Festival international du cinéma francophone en Acadie (trans: International Francophone Film Festival in Acadie), or FICFA, is a francophone international film festival held annually in Moncton, New Brunswick."Le Festival international du cinéma francophone en Acadie couronne ses lauréats". Ici Radio-Canada, November 21, 2019.
Since its creation in 1987, FICFA has grown to become the largest film festival in New Brunswick and one of the largest international francophone film festivals in North America. With an official program that includes over 100 films each year, FICFA is an important gathering of over 20,000 movie lovers and more than 150 delegates from Canada, Europe and Africa.
FICFA was created in 1987 following the Quebec City Francophonie Summit. The City of Moncton was selected to host such a festival as a tribute to those who worked for centuries in order to preserve their language and culture. The Moncton community wished to make FICFA an annual event and in 1992, Film Zone was incorporated. Film Zone is in charge of organizing FICFA, its principal event.
FICFA's mission is to promote francophone cinema in Acadie and Acadian cinema in Acadie itself and the Francophonie. Since its first edition, it has presented thousands of films from around the world.
Its objectives include developing interest for francophone cinema in Acadie, developing interest for francophone cinema in school settings, contributing to the development and promotion of the Acadian cinema industry, and encouraging partnerships with other francophone festivals.
Prix La Vague
The FICFA jury, composed of professionals from Canadian and international cinema industries, attributes the Prix La Vague Awards every year in different categories:
2007 Category Film Director Best International Feature Real Life Is Elsewhere (La Vraie vie est ailleurs) Frédéric Choffat Best Canadian Feature Twilight (La Brunante) Fernand Dansereau Best Documentary Driven by Dreams (À force de rêves) Serge Giguère Antlers (Panache) André-Line Beauparlant Best Acadian Feature On a tué l'Enfant-Jésus Renée Blanchar Bootcamp Nation (Soldat à vie) Sofi Langis Best Acadian Short Film Un dimanche à 105 ans Daniel Léger People's Choice Un dimanche à 105 ans Daniel Léger Bonne nuit Malik! Bruno Danan
2008 Category Film Director Best International Feature Under the Bombs (Sous les bombes) Philippe Aractingi The Yellow House (La Maison jaune) Amor Hakkar Best Canadian Feature All That She Wants (Elle veut le chaos) Denis Côté Best Documentary The World According to Monsanto (Le Monde selon Monsanto) Marie-Monique Robin Best Acadian Feature Lost Song Rodrigue Jean Best Acadian Short Film La Trappe Lina Verchery People's Choice Tic Tac Marc Daigle Une histoire louche Rudi Rosenberg
Honorable mentions were also awarded to Isabelle Blais for her performance in Lyne Charlebois's film Borderline, and to Claude Fournier for his musical contributions to Rodolphe Caron's Marie-Hélène Allain en dialogue avec la pierre.
2009
Category Film Director Best International Feature Eastern Plays Kamen Kalev Best Canadian Feature I Killed My Mother (J'ai tué ma mère) Xavier Dolan Best Documentary Encirclement – Neo-Liberalism Ensnares Democracy (L'encerclement - La démocratie dans les rets du néolibéralisme) Richard Brouillette Men for Sale (Hommes à louer) Rodrigue Jean Best Acadian Feature Acadieman vs le CMA 2009 Dano Leblanc Best Acadian Short Film Inhabiting Dance (Habiter la danse) Julien Cadieux People's Choice Paul Rodin est... Paul Rodin Frédérick Vin Alanna Julie Plourde
2010
Category Film Director Best International Feature Love Like Poison (Un poison violent) Katell Quillévéré Best Canadian Feature Diary of an Aid Worker (Journal d'un coopérant) Robert Morin Vital Signs (Les signes vitaux) Sophie Deraspe Best Documentary Journey's End (La Belle visite) Jean-François Caissy Salaam Isfahan Sanaz Azari Best Acadian Feature No prize awarded Best Acadian Short Film Voleuse de poussière Marie-Thérèse François People's Choice La Pilule Géraldine Charbonneau Pixels Patrick Jean
