Répertoire des villes disparues

Ghost Town Anthology
Irénée-les-Neiges is a remote village somewhere in Quebec with only 215 inhabitants. When young Simon Dubé dies in a car accident, the villagers’ tranquil and regulated existence is thrown out of step. People are decidedly reluctant to talk about the particulars of the accident. For Simon’s parents and his brother, their grief means that time seems to lose all meaning and their mood gradually spreads to others. The mayoress’s pragmatism increasingly comes to nought, and this older married couple find themselves unable to maintain their quirky habits in peace. Snowy, frosty winter days stretch out into infinity. Something barely tangible descends on the region, like a veil. Mysterious figures emerge from the fog and commit strange acts. To intensify the unreal atmosphere, this film was shot on 16mm. Stories from another time appear to lurk behind the coarse-grained, flickering celluloid images. But what seems strange is sometimes more familiar than one might suspect.
by Denis Côté
with Robert Naylor, Josée Deschênes, Jean-Michel Anctil, Larissa Corriveau, Rémi Goulet, Diane Lavallée, Hubert Proulx, Rachel Graton, Normand Carrière, Jocelyne Zucco
Canada 2018 French 96’ Colour

With

  • Robert Naylor (Jimmy Dubé)
  • Josée Deschênes (Gisèle Dubé)
  • Jean-Michel Anctil (Romuald Dubé)
  • Larissa Corriveau (Adèle)
  • Rémi Goulet (André)
  • Diane Lavallée (Simone Smallwood)
  • Hubert Proulx (Pierre)
  • Rachel Graton (Camille)
  • Normand Carrière (Richard)
  • Jocelyne Zucco (Louise)

Crew

Written and Directed by Denis Côté
Cinematography François Messier-Rheault
Editing Nicolas Roy
Sound Design Frédéric Cloutier
Sound Yann Cleary
Production Design Marie-Pier Fortier
Costumes Caroline Bodson
Make-Up Dominique T. Hasbani
Assistant Director Catherine Kirouac
Casting Denis Côté
Production Manager Yanick Savard
Producer Ziad Touma

Produced by

Couzin Films

Denis Côté

Born in New Brunswick, Canada in 1973, after studying film he made shorts and worked for several years as a film critic. In 2005, he made his feature debut with Drifting States which won the Golden Leopard in the video competition at Locarno. After the Forum screened his internationally celebrated film Bestiaire in 2012, Vic + Flo Saw a Bear took part in the Competition. May We Sleep Soundly screened in the Forum, while Boris Without Béatrice and Ghost Town Anthology were both in the Competition and Social Hygiene was shown in Encounters. He has already had over 40 retrospectives devoted to his work around the world.

Filmography

2005 Les états nordiques (Drifting States) 2007 Nos vies privées (Our Private Lives) · Maïté; short film 2008 Elle veut le chaos (All That She Wants) 2009 Carcasses 2010 Les lignes ennemies (The Enemy Lines) · Curling 2012 Bestiaire 2013 Vic + Flo ont vu un ours (Vic + Flo Saw a Bear) 2014 Que ta joie demeure (Joy of Man’s Desiring) 2015 Excursões (Excursions); short film · Que nous nous assoupissions (May We Sleep Soundly); short film 2016 Boris sans Béatrice (Boris Without Béatrice) 2017 Ta peau si lisse (A Skin So Soft); documentary 2019 Répertoire des villes disparues (Ghost Town Anthology) · Wilcox 2021 Hygiène sociale (Social Hygiene) 2022 Un été comme ça (That Kind of Summer)

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2022