Director/writer: Philippe Falardeau
Producers: Luc Déry and Kim McCraw (Canada), Joseph Rouschop (Belgium), Eric Tavitian (France)
Cast: Olivier Gourmet, Paul Ahmarani
Distributor: Christal Films (Canada)

Montreal filmmaker Philippe Falardeau returns to the Toronto International Film Festival with Congorama, the eagerly anticipated follow-up to his 2000 debut La Moitié gauche du frigo (The Left Side of the Fridge), which picked up the Best Canadian First Feature Award at TIFF and won Falardeau the Claude Jutra Award at the Genies for best first feature direction. Paul Ahmarani, who picked up a best actor Prix Jutra for the film, returns in Congorama.

As with Falardeau’s first feature, Congorama explores the complex relationship between two men. As the director explains it, the idea for the film came while he was doing the international festival circuit with Moitié. There, he found himself hanging out with Belgian filmmaker Pierre-Paul Renders (Thomas est amoreux). The two realized that Belgians and Quebecois have a great deal in common, and Falardeau decided to explore this theme in his screenplay.

Veteran Belgian actor Olivier Gourmet plays Michel, a man in his early 40s who learns that he was adopted. He travels to Quebec, where he was born, in search of his biological family. He meets up with Louis (Ahmarani), a frustrated character who helps him in his quest.

The film itself was like a quest, and not always a smooth one, according to producer Luc Déry of Montreal’s micro_scope. But it was well worth it, as the film proved a hit when it premiered at Cannes, and it will now make its North American bow at TIFF as a Special Presentation.

Incidentally, the title of the film refers to a show at Expo 58 in Brussels that celebrated the Congo – an event that plays a tangential role in the film.

March 2002: After his initial inspiration, Falardeau pens a five-page synopsis, which he promptly delivers to Déry, who is intrigued. ‘I immediately knew that Philippe was onto something,’ Déry says.

Winter 2002/03: SODEC, Telefilm Canada and The Harold Greenberg Fund all kick in some development money. ‘It wasn’t a huge sum, but it was enough to keep working on the idea,’ Déry recalls.

Spring 2003: Déry gets Christal Films honcho Christian Larouche intrigued in the screenplay-in-progress. The distrib kicks in some development money and picks up Congorama’s Canadian rights.

Fall 2003: Since much of the film is to be shot in Belgium, the need for a Belgian producer is paramount. Déry makes contact with Joseph Rouschop of Tarantula Belgium. ‘We got along famously,’ says Déry. Rouschop agrees to foot 20% of the budget.

December 2003: More SODEC money is secured for development. But in an unexpected setback, Telefilm turns down the request for more development cash.

‘It was pretty horrible,’ Déry says. ‘They gave us money in the first place, so we were left wondering what was going on. Simple fact of the matter was the analyst we had just didn’t like the script. It was disconcerting, but we had to move on.’

March 2004: A boost comes when the film is chosen for Atelier Grand Nord, an annual working-script brainstorming session in which filmmakers are brought to the Laurentians with their screenplays and given expert advice on how to polish them. The workshops help advance the development of the script.

June 2004: SODEC gives the production the green light. This time, Telefilm also says yes, to everyone’s relief.

But Telefilm’s ‘yes’ is a conditional one: it asks the Congorama team to come up with a French partner that will pony up 10% of the overall budget.

With the help of Rouschop, Déry lands a French coproducer in Eric Tavitian of Tarantula France, which in turn triggers the Canada-France mini-treaty copro fund, and an immediate budget boost from Telefilm and the French government of $300,000.

Summer 2004: Radio-Canada kicks in some funding, giving it first broadcast rights to the feature.

December 2004: The Congorama team is thrilled to learn that the film has been chosen for the prestigious Avance sur recette program in France – one of only seven from over 60 applicants. The program is based entirely on the strength of the script, and ‘we really weren’t expecting it,’ recalls Déry. ‘This fund is so competitive that many don’t even bother applying.’

This gives them an additional 150,000 Euros. ‘At that point, we reached a $4.9-million budget, which has been our biggest yet at micro_scope,’ Déry explains. It’s a big step up from the shop’s previous budget record of $1.9 million for Familia.

March 2005: At what seems like the last minute, Gourmet signs on for the lead role. Given his impressive CV – credits include the international hits L’Enfant and Le Couperet – landing him is seen as a major coup.

July 2005: The Montreal shoot begins and lasts five weeks, running smoothly and efficiently.

October 2005: The Belgian part of the shoot runs for three weeks. Again – smooth sailing.

December 2005 to February 2006: Belgian editor Frédérique Broos cuts the film in Montreal.

February 2006: Scouts from the Cannes Film Festival screen Congorama in Montreal. According to Déry, the film is pre-selected by all three sections of the festival: the Director’s Fortnight, Official Selection and Critics’ Week. ‘The first to invite us was the Director’s Fortnight,’ Déry recalls. ‘We said yes.’

April 2006: British sales agent The Works comes on board to sell the film’s international rights at Cannes. France and Portugal are sold.

May 2006: Congorama premieres at Cannes to positive reviews and audience response.

July 2006: TIFF accepts Congorama.

Sept 11, 2006: The film will make its North American bow as a Special Presentation at TIFF.

Oct. 18, 2006: Congorama will open the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma in Montreal.

Oct. 20, 2006: The film will launch across Quebec on Oct. 20. There are as yet no plans for the rest of Canada.