, which mixes horror, humor and drama, takes place in the early 1990s and follows Mimi and her brother Jules, who are best friends with Logan. The boys are on the baseball team and have just won the regional championship while Mimi dreams of a life in the theater.

Xavier Dolan (“Mommy”) is set to make his TV drama debut with Studiocanal and Quebecor Content on “The Night Logan Woke Up,” a psychological thriller mini-series adapted from Michel Marc Bouchard’s eponymous hit theater production.

Dolan will both write and direct the series, which he will also produce alongside Nanoby’s Nancy Grant and Jasmyrh Lemoine. The five-part series is expected to go into production in March 2021 and will air on Quebecor Content and Canal Plus in 2022.

Studiocanal has secured international distribution rights to the series. Javi Hernandez and Harry Grivakis of Vvs Films brokered the deals on behalf of the filmmakers and will serve as executive producers.

A poignant thriller weaving horror, humor and drama, the mini-series stars original cast members from the 2019 play, including Julie Le Breton, Magalie Lépine-Blondeau, Éric Bruneau and Patrick Hivon, along with Dolan and Julianne Côté.

The story is set in the early...

Studiocanal, Canal+ and Quebecor Content are teaming up to produce Xavier Dolan’s (Mommy) first drama series, The Night Logan Woke Up.

The psychological thriller will chart the story of three friends whose lives are shattered after one of them commits rape. The five episode drama, which is due to start production in March 2021, will air as a Quebecor Content and Canal+ Original in 2022. Studiocanal will handle international distribution rights.

The show is adapted from Michel Marc Bouchard’s eponymous theatre production. Dolan will both write and direct and produce along with Nanoby’s Nancy Grant and Jasmyrh Lemoine. Javi Hernandez and Harry Grivakis of Vvs Films brokered the deals on behalf of the filmmakers and will serve as executive producers.

The series will star original cast members from the 2019 play including Julie Le Breton, Magalie Lépine-Blondeau, Éric Bruneau and Patrick Hivon, along with Xavier Dolan and Julianne Côté,

Francoise Guyonnet,...

Veteran Canadian film director Xavier Dolan has joined the golden age of TV.

After his eighth feature film, Matthias & Maxime, Dolan is partnering with Canal+, Quebecor Content and Studiocanal for his first drama, the five-episode The Night Logan Wakes Up series. The long-rumored foray by Dolan into TV is an adaptation of the popular stage play, La nuit où Laurier Gaudreault s’est réveillé, from playwright Michel Marc Bouchard.

The limited series, to start production in March 2021, will air as a Quebecor Content and Canal+ original in 2022. Dolan, a favorite of Cannes, will both write and direct The Night Logan ...

Veteran Canadian film director Xavier Dolan has joined the golden age of TV.

After his eighth feature film, Matthias & Maxime, Dolan is partnering with Canal+, Quebecor Content and Studiocanal for his first drama, the five-episode The Night Logan Wakes Up series. The long-rumored foray by Dolan into TV is an adaptation of the popular stage play, La nuit où Laurier Gaudreault s’est réveillé, from playwright Michel Marc Bouchard.

The limited series, to start production in March 2021, will air as a Quebecor Content and Canal+ original in 2022. Dolan, a favorite of Cannes, will both write and direct The Night Logan ...

Veteran Canadian TV actor Ghyslain Tremblay, star of French-language series across a 40-year career including L'Amour qui tue, Les parc des braves and Les 100 tours de Centour, has died. He was 68.

Quebec playwright Michel Marc Bouchard on Wednesday announced the news of Tremblay's death on his Facebook page. "It is with deep sadness that I learned this moment of the death of my friend, the actor Ghyslain Tremblay... His memory has always been one of joy. Rest in peace my generous friend. My deepest condolences to those close to him," he wrote.

No cause of ...

Fresh off the successful festival run of his recent drama, “Matthias & Maxime,” filmmaker Xavier Dolan isn’t stopping anytime soon. Though he’s said that he’d like to take a break from directing in the future, to focus on his acting, it appears that his next project once again sees Dolan step behind the camera. Albeit, this time he’s not making a big-screen production.

According to La Presse, Dolan’s next project is reportedly a TV adaptation of the popular play, “La nuit où Laurier Gaudreault s’est réveillé” from playwright Michel Marc Bouchard.

