Montreal: The National Film Board’s French Program anticipates delivery of some 40 doc and animation productions in the coming year. More than two dozen docs are in various stages of production, a level of production unlikely to be matched in years ahead.

New work from established nfb directors includes Jacques Godbout’s (Traitre ou Patriote) international coproduction portrait Anne Hebert; Tahani Rached’s examination of the choir experience, A travers chants; and Fernand Dansereau and Jacques Payette’s state-of-the-planet-and-species essay, Bien des raisons de craindre et quelques unes d’esperer.

Also in production are Lise Ethier’s chronicle of a Quebec doctor in Medicines sans Frontiers, Il n’y a pas d’ombre sans lumiere; Michel La Veaux’s portrait Sincerement, Guy L’Ecuyer; Lisa Fitzgibbons’ essay on suicide, Les Pleureuses; Serge Giguere’s second film as a resident nfb filmmaker, Suzor-Cote, a portrait of the late Athabaskan painter and sculptor; Pierre Sidaoui’s revisiting of his native Lebanon, D’Abey; and Caroline Martel’s social history, Dernier appel.

French Program director-general Andreanne Bournival says annual documentary production will be reduced by as much as 25% to 30% in the future.

As of next April, doc production in the French Program will be limited to two studios in Montreal, headed by producers Eric Michel and Nicole Lamothe. The third studio, headed by Andre Gladu, will be disbanded. Gladu, a veteran documentarian, will direct new projects for the nfb. One of the studio’s most recent efforts is Libres Courts, a short film collection from seven first-time filmmakers, which will air on Tele-Quebec.

The French Program’s other doc production centers will remain in operation. They are headed by Diane Poitras (in Moncton) and Jacques Menard (Toronto). Marcel Jean heads the animation and youth stduio.

The board also assists some 50 innovative low-budget indie projects each year through its Aide au Cinema Independent program.

Bournival says annual production is likely to be cut back to 25 titles from 40. She says the program’s annual documentary budget of $7 million is as much as $2 million to $3 million too high. And while funding is stable, she says production costs continue to rise, as does interest in national and international coproductions.

NFB coproductions

Godbout’s Anne Hebert, a one-hour portrait of the late writer’s life and work, is indicative of the French Program’s evolving ambitions. The portrait is being filmed by Michel Brault and is a Canada/France coproduction from Montreal’s Via le Monde and Paris’ Tele-Images International. It’ll be broadcast on French tv as part of the Un Siecle d’Ecrivains collection.

Other international coproductions this year, all animation projects from nfb producer Marcel Jean, includes Abi Feijo’s Clandestino (Filmographo, Portugal); Carles Porta Garcia’s futuristic tale of war, Francoise Le Vaillant (Folimage, France); and Oear Van Cuijenborg’s existential story, Zodiac (Folimage, France).

New French Program coproductions with independent Canadian producers include:

* Manon Barbeau’s Barbeau libre comme l’art (InformAction), a sequel portrait of Refus Global artist and the director’s father Marcel Barbeau;

* Carlos Ferrand’s portrait of an ancient trapper and his wife, Il chante avec les loups (PAT Teleproductions);

* Sophie Bissonnette’s international women’s advocacy doc, Partition pour voix de femmes (Productions Virage);

* Patrick Bouchard’s ironic, animated essay on mind control, Les Ramoneurs cerebraux (Productions de la Chasse-Galerie).

Veteran nfb favorite Jacobus ‘Co’ Hoedeman, is preparing two new films in the popular Ludovic collection, Ludovic, Grand-papa and Ludovic, La feuille rouge. A major tv network in France is apparently negotiating a purchase of the Hoedeman collection.

Distribution highlights

French Program distribution highlights this fall include theatrical releases for Bruno Bouliane’s Aviature, Mireille Dansereau’s L’Idee noire and Catherine Fol’s reflection on cosmology, Le lien cosmique, the opening night film at Festival Telescience, to be held Nov. 17-26 in Montreal.

A dozen old and new nfb films are slated for screenings at festivals in Vancouver, Calgary, St, John’s (St. John’s International Women’s Film and Video festival, Oct. 18-22) and Montreal (Rencontres International du Documentaire, Nov. 15-19).

The nfb’s French Program operates on an annual budget of $17 million, including $2 million in revenues, about 75% made up of sales to Canadian broadcasters. *

-www.onf.ca