Falardeau : Freedom First

He made Quebec independence his life’s struggle and inflammatory statements his trademark. In his films and writings, he expressed all the revolt that fuelled him. Rude and Manichean to some, inspiring and irreducible to others, Pierre Falardeau left no one indifferent. After studying anthropology, he quickly turned to filmmaking, first documentaries and then fiction, which reached a very wide audience. With his character Elvis Gratton, he has become an integral part of Quebec’s popular culture. Through his public stance and the attention he has received from the media, Falardeau — a leading figure in the independence movement — has become one of Quebec’s most unique and listened-to public figures. It will be 15 years on September 25, 2024 that Pierre died after a courageous battle with cancer that did not prevent him from continuing to defend his ideas to the very end. We thought it would be a good time to present the film we have dedicated to him, as well as a selection of films he made himself, to bring him back to the memory of those who knew him and to introduce him to the younger generations.

Carmen Garcia and Germán Gutiérrez, co-directors of the film Pierre Falardeau.