Continue reading Xavier Dolan Reportedly Directing A New Limited TV Series Based On A Michel Marc Bouchard Play at The Playlist.

Mika Kaurismäki has had a long film career, but he still may be best known to film fans in the shadow of his brother, Aki Kaurismäki (Le Havre). The Girl King, his next film, may change that reputation though given the pedigree of both the cast and writers, and its possibility to tell the story of a feminist icon and eccentric historical footnote.

Written by Michel Marc Bouchard, who most recently adapted Xavier Dolan’s Tom at the Farm, and starring Michael Nyqvist, Sarah Gadon, and stateside unknown Malin Buska in the lead role, The Girl King, is the story of Christina of Sweden.

Ruler of Sweden for eighteen years in the 17th century beginning at age 6, Christina worked to modernize Sweden against the wishes of a conservative country. She was a cultural revolutionary who prided herself on various forms of sexual and gender ambiguity, and views that could be considered proto-feminist.

The enfant terrible of Quebecois cinema Xavier Dolan has made a name for himself among critics and festival audiences with such stylized, emotionally extravagant films as the epic trans romance Laurence Anyways and the in-your-face family drama Mommy. But it turns out he can direct a mean thriller as well. Well, sort of. Tom at the Farm, adapted by Dolan and Michel Marc Bouchard from Bouchard’s own play, has the outward trappings of a genre piece. And as such, it’s fairly suspenseful. But at heart, it’s still very much an Xavier Dolan film — ragged, explosive, and often moving.The story concerns Tom (Dolan, looking like he stole Meg Ryan’s hair from City of Angels), who arrives at the rural family home of his deceased boyfriend Guillaume to attend a memorial service. But he learns that Guillaume’s mom, Agathe (Lise Roy), doesn’t know that her...

He’s explored themes of love, matriarchal bonds, and just about everything in-between, and Xavier Dolan‘s fourth feature, Tom at the Farm, certainly doesn’t abandon those. What it does, rather, is view them through a vividly different lens. This drama, the first time he adapted another writer’s work, comes from Michel Marc Bouchard‘s play, and blends psychological-thriller […]...

I Need a Lover with a Farm Hand: Dolan’s Latest a Filet of Self Loathing

For his fourth feature, Xavier Dolan adapts the material of another for the first time with Michel Marc Bouchard’s play, Tom at the Farm, a rural set psychological thriller that’s been described as queer noir, but perhaps homoneurotic would be a better descriptor. A foreboding set-up leads to an uncomfortable exploration of self-loathing that sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t, as the material, which exemplifies a vicious and virulent homophobia still very much alive today, somehow still feels like a period piece character study.

We quickly gather that Tom (Dolan) has recently lost his lover Guillaume in a mysterious accident as he scrawls desperate notes to himself on a napkin, trying to rationalize and contain the raging heartbreak he’s experiencing all by himself. He travels to visit Guillaume’s estranged mother...

His first three films are on Netflix, his most recent work "Mommy" is out on disc and Digital HD, but young Canadian filmmaker Xavier Dolan's fourth and arguably most widely accessible film - his 2013 Hitchcock-style psychosexual thriller "Tom at the Farm" - is still not available in the United States.

Despite strong reviews in all corners and winning the Fipresci Prize at Venice, no U.S. distributor had scored the film until recently when Amplify picked it up. The plan is now for a simultaneous limited and VOD release on August 14th and today the distributor released the U.S. trailer for the film.

In the film, Dolan plays Tom, a copywriter who heads to the remote country farm for the funeral of his boyfriend Guillaume. Arriving there, he's shock to find Guillaume's family don't know who he is or the truth about his relationship to Guillaume.

Tom keeps things quiet for now,...

Mika Kaurismaki’s costume epic is set in 1633.

Us distributor Wolfe Releasing has snapped up all rights to Mika Kaurismaki’s costume epic The Girl King. A theatrical release is planned for the autumn of 2015 followed by VOD, DVD, and Svod dates.

The film is a co-production between Finland, Canada, Germany, and Sweden. It is scripted by Canadian writer Michel Marc Bouchard (Tom at the Farm, Lilies). The film stars Malin Buska (Easy Money) in the title role alongside Sarah Gadon, Michael Nyqvist, Lucas Bryant, Laura Birnand Martina Gedeck.

