The Extraordinary Life of Robert Charlebois
Feature | Canada | 91 Minutes | French

THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF ROBERT CHARLEBOIS is a film with psychedelic undertones and a reflection on creativity. Through an immersion into the mind of singer-songwriter Robert Charlebois, the film takes viewers on a journey that explores the paths of the imagination. In the 1960s, Charlebois revolutionized French-language music by blending rock, joual (a popular, non-standard variety of Quebec traditionally spoken by the working class in Montreal), and psychedelia, becoming widely regarded as Quebec’s first true rock star. Over a career spanning more than six decades, he has released more than 30 albums, performed thousands of concerts, and brought Quebec music to audiences across Canada, Europe and beyond. Through his own words, as the sole narrator, speaking as if directly to the viewer, and accompanied by archival footage, previously unseen material, and animated sequences, Charlebois discusses creativity, drugs, tenderness, freedom, encounters, the beat, and love. Along the way, we encounter Italian cinema pioneer Sergio Leone, director Alfred Hitchcock, Frank Zappa, and Janis Joplin. His groundbreaking “Lindberg” and the legendary “L’Osstidcho” helped define a generation, while his international career included performances at Paris’s legendary Olympia and a historic cross-Canada tour with Janis Joplin, The Band and the Grateful Dead. He has received some of the highest honors in Canada and France, including the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award, the Order of Canada, the National Order of Quebec, France’s Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and the Victoire de la Musique for Best Francophone Album. In 1976, he performed before more than 300,000 people at Montreal’s 1 × 5 concert. This is a film that delves into the heart of the life and extraordinary creativity of a living legend whose influence helped transform Quebec’s musical identity and continues to resonate through generations of artists. Director: Louis-Philippe Eno. Theater A

After the screening: A live conversation with Director Louis-Philippe Eno

Recife Tem Um Coração (Recife Has a Heart)
Short | Brazil | 20 Minutes | Portuguese

Brega* singer Silvo Silva, known as a phenomenon in his genre in Recife, Brazil, finds himself with a broken speaker. He rallies his social media followers and performs a live broadcast with them to try to buy a new bluetooth speaker. *Brega is a Brazilian musical style and genre that encompasses a variety of rhythms, making it difficult to define a single musical aesthetic. Director: Rodrigo Sena.