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Prolific Quebec screenwriter and actor Éric K. Boulianne is ready to rise to the occasion at the Locarno Film Festival — again. In 2023, he won the best direction award for his short Making Babies (Faire un enfant) in the Swiss fest’s Pardi di Domani section, which calls itself “a vital space for expressive experimentation and innovative forms of cinematic poetry.” And now, the Canadian creative has just world premiered, in the Filmmakers of the Present program of the 78th edition of Locarno, Follies (Folichonneries), his feature directorial debut.

The movie brings a hilariously awkward, sexy vibes to the fest, which traditionally has a reputation for presenting the latest arthouse discoveries.

“François and Julie, together for 16 years and parents of two children, can no longer connect intimately,” reads a synopsis for Follies. “They decide to open up their relationship in order to engage in sexual follies that will allow them to learn more about themselves…...

Paris-based sales-production house Totem – whose sales slate has included “Compartment No. 6,” My Favourite Cake” and “The Hypnosis” – has boarded worldwide sales on “Follies,” a sexually candid open relationship comedy.

Set to world-premiere at August’s Locarno Film Festival, the French-language pic marks the buzzy feature debuts a director of Montreal screenwriting powerhouse Éric. K. Boulianne.

Also an actor, as a writer he has scored with both breakout crowd pleasers, such as “Compulsive Liar,” Canada’s No. 1 box office hit in 2019, and also with more left-of-field items such as 2022 comedy “Viking,” selected for Toronto’s prestigious Platform competition.

Boulianne also won recently at Locarno as a director, his “Making Babies” scooping Locarno’s 2023 Leopard of Tomorrow for best short.

Co-written by Boulianne and co-starring the director and Catherine Chabot,“Follies” (“Folichonneries”) turns on François and Julie, together for 16 years and parents of two children, who can no longer connect intimately. “They...

"The problem is you listen to your kids too much." Netflix has unveiled an official trailer for the dramedy titled The Guide to the Perfect Family, a Quebecois film from filmmaker Ricardo Trogi attempting to tackle the question: are we in an "overparenting" society? (Yes.) "The kids? Under pressure. The parents? Exhausted. But at least on social media, they're one #happyfamily." The film follows a few families dealing with the difficulty & complexity of raising children in a society of ultra performance, nurtured by parents who, wanting to give the best to their children, but risk smothering them. This stars Louis Morissette, Catherine Chabot, Émilie Bierre, Xavier Lebel, and Isabelle Guérard. I like hearing all the French-Canadian in this and the Quebecois slang. It's a totally different sound to French from France. This looks like an amusing and honest take on the overparenting problem, but I wish it was just a bit more humorous.

Netflix has taken the global rights to Canadian director Ricardo Trogi’s Le Guide de la famille parfaite (The Guide to the Perfect Family).

The French language dramedy about an over-parenting society will get a theatrical release in Quebec via Les Films Opale and a simultaneous release in the rest of the world on Netflix in 2021. Trogi’s film — with an ensemble cast led by Louis Morissette, Catherine Chabot, Emilie Bierre, Xavier Lebel and Isabelle Guérard — will then reach Netflix in Canada later this year.

“As a parent myself, this is a film that I immediately resonated with....

Netflix has taken the global rights to Canadian director Ricardo Trogi’s Le Guide de la famille parfaite (The Guide to the Perfect Family).

The French language dramedy about an over-parenting society will get a theatrical release in Quebec via Les Films Opale and a simultaneous release in the rest of the world on Netflix in 2021. Trogi’s film — with an ensemble cast led by Louis Morissette, Catherine Chabot, Emilie Bierre, Xavier Lebel and Isabelle Guérard — will then reach Netflix in Canada later this year.

“As a parent myself, this is a film that I immediately resonated with....