The Girl King is the story of Queen Christina of Sweden. Crowned in 1633 at the age of six and raised as a prince, Queen Christina was an enigmatic and brilliant young leader who fought conservative forces to revolutionize Sweden while falling in love and exploring her awakening sexuality.

The deal was negotiated by Jim Stephens, president of Wolfe Releasing, and Miira Paasilinna, CEO of international...

Xavier Dolan tied contemporaries Philippe Falardeau and Denis Villeneuve by winning his second Best Feature award at the 17th annual Jutra Awards. Quebec’s answer to the Oscars was a rather suspense-less affair as Mommy claimed nine (plus the top box office award honor) awards winning in all major categories with the exclusion of Best Supporting Actor category win, which would only end up going to Dolan’s other nominated film, Tom at the Farm. Pierre-Yves Cardinal was sublime in his predatory type role and as was the case for several nominees, was hard at work on another project and therefore not on hand for trophyware. Ricardo Trogi’s throwback to awkward teen years tale 1987 did win a trio of awards, but if there were any surprises in the Dolan camp it was the acceptance speeches: Dolan delivered a keynote speech type quality for the last win of the night...

★★★★☆Prodigious Canadian writer and director Xavier Dolan's fifth feature, Mommy (2014), took home a Jury Prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Before Mommy comes to UK cinemas next year, Dolan's fourth film, Tom at the Farm (2013), based on a play by Michel Marc Bouchard, arrives on DVD and Blu-ray. Tom at the Farm is a strange, off-kilter drama starring Dolan himself as Tom, a recently bereaved gay man visiting his deceased lover's home for the funeral. It soon becomes clear that his mother, Agathe (Lise Roy), is unaware of her dead son's sexual orientation, an ignorance that her older son, Francis (Pierre-Yves Cardinal), is determined to preserve.

A friend of mine in film studies once grimaced when I mentioned the name Xavier Dolan, bottling up the same rage that a film student would typically give to Uwe Boll or Michael Bay. The anger was misplaced: Dolan has not yet directed anything that would be considered bad or even close to bad, but he is an extremely prodigious young filmmaker. Dolan is only 25, yet earlier this week, he screened his fifth film, Mommy, at the Cannes Film Festival – one that is already being touted as a major contender for world cinema’s most prestigious prize, the Palme D’Or. It is his fourth film to screen at Cannes. When you have reached that peak of critical adoration by your mid-twenties, it is hard not to be a bit envious.

Dolan is a Québécois director who often tells stories about the fractious relationships between gay children and their parents.

An overwrought pastiche of Hitchcock that makes less sense and renders its protagonist far less plausible the longer it goes on. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing

I’m “biast” (con): haven’t been a fan of Xavier Dolan’s work so far

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

Tom is at the farm, in the countryside outside Quebec, for the funeral of his boyfriend. Except his lover’s mother, Agathe (Lise Roy), has no idea her dead son was gay, so she believes Tom is simply his friend from the ad agency where they work(ed), and laments that “that whore” whom she believes to be her son’s girlfriend — thanks to the machinations of her other son, Francis (Pierre-Yves Cardinal), who has been “protecting” Mom from the truth by inventing stories — hasn’t shown up.

Writer, director, and star (he plays Tom) Xaviar Dolan...

Xavier Dolan's latest film, Tom at the Farm (Tom a la ferme), premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last year and while it has yet to land a domestic distributor, it will be hitting Quebec theaters in March. Today a new trailer for the film arrives along with a poster that's been floating around since last December. As I wrote in my review of the film back in September 2013, Tom at the Farm is something of a departure from Dolan's first three features -- I Killed My Mother, Heartbeats and Laurence Anyways. It's a psychological thriller based on Michel Marc Bouchard's play of the same name, in which Dolan plays the title character, a young ad agency employee who takes a trip out to the country to attend a funeral only to learn the mother (Lise Roy) of the deceased doesn't know who he is or his relationship to her dead son,...

After the near three-hour romantic drama "Laurence Anyways," rising 24-year-old Quebec filmmaker Xavier Dolan tries his hand at something quite different with the 90-minute psychological thriller "Tom at the Farm".

