The 42nd Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) comes to Kirkland this Thursday, June 2 for the US premiere of Paul à Québec. Based on the alter-ego of the beloved Canadian cartoonist Michel Rabagliati, the film’s an adaptation of the graphic novel, “The Song of Roland,” an uplifting story about an artist and his dying father in law, starring François Létourneau, Gilbert Sicotte, Julie Le Breton, Louise Portal and Shanti Corbeil-Gauvreau. SIFF organizers describe the film like so:
It’s 1999. Paul (award-winning actor and playwright François Létourneau, “Série Noire”) is a graphic designer who lives in Montreal with his girlfriend Lucie (Julie LeBreton, SIFF 2012’s Starbuck) and young daughter Rose. Every June they travel to Saint-Nicolas near Québec City to spend Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day weekend with Lucie’s extended family. This year, however, comes with some bad news: Her retired father Roland (Gilbert Sicotte, The Salesman) has cancer, and though mother Lisette (Louise Portal, The Decline of the American Empire) insists the disease is manageable, it’s not long before it’s revealed he hasn’t long to live. As everybody comes together for the patriarch’s final days, Paul learns more about his father-in-law, from his troubled childhood to his emotionally complicated present, and is thus inspired to tell Roland’s story the only way he knows how—through comics. A tragicomedy of enormous power, Paul à Quebéc employs deeply rooted empathy and a marvelous sense of humor to underscore what it means to be human, blemishes and all.
The movie begins at 8, but party fans can arrive at 6:30 for the Pre-Film Reception at the Kirkland Performance Center, catered by Volterra.
Visit the SIFF Box Office for a complete list of showtimes and ticketing information.
Paul à Québec: Kirkland Opening Night
When: Thursday, June 2, 6:30pm (movie begins at 8pm)
Where: Kirkland Performance Center (350 Kirkland Ave)