2011
Category Film Director Best International Feature The Minister (L'Exercise de l'État) Pierre Schöller Attenberg Athina Rachel Tsangari Best International Short Film Aglaée Rudi Rosenberg Le Sucre Raphaël Médard Best Canadian Feature The Salesman (Le Vendeur) Sébastien Pilote Best Canadian Short Film Ce n'est rien Nicolas Roy Sang froid Martin Thibaudeau Best Documentary Vol spécial Fernand Melgar Godin Simon Beaulieu Best Acadian Feature Moncton Vinyle Paul Bossé Roméo Savoie: La peinture du corps Monique LeBlanc Best Acadian Short Film Off Route 2 Amanda Dawn Christie People's Choice Monsieur Lazhar Philippe Falardeau
2012
Category Film Director Best International Feature Sister (L'Enfant d'en haut) Ursula Meier Best International Short Film Edmond Was a Donkey (Edmond était un âne) Franck Dion Best Canadian Feature War Witch (Rebelle) Kim Nguyen Catimini Nathalie Saint-Pierre Best Canadian Short Film Ina Litovski Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette, André Turpin Best Documentary Bestiaire Denis Côté Best Acadian Feature Last Chance (Une dernière chance) Paul-Émile d'Entremont Best Acadian Short Film Une affaire de famille Justin Guitard People's Choice The Nature of Frederic Back (Frédéric Back : Grandeur Nature) Phil Comeau S.W.I.T.C.H. Jean-Pierre Desmarais
2013 Category Film Director Best International Feature Suzanne Katell Quillévéré Best International Short Film The Day Has Conquered the Night (Le jour a vaincu la nuit) Jean-Gabriel Périot Best Canadian Feature Vic and Flo Saw a Bear (Vic+Flo ont vu un ours) Denis Côté Best Canadian Short Film Taxi for Two (Taxi pour deux) Dan Popa Best Documentary The Missing Picture (L'Image manquante) Rithy Panh Best Acadian Film Aller-Retour Gilles Doiron People's Choice Dead Man Talking Patrick Ridremont
2014 Category Film Director Best International Feature Party Girl Marie Amachoukeli, Claire Burger, Samuel Theis Best International Short Film L'être venu d'ailleurs Guy Bordin, Renaud de Putter Best Canadian Feature Felix and Meira (Félix et Meira) Maxime Giroux Best Canadian Short Film The Cut (La Coupe) Geneviève Dulude-De Celles Best Documentary Miron: A Man Returned from Outside the World (Miron : Un homme revenu d'en dehors du monde) Simon Beaulieu Best Acadian Feature The Utrecht Seals (Les Sceaux d'Utrecht) Paul Bossé Best Acadian Short Film Le paradis de boue Chris Harrigan People's Choice The Utrecht Seals (Les Sceaux d'Utrecht) Paul Bossé
2015 Category Film Director Best International Feature Much Loved Nabil Ayouch Best International Short Film Father (Père) Lotfi Achour Best Canadian Feature Our Loved Ones (Les êtres chers) Anne Émond Best Canadian Short Film The Woman Who Saw the Bear (La femme qui a vu l'ours) Joannie Lafrenière Best Documentary Uncle Bernard: A Counter-Lesson in Economics (Oncle Bernard - L'anti-leçon d'économie) Richard Brouillette Pinocchio André-Line Beauparlant Best Acadian Feature Le sprint au flétan Pat Gauvin Best Acadian Short Film Cafétéria Francine Hébert People's Choice Our Loved Ones (Les êtres chers) Anne Émond
2016 Category Film Director Best International Feature Sieranevada Cristi Puiu Best International Short Film Zoufs Tom Boccara, Noé Reutenaeur, Emilien Vekemans Best Canadian Feature Prank Vincent Biron Best Canadian Short Film My Last Summer (Mon dernier été) Claude Demers Best Documentary Spectres of Shortwave (Ombres des ondes courtes) Amanda Dawn Christie Best Acadian Feature Zachary Richard: Cajun Heart (Zachary Richard, toujours batailleur) Phil Comeau Best Acadian Short Film Belle-île-en-mer, île bretonne et acadienne Phil Comeau People's Choice Zachary Richard: Cajun Heart (Zachary Richard, toujours batailleur) Phil Comeau