Based on Michel Marc Bouchard's play, Dolan stars as a young ad executive who heads to a funeral, only to realize no one there knows of his relationship with his now-dead lover. The first trailer for the film is out and it's creepy and visually intriguing.

One of the more prominent names in Canadian cinema over the past few years has been that of filmmaker Xavier Dolan. Despite having only three feature length films in his writing and directing filmography, Dolan has garnered critical acclaim for his work from fans all over the world, with news of his involvement bringing a great deal of interest to a project. His newest feature, titled Tom à la ferme, or Tom at the Farm, is no different. Dolan once again takes on directing and writing duties, adapting the story from the play by Michel Marc Bouchard, as well as taking on the lead role. Joining Dolan onscreen is Evelyne Brochu, Lise Roy, and Caleb Landry Jones. A new trailer for the film has now been released, and can be seen below. Sound on Sight also saw the film at Tiff 2013, and our review can be read here.

(Source: /bent...

Sarah Gadon (Countess Ebba Sparre) and Malin Buska (Queen Kristina) appear in the first image from Mika Kaurismaki’s The Girl King.

The film, which starts shooting in Turku, Finland on Tuesday, will continue its shoot in Sweden and Germany. The project is an international co-production between Finland (Marianna Films), Canada (Triptych Media and Galafilm), Germany (Starhaus) and Sweden (Anagram).

The Yellow Affair handles international sales.

Distributors already on board are Equinoxe of Canada, Sf Svensk for the Nordic territories and Nfp for Germany.

The story of Sweden’s 17th century Queen Kristina is written by Michel Marc Bouchard (Tom At The Farm) with the English-language version by Linda Gaboriau. The cast also features Michael Nygvist, Hippolyte Girardot and Martina Gedeck.

Kaurismaki said: “The Girl King is not intended as a traditional epic costume film but as an intense, actor-centered, psychological drama about one of the most interesting and mysterious personalities of all time, the 17th century...

Sarah Gadon (Countess Ebba Sparre) and Malin Buska (Queen Kristina) appear in the first image from Mika Kaurismaki’s The Girl King.

The Girl King

The film, which starts shooting in Turku, Finland on Tuesday, will continue its shoot in Sweden and Germany. The project is an international co-production between Finland (Marianna Films), Canada (Triptych Media and Galafilm), Germany (Starhaus) and Sweden (Anagram).

The Yellow Affair handles international sales.

Distributors already on board are Equinoxe of Canada, Sf Svensk for the Nordic territories and Nfp for Germany.

The story of Sweden’s 17th century Queen Kristina is written by Michel Marc Bouchard (Tom At The Farm) with the English-language version by Linda Gaboriau. The cast also features Michael Nygvist, Hippolyte Girardot and Martina Gedeck.

Kaurismaki said: “The Girl King is not intended as a traditional epic costume film but as an intense, actor-centered, psychological drama about one of the most interesting and mysterious personalities of all time...

The Academy Of Canadian Cinema & Television has announced the Canadian Screen Awards nominees.

“We are exceedingly proud today to reveal the nominees for the 2014 Canadian Screen Awards,” said Academy chair Martin Katz.

“This was a year marked by a record-breaking number of submissions, reflecting a robust level of activity in the screen-based industries in Canada which we will celebrate during Canadian Screen Week, March 3-9. Congratulations to all.”

David Cronenberg will receive the lifetime achievement award. For the full list of winners invcluding television, digital and special awards click here.

The feature nominees in full:

Best Motion Picture

The Dismantlement (Le Démantèlement) – Bernadette Payeur, Marc Daigle

Empire Of Dirt – Jennifer Podemski

Enemy – Kim McCraw, Luc Déry, Miguel A Faura, Niv Fichman, Sari Friedland

The F-Word – Andre Rouleau, David Gross, Macdara Kelleher

Gabrielle – Kim McCraw, Luc Déry

The Grand Seduction – Barbara Doran, Roger Frappier

Maïna – Karine Martin, Michel Poulette, Yves Fortin

Tom At The Farm (Tom À La Ferme) – [link...

The Academy Of Canadian Cinema & Television has announced its nominees.

