Montreal: For a moment two or three weeks back, of the 620 theater screens in Quebec, product from Alliance Vivafilm filled slightly more than 300. With its roster of films from Studio Canal +, Miramax, Artisan, October and New Line added to its own acquisitions, programming from Odeon Films and Columbia Pictures’ releases in Quebec, Vivafilm topped all distributors in market share in the province, including the majors.

‘It’s an extraordinary achievement,’ says Guy Gagnon, recently named president of the reorganized distribution operation.

According to Gagnon, a former vp and gm with Cineplex Odeon-Quebec, Vivafilm can consolidate its first-place ranking if market share edges up to 18% or 20% over the balance of the year.

Vivafilm will release over 100 films in this market in ’98, something like 15% Quebec and European (foreign-language) titles.

Vivafilm places a special premium on its European releases, says Gagnon.

While Quebec remains far and away the primary North American consumer market for films from France, the fate of that nation’s cinema – at least in this market – remains fragile.

Local distribs no longer have guarantees with big-budget French movies and show little interest in middle-of-the-road product, and recent inflationary trends for French feature budgets only serve to make matters worse.

‘Honestly, we work very hard on films from Europe,’ says Gagnon. ‘We try to bring in stars to Quebec as much as possible, and that’s difficult. We were lucky with the film Homere because the director [Fabio Capri] was on this year’s [Montreal World Film Festival] jury.

‘We’re also trying to bring in Catherine Deneuve for Place Vendome.’

La Denueve’s latest is directed by Nicole Garcia and was picked up by Alliance Vivafilm from France’s Studio Canal+. It’s slated for a busy holiday release Dec. 18.

‘We’ll do everything that is necessary including spending our own money to bring in stars,’ says Gagnon. ‘It’s simply out of the question for us, and I’m speaking on behalf of Alliance, that European cinema disappears,’ he says.

Other foreign-language releases this season include the Alain Corneau thriller Le Cousin (Studio Canal+), Jacques Weber’s Don Juan (Blue Dahlia), Nanni Moretti’s Aprile, Roberto Benigni’s touching family story La Vita e bella/Life is Beautiful (acquired through Miramax) and Robert Guediguian’s A la place du coeur (Canal+).

With European titles, Gagnon says original publicity materials including posters are often retained, but there are exceptions.

‘Canal+ was in Montreal [recently] and we saw their poster for Serial Lover, which we’re releasing this autumn. We like the film but we didn’t like [the poster]. So we’re going to create something else.’

Domestic highlights

French-language domestic highlights on Alliance’s fall release schedule include Robert Lepage’s third feature, No, the opening night gala at wiff, the Denise Filitreault feature debut C’t’a ton tour Laura Cadieux and the Franco Dragone Cirque de Soleil coproduction adventure Alegria.

Obviously, for Quebec-produced releases, everything related to the launch is readied and paid for by Vivafilm.

No is slated for a Sept. 25 release on 10 or more screens, while Laura Cadieux will hit the mother lode in Quebec theatrical terms (and Canadian, too) with a Les Boys scale 50-print release on Oct. 9.

Laura Cadieux is based on the Michel Tremblay novel and stars a bevy of Quebec legit performers including actress/ singer Ginette Reno (Leolo), Pierrette Robitaille, Adele Reinhradt, Mireille Thibault, Sonia Vachon and Daniele Laurin.

‘Ginette RenoÉis a god for the Quebecois, she is very much loved,’ says Gagnon. ‘We worked very hard on [the film’s release].’

Gagnon estimates Laura Cadieux ‘s p&a budget will be as high as $400,000, maybe more, including $100,000 in release prints, another $100,000 for tv, something in the order of $75,000 for newspaper and print advertising, and $25,000 on radio.

‘We’re going to have a big reception at Place des Arts for the premiere,’ he says. ‘We’re going to bring in all the actors from across Quebec [who’ll tour with the film as it opens in the regions] and that will cost another $50,000,’ he says.

Gagnon says Vivafilm is aiming for a $1-million take at the box office for Laura Cadieux, and with an aggregate distributor’s share of 50%, if all goes well, Gagnon says the film should break even or show a small profit with the theatrical release.

‘This is my first baby and it has to work,’ he says. ‘We’re putting the whole shot on it and I think we’re going to come out winners on this one.’

A growing operation

Alliance’s Montreal operation has added staff since Gagnon’s arrival in April, and five of his former colleagues at Cineplex Odeon Films are expected to join Vivafilm by mid-October. That happy development coincides with plans to expand its offices at Place Ville Marie.

‘With all the extra work, and I intend to be very aggressive with the promotional and publicity aspects, we’ll also need another person in promotions and probably a new person to handle press relations,’ says Gagnon, who makes his maiden visit to the Toronto International Film Festival this year.

Gagnon’s agenda at tiff: mainly screening fresh product from u.s. distribs including New Line, Miramax, Artisan and October Pictures.

Sense of renewal

Gagnon’s nomination coincides with a sense of renewal for Vivafilm in Quebec, especially in terms of homegrown product, which the company had backed away from during the later instances of the Victor Loewy/ Pierre Brousseau era.

Recent Quebec initiatives include a two-year development and domestic/ international distribution deal with Max Films producer Roger Frappier; a 20% ownership share in producer Rock Demers’ Productions La Fete, currently filming the $20 million Showtime miniseries Family: The Life & Times of Joseph Bonanno; international rights on Emergence International and producer Louise Gendron’s newsroom drama series Reseaux, broadcast on Radio-Canada and penned by La Presse sports writer Rejean Tremblay; and a financing and distribution deal with Cinemaginaire producer Denise Robert on the new Denys Arcand movie 15 Moments.

Alliance also has international rights to three new Max features – Manon Briand’s award-winning film 2 Seconds, Denis Villeneuve’s 32 August on Earth, the subject of solid reviews at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, and both domestic and international rights on Jean-Philippe Duval’s Matroni et Moi, adapted from the Alexis Martin stageplay.

Vivafilm recently named a new board of directors made up of Gagnon, Montreal producers Gendron and Kevin Tierney of La Fete, and Patrice Theroux, executive vp, worldwide distribution, Alliance Motion Picture Group.