2017 Category Film Director Best International Feature BPM (120 battements par minute) Robin Campillo Best International Short Film Five Years After the War (Cinq ans après la guerre) Samuel Albaric, Ulysse Lefort, Martin Wiklund Best Canadian Feature Tadoussac Martin Laroche Best Canadian Short Film Marguerite Marianne Farley Best Documentary The Devil's Share (La Part du diable) Luc Bourdon Best Acadian Feature Modified (Modifié) Aube Giroux Best Acadian Short Film $1.25 Jeep Jones People's Choice Modified (Modifié) Aube Giroux
2018 Category Film Director Best International Feature Capernaum Nadine Labaki Best International Short Film Un monde sans bêtes Adrien Lecouturier, Emma Benestan Best Canadian Feature A Colony (Une colonie) Geneviève Dulude-De Celles When Love Digs a Hole (Quand l'amour se creuse un trou) Ara Ball Best Canadian Short Film Brotherhood (Ikhwène) Meryam Joobeur Lunar-Orbit Rendezvous Mélanie Charbonneau Best Documentary First Stripes (Premières armes) Jean-François Caissy Best Acadian Feature The Artisans (Les artisans de l'atelier) Daniel Léger Best Acadian Short Film Le Patenteux d'Harelle Mathieu Laprise People's Choice Capernaum Nadine Labaki Girls of the Sun (Les filles du soleil) Eva Husson
2019 Category Film Director Best International Feature Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Portrait de la jeune fille en feu) Céline Sciamma Best International Short Film Le chant d'Ahmed Foued Mansour Best Canadian Feature Kuessipan Myriam Verreault Best Canadian Short Film Mutts (Clebs) Halima Ouardiri Delphine Chloé Robichaud Best Documentary Language Is a Love Story (La langue est donc une histoire d'amour) Andrés Livov Mad Dog and the Butcher (Les Derniers vilains) Thomas Rinfret Best Acadian Feature Pour mieux t'aimer Gilles Doiron, Denise Bouchard Best Acadian Short Film Le grous poisson Angie Richard, Tracey Richard People's Choice Mad Dog and the Butcher (Les Derniers vilains) Thomas Rinfret
2020 Category Film Director Best International Feature JosepPascale Savoie-Brideau, "Un bilan positif pour le 34e Festival international du cinéma francophone en Acadie". Ici Radio-Canada Nouveau-Brunswick, November 21, 2020. Aurel Slalom Charlène Favier Best International Short Film Amours synthétiques Sarah Heitz de Chabaneix Best Canadian Feature Nadia, Butterfly Pascal Plante Best Canadian Short Film Moon (Lune) Zoé Pelchat Best Documentary Wandering: A Rohingya Story (Errance sans retour) Mélanie Carrier, Olivier Higgins Best Acadian Feature The Silence (Le Silence) Renée Blanchar Best Acadian Short Film Un façon d'être ensemble Francine Hébert
An honorable mention was given to Kelly Depeault for her performance in Goddess of the Fireflies (La déesse des mouches à feu). Due to the online format, no People's Choice award was presented.
2021 Category Film Director Best International Feature Playground (Un monde)"Le jury du 35e FICFA récompense les meilleurs films". Ici Radio-Canada Nouveau-Brunswick, November 18, 2021. Laura Wandel Best International Short Film La Ressource humaine Adriana Da Fonseca Best Canadian Feature Drunken Birds (Les Oiseaux ivres) Ivan Grbovic Best Canadian Short Film Like the Ones I Used to Know (Les Grandes claques) Annie St-Pierre Best Documentary Zo Reken Emanuel Licha Best Acadian Short Film Mona
2022 Category Film Director Ref Best International Feature Close Lukas Dhont "Le film acadien Croque-mort. C’est beau la vie! se distingue au FICFA 2022". Ici Radio-Canada Nouveau-Brunswick, November 18, 2022. Best International Short Film Fairplay Zoel Aeschbacher Best Canadian Feature Rosie Gail Maurice Best Canadian Short Film Paradoxe Aimé Majeau Beauchamp Best Documentary The Super 8 Years (Les années Supr 8) Annie Ernaux, David Ernaux-Briot Best Acadian Feature Film Undertaker for Life (Croque-mort, c'est beau la vie!) Georges Hannan Best Acadian Short Film Gendrbendr Joe Nadeau People's Choice The Secret Order (L'Ordre secret) Phil Comeau Damien Dauphin, "L’ordre secret est le film coup de cœur du public au FICFA". Le Moniteur Acadien, November 30, 2022.
2023