“We are exceedingly proud today to reveal the nominees for the 2014 Canadian Screen Awards,” said Academy chair Martin Katz. “This was a year marked by a record-breaking number of submissions, reflecting a robust level of activity in the screen-based industries in Canada which we will celebrate during Canadian Screen Week, March 3-9. Congratulations to all.”

David Cronenberg will receive the lifetime achievement award. For the full list of winners invcluding television, digital and special awards click here.

The fearure nominees in full:

Best Motion Picture

The Dismantlement (Le Démantèlement) – Bernadette Payeur, Marc Daigle

Empire Of Dirt (pictured) – Jennifer Podemski

Enemy – Kim McCraw, Luc Déry, Miguel A Faura, Niv Fichman, Sari Friedland

The F-Word – Andre Rouleau, David Gross, Macdara Kelleher

Gabrielle – Kim McCraw, Luc Déry

The Grand Seduction – Barbara Doran, Roger Frappier

Maïna – Karine Martin, Michel Poulette, Yves Fortin

Tom At The Farm (Tom À La Ferme) – [link...

AFI Fest 2013 presented by Audi, a program of the American Film Institute, today announced the remaining sections and films that will screen in the festival’s World Cinema, American Independents, Breakthrough, Midnight, Cinema’s Legacy and Presentations programs. AFI Fest, which redefines Hollywood today as a place where icons and emerging artists bring audiences together to experience global cinema in the movie capital of the world, will take place November 7 through 14 at the historic Tcl Chinese Theatre, the Chinese 6 Theatres, the Egyptian Theatre and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

World Cinema showcases the most anticipated and prize-winning international films of the year, the American Independents section features work by U.S. filmmakers, Breakthrough highlights work discovered only through the blind submission process, Midnight’s selections tend toward the macabre and Cinema’s Legacy highlights restorations and classic films.

This year’s program includes the return of several filmmakers to AFI Fest...

As everyone around these parts knows, I'm a big fan of 24-year-old writer/director/actor Xavier Dolan whose first three films -- I Killed My Mother, Heartbeats and Laurence Anyways -- are all excellent watches, the latter of which hits DVD and Blu-ray next Tuesday. Dolan's latest film, Tom at the Farm, is a departure from all three however. In my review out of Toronto I wrote, "Cinematically it feels unique in its own right and my first instinct is to call it some sort of B-movie thriller, though that too doesn't feel right, just as a tonal comparison to something like Repulsion or Diabolique is similarly wrong. Tom at the Farm has a madness all its own." Dolan adapted the film from Michel Marc Bouchard's play of the same name, and he plays the title character, a young advertising copywriter who takes a trip out to the country...

Coming off of well-received premieres in Venice and Toronto, Xavier Dolan has debuted the intense, creepy trailer for his new film "Tom at the Farm." Adapted from award-winning Quebecois writer Michel Marc Bouchard’s play of the same name, “Tom” follows the titular young man (Dolan) as he travels to the Quebec countryside to visit the family of his recently deceased lover. After realizing the family was unaware he existed (or that their son was gay), Tom is sucked into a dark and twisted game that begins to unravel care of his lover’s psychotic brother. It's a considerable departure from the unofficial trilogy of “impossible love stories” that precedes it. "Tom" marks Dolan's first psychological thriller. And this trailer makes that clear:...

Last year I kinda gave Xavier Dolan shit for Laurence Anyways (review), a film I deemed "too fucking long" and perhaps too reliant on "perfume commercial overkill" in its aesthetic sensibilities. Well, I guess Dolan read my review and decided to turn his life around, because Tom at the Farm is a tightly wound thriller that dials back his trademark stylistic excess in favor of story. I don't mean to suggest that Tom at the Farm is generic. This is still a Xavier Dolan film through and through, but it grounds his queer themes and overindulgent cinematography in a structure that could be considered traditional. Adapting from a play by Michel Marc Bouchard, the 24-year old Dol [Continued ...]...

