Happiness Bound
2007
Feature-length documentary + fiction
What is happiness after all? 21 poets and 11 filmmakers attempt to answer this proverbial question together.
The challenge was to find a way to visually and rhythmically link the 21 short films into a coherent and harmonized feature film in tribute to Quebec poetry.
By exploiting the theme of snow (whiteness symbolizing both the creator's blank page and the carte blanche given to the poets and filmmakers), the winter transitions serve as a backdrop for the wide variety of visions proposed by this collective of 11 creators. Their poetic universes, sometimes ironic, lyrical and often unusual, merge into one same breath, a "cry", an ode of sorts, to the elusive facets of happiness.
The two short films of Philippe Baylauckq are L'arbre de Mars and Malgré tout. L’arbre de mars et Malgré tout.
By exploiting the theme of snow (whiteness symbolizing both the creator's blank page and the carte blanche given to the poets and filmmakers), the winter transitions serve as a backdrop for the wide variety of visions proposed by this collective of 11 creators. Their poetic universes, sometimes ironic, lyrical and often unusual, merge into one same breath, a "cry", an ode of sorts, to the elusive facets of happiness.
The two short films of Philippe Baylauckq are L'arbre de Mars and Malgré tout. L’arbre de mars et Malgré tout.
Happiness Bound
2007
Coordinating Director
Initiated by Michel Sarao and co-produced by Les productions Virage and the National Film Board of Canada.
Prizes, nominations and selections
Presented at the Festival de Poésie de Trois-Rivières in 2007. en 2007.
This remarkable film sits at the crossroads of poetry and cinema. These two worlds merged when producer Michel Sarao suggested the idea to Monique Simard of Productions Virage. Happiness was the theme chosen for the project. In this cinematographic anthology put together by Philippe Baylaucq, 11 filmmakers bring to life 21 poems about happiness by Quebec poets of all ages, including Marie-Claire Blais, Claude Beausoleil, Nicole Brossard, Pierre Morency, Kim Doré and Mathieu Lippé. The result is an astonishing range of distinct worlds created by directors Geneviève Allard, Paule Baillargeon, Manon Barbeau, Philippe Baylaucq, Michel Brault, Marie-Julie Dallaire, André Forcier, Chloé Leriche, Kim Nguyen, Marcel Simard and Denis Villeneuve. In addition to joy and bliss, the film explores hope and despair, cries and whispers. Indeed, we must perhaps feel the absence of happiness before we can appreciate its company. But ultimately everyone’s life is touched by joy. Happiness comes in many shades, and this film pays tribute to them all. NFB
An unusual and unconventional choral work... The result is astonishing, with a diversity of tones in the poems as in the images, inevitable differences in quality, but the same drive to surpass.
Odile Tremblay, Le Devoir, September 23, 2007.
Odile Tremblay, Le Devoir, 23 septembre 2007.
Other films
1980
1982
1985
1987
1988
1988
1989
1990
1992
1994
1994
1996
1997
1998
2000
2001
2003
2008
2008
2009
2009
2011
2014
2014
2014
2014
2015
2015
2016
2017
2017
2017
2018
2018
2018
2022
