Montreal: Filmmaker Stephane Lapointe began shooting his first feature-length film, Une simple catastrophe, on July 16, to wrap by late August. Best known for his well-received short film Hommes en quarantaine, Lapointe has the backing of prominent Quebec producer Roger Frappier and Luc Vandal, both of Max Films, who culled the project’s $3.8-million budget.

Lapointe’s screenplay tells the madcap story of one Montreal family, the Dufresnes, who appear to have everything. Dad and mom (Gilbert Sicotte and Marie Gignac) are both successful and prosperous, he a food company mogul and she a renowned academic. Their daughter is off to Britain to practice medicine. Their 25-year-old son Thomas (Marc Paquet), however, is a different story. About to complete his degree in architecture, Thomas falls into a severe depression over his lack of a girlfriend – a mood that leaves both parents dumbfounded and terribly worried about their son. Enter Audrey (Catherine De Lean), who appears to be the woman of his dreams. Nothing is ever quite as it seems in tortured romantic comedies, however, and Lapointe promises that Une simple catastrophe will offer enough serious plot twists to undermine the clichés of the genre, and will culminate in a conclusion that is ‘beautiful, cruel and tragic.’

Une simple catastrophe also stars Gilles Renaud, Anne Dorval and Maxime Denommée. It is funded by Telefilm Canada, SODEC and The Harold Greenberg Fund. Slated for a spring 2006 release, it will be distributed by Christal Films.