Now that the dust has settled and the behemoth Tiff is in our rear-view mirror, the Ioncinema.com team are comparing notes, grading films and looking back at our personal experiences, our rapport with the films we saw and the characters that vividly remain with us. Among our favorite fest recaps, our discerning fivesome (Eric Lavallee, Jordan M. Smith, Nicholas Bell, Leora Heilbronn, Caitlin Coder) have created a Top 20 List of New Faces from the 2013 of up-and-coming actors and actresses (of all age demos) that stole some thunder in lead or supporting player roles. Here they are:

#20. Zoe Levin (Palo Alto, Beneath the Harvest Sky)

Unlike the characters of Emily and Tasha in Gia Coppola’s Palo Alto and Aron Gaudet & Gita Pullapilly’s Beneath the Harvest Sky, Zoe Levin‘s future is a a bright one. Respectively playing a teens suffering from suburban and country-setting ennui, in Palo Alto...

Tom at the Farm

Written by Xavier Dolan

Directed by Xavier Dolan

Canada/ France, 2013

Quebecois director Xavier Dolan returns to Tiff in the Special Presentations programme with the gorgeously atmospheric psychological thriller, Tom at the Farm (Tom à la Ferme), shedding some of his visual compositions while embracing the themes of desire, loss, and attachment with mixed results in its overall plotting. The film is an adaptation of a French-language play of the same name by Michel Marc Bouchard, who worked with Dolan to bring the story to the big screen. Tom (played by Dolan) leaves Montreal for rural Quebec to attend the funeral of his lover, Guilliaume. While this would usually provide opportunities for a sense of closure and some semblance of inner peace, Tom is initially met by confusion and then eventual acceptance by Guilliaume’s world-weary mother Agathe, played by Lise Roy. Tom settles in, Agathe makes him a delicious home-cooked meal,...

Toronto - MK2 has unveiled a raft of international sales for Canadian director Xavier Dolan's Tom à la ferme (Tom At The Farm), which will be picked up by Network in the UK and MK2/Diaphana in France. The Canadian film, which was adapted from a stage play by Michel Marc Bouchard and stars Dolan, Pierre-Yves Cardinal, Lise Roy and Eveylne Brochu, was also sold to ABC Cinemien in the Benelux, Sweden's Folkets Bio, Spectator in Poland, Korea's Atnine Film, Taiwan's Filmware, and HBO in Latin America. Photos: Toronto 2013: The Films Continental also picked up the psychological thriller for the ex-Yugoslavia,

read more...

Xavier Dolan has quickly become one of my favorite modern directors. His appeal, for me, goes beyond his stories (though they're great in their own right). It's his tonal approach to filmmaking, his understanding of cinema and ability to embrace the past and make it his own that's so intoxicating. So often a director influenced by the past gets caught up in mimicry and the final product feels somewhat alien. Dolan has no such issue. Up until now all of his films have felt like they came from somewhere extremely personal and now, here comes Tom at the Farm, a psychological thriller that's been hard to describe to anyone that's asked. It's a departure from Dolan's first three films -- I Killed My Mother, Heartbeats and Laurence Anyways -- for a wide range of reasons. While he wrote it, just as he did the other three, it's an adaptation, the...

Just figuring out my schedule this year was a chore as the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival organizers certainly didn't make it easy on us. Loaded with conflicts, I've had to make two sacrifices at this year's festival in that I won't be seeing Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom of Parkland due to scheduling conflicts and one film simply has to be chosen over another. However, as I've already seen two of the films playing at the festival in Rush and Kill Your Darlings -- reviews will be posted based on the film's first screenings in Toronto -- I was able to open up my schedule a little following my first, preliminary schedule. Earlier today I posted my new schedule, which currently includes 27 films with a few gaps here and there where other films may fit in, or I may simply be able to catch up on reviews. Either way, I...

★★★☆☆ Filmmaking prodigy Xavier Dolan directs and stars in Venice pick Tom at the Farm (2013), an absurd, blackly funny thriller set in rural Canada and based on the play by Michel Marc Bouchard. Tom (Dolan) is a dishwater-blonde city boy in an oversized leather jacket who drives from Montreal into the rainy countryside to attend his lover's funeral. Stopping at the farm where his partner grew up, he first meets his boyfriend's mother Agathe (Lise Roy), who knows nothing of his relationship or her son's homosexuality - an ignorance which Tom maintains. However, Agathe's other son Francis (Pierre-Yves Cardinal) is suspicious.

Francis insists that the deception goes further, with Tom being coerced and then violently bullied into embroidering tales of an invented girlfriend, Sarah, and staying on at the farm for a few days to please Agathe. Days become weeks as Tom is trapped and beaten by the psychopathic, tango-dancing Francis,...

Tom à la Ferme

Director: Xavier Dolan

Writer(s): Dolan and Michel Marc Bouchard

Producer(s): Mk2′s Charles Gillibert and Nathanaël Karmitz

U.S. Distributor: Rights Available

Cast: Caleb Landry Jones, Xavier Dolan, Evelyne Brochu

Legend has it that Xavier Dolan met with the playwright directly after one of the play’s engagements (see promotional pic above) and asked to bring the film to the big screen. Fast forward a couple of seasons later and Dolan makes it his fourth feature – a departure for him as it’s an adaption for one, and that this source material wasn’t penned by him. It’ll be a nice change of pace to see the director work from material that is somewhat removed from him but yet remains in the confines of the family drama (for which Dolan excelled in with his very first feature, I Killed My Mother). As for now,...

It seems Caleb Landry Jones has taken a shine to Canadian auteurs. The actor (known to most as Banshee from "X-Men: First Class") recently teamed with Brandon Cronenberg for his uneven, but still undeniably freaky and fun "Antiviral." And now he's joined up with a three-time Cannes attendee and rising young talent Xavier Dolan for his next effort. As was first announced this spring, Dolan is directing an adaptation of Michel Marc Bouchard's play "Tom à la Ferme." The story follows Tom, who is in the grip of grief and depression following the death of his lover. When he meets the family of the deceased, it is revealed the mother was not aware of her son's sexual orientation, or his relationship with Tom either, for that matter. As Tom struggles over whether to keep the truth hidden or reveal all, he is threatened by the brother in the family...

This is not some huge casting news, simply because Tom A La Ferme is an upcoming indie. Or, if you prefer – the Canadian French-language film that will be directed by Xavier Dolan. That info probably means nothing to you at this moment. But, imagine Caleb Landry Jones (yes, he’s that weird guy from Antiviral movie) in another weird project. Makes sense now?

Well, it does, actually. Because he will play that Tom guy, who is in the grip of grief following the death of his lover. When he meets the family of the deceased, he learns the mother was not aware of her son’s sexual orientation or of his relationship with Tom.

If you ask me – this already looks like the perfect job for young Jones. Dolan, who will direct Tom A La Ferme, also stands behind the script which he co-wrote with Michel Marc Bouchard. And, like...

Young Canadian filmmaker Xavier Dolan ("I Killed My Mother," "Heartbeats") has announced plans to adapt Michel Marc Bouchard's play "Tom à la Ferme" as his fourth feature reports Twitchfilm.

The story follows Tom, a man grieving over the death of his lover. When he meets the deceased's family he learns the mother was not aware of her son being gay let alone his relationship with Tom. Meanwhile the brother forces Tom to conceal the truth.

Dolan and Bouchard have already been collaborating on the script. Dolan's latest feature, "Laurence Anyways", is scheduled to premiere at Cannes next week.

Young director Xavier Dolan continually provokes a divisive stance with his lush, personal films, but even his detractors must admit he knows how to stay insanely prolific. With his third directorial effort, “Laurence Anyways” readying for its Cannes Film Festival premiere next week, Dolan seeks to maintain that reputation with news of his follow-up film already in the pipeline.

Dolan has announced plans to adapt Michel Marc Bouchard's play, “Tom à la Ferme,” which marks the second film adaptation for Bouchard, following 1996's “Lilies” (helmed by John Greyson), and the first for Dolan. The director fell in love with the play after he attended a Montreal staging last year, and approached the internationally renowned Bouchard about who would be directing the film version. When Bouchard said he had no idea, Dolan kindly notified him that he'd be doing it then, actually. Cheeky. Evidently his forthrightness paid off though, because...

With his 2-hour and 45-minute drama Laurence Anyways set to debut in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes Film Festival this month, the 23-year-old Canadian filmmaker Xavier Dolan already has his sights set on his next film. The young writer/director/producer/actor is wasting little time, with his debut film I Killed My Mother premiering in 2009 (also at Cannes) and his follow-up, Heartbeats, just a year later.

Canoe via Twitch reports that he’ll next adapt Michel Marc Bouchard‘s play Tom à la Ferme, which opened last year in Montreal and translates to Tom on the Farm. Bouchard and Dolan first met after one of the showings of the play, where the latter asked if there is a film in the works and as there wasn’t, he said he would love to be the one to bring it to screen. Check out a synopsis of the play below.

Old friend of Twitch and sometimes-contributor Jon Pais noticed the following news, and graciously allowed us to copy it from his website. Any news concerning Xavier Dolan is interesting and appreciated ever since he made a splash with "J'ai Tué Ma Mère" (I Killed My Mother). Over to you, Jon: Xavier Dolan's eagerly anticipated third film, "Laurence Anyways", has not even been released yet (it hits theaters on May 18th), but the brilliant young Canadian director has already announced his decision to adapt a play by Michel Marc Bouchard, "Tom à la Ferme". This marks the first time the director will adapt a script not of his own making. For now, Xavier Dolan's own production company Mifilims will be handling the film. After a staging...

The Harold Greenberg Fund, a Canadian private cinematographic patronage program, announced the title of the 26 films that got supported by its script development program. Here are the projects:

Story Optioning

The Flying Troutmans

Four Seasons Productions Inc.

Screenwriters: Miriam Toews & Semi Chellas

The Journal of Mortifying Moments

Marcon Pictures Inc., T.L. Boulton Productions Ltd. & Calder Road Films Inc.

Screenwriters: Jill Girling & Lori Mather-Welch

The Outlander

Strada Films Inc. & Triptych Media Inc.

Screenwriter: Esta Spalding

Sailor Girl

Markham Street Films Inc.

Screenwriter: Johanna Schneller

Treatment to First Draft

Flop House

John Hazlett

Screenwriters: Darren Curtis & John Hazlett

Happy Clean, The Last Chinese Laundry

Picture Plant Ltd.

Screenwriter: William D. MacGillivray

Kill Shakespeare

Anthony Del Col & Conor McCreery

Screenwriters: Anthony Del Col & Conor McCreery

A Royal Day

Conquering Lion Pictures Inc.

Screenwriter: Gerald Wexler

Shanghai Follies

Amf Productions Inc.

Screenwriter: Ann Marie Fleming

First to Second Draft

Cottage Country

Whizbang Films Inc.

Astral Media The Harold Greenberg Fund has revealed the list of upcoming films that will get financial support through its Script Development Program and Equity Investment Program.

The list reveals all the 27 films (chosen out of 139 applications), which are either in production or pre-production period, that will get some financial backing.

Story Optioning

The Flying Troutmans

Four Seasons Productions Inc.

Screenwriters: Semi Chellas and Miriam Toews

King Leary

Verite Films Inc.

Screenwriter: Paul Quarrington

The Outlander

Strada Films Inc. and Triptych Media Inc.

Screenwriter: Tbd

First Draft

Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet

Hand Picked Films Inc.

Screenwriter: Richard Bell

The Diary of Laura’s Twin

pUNK Films Inc.

Screenwriter: Laura Phillips

Don’t Talk To Irene

Alyson Richards Productions Inc.

Screenwriter: Pat Mills

King Leary

Verite Films Inc.

Screenwriter: Paul Quarrington

The Lizard Cage

Sienna Films Inc.

Screenwriter: David Vainola

Queen Kristina

Triptych Media Inc.

Screenwriter: Michel Marc Bouchard

Second...

Toronto -- Sarah Polley ("Dawn of the Dead") is to play the Queen of Sweden in Finnish director Mika Kaurismaki's historical drama "Queen Kristina," it was announced Thursday.

The Canada-Nordic co-production comes from Toronto-based Triptych Media, Kaurismaki's Marianna Films in Helsinki and Berlin-based Hank Levine Film Eleven.

Canadian screenwriter Michel Marc Bouchard will pen the script for "Queen Kristina," a portrait of the 17th century Swedish queen who ascended to the throne at age six years and became an eccentric political and military leader who eventually abdicated her throne to pursue artistic and scientific interests.

The picture will shoot in Canada and Sweden in early 2011. Union Pictures has picked up the Canadian rights.

Mika Kaurismaki's latest film, "The House of Branching Love," will have its international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Friday, after earlier opening on theatrical release in Finland.

Polley's latest film, Jaco van Dormael's "Mr Nobody,...