Montreal, Saturday December 02 2006 Montreal film critics are near unanimous in their ecstatic acclaim for A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS.
[more...]
"Radical...courageous...audacious...unequalled," wrote LE DEVOIR film critic Odile Tremblay. In Quebec's largest English-language daily newspaper THE GAZETTE, John Griffin said that the film was "a fascinating, challenging psychodrama...impressively orchestrated." LA PRESSE's Anabelle Nicoud opined, "Tragic, psychological, personal and intelligent. A discovery." From the weekly French-language VOIR, Kevin Laforest wrote, "Aside than the technical brilliance, what gives the film all its power is the engaging performance by Vlasta Vrana." "There are echoes of Eraserhead and Barton Fink," said Malcom Fraser in the English-language weekly MIRROR, "though Paquette seems to be striving for his own vision. An atmospheric and intriguing little curiosity." Martin Gignac, from the other French-language weekly ICI, wrote, "To discover a mysterious and haunting a pearl as this is so very rare." Only Melora Koepke, from the other English-language weekly HOUR, had reservations, offering, "If puzzles and ambivalence are your bag, then Jack Richards is a godsend." A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS plays (with French-language subtitles) daily at 1:00pm & 9:30pm from December 01-07 2006 at Cinema du Parc, located at 3575, av. du Parc, Montreal (tel. 514-281-1900).
Quebec City, Friday November 24 2006 A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS opens commercially at the revered LE CLAP cinema in Quebec City.
[more...]
In Quebec City's largest daily newspaper LE SOLEIL, film critic Gilles Garignan praised A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS as, "A stunningly mastered work." Stephanie Bois-Houde, LE CLAP's programmer, confirms that A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS is "a truly filmic experience." A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS plays (with French-language subtitles) daily at 5:50pm from November 24-30 2006 at Le Clap, located at 2360 ch.
Ste-Foy, Quebec City (tel. 418-650-2527).
Montreal, Monday November 20 2006 A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS to open commercially at the newly owned, renovated and operated CINEMA DU PARC in Montreal from December
01-07 2006!
[more...]
After a relatively short hiatus, CINEMA DU PARC has found its new dad in the form of Roland Smith, a veteran in the exhibition and distribution sides of the film industry in this city since the '60s. Smith owned several vintage rep houses in Montreal over the years, including the Verdi and the Outremont, and has since worked in video distribution for La Boîte Noire, Vidéotron and others. As CINEMA DU PARC's new owner and programmer, Smith is confident there is room for another art-house player. "It's a matter of getting the right films and doing the right promotion," he said.
"A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS is definitely the kind of film we want to be playing. Montrealers are gonna love this innovative, weird, and darkly compelling creation." A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS will play (with French-language subtitles) daily from 1:00pm & 9:30pm from December 01-07 2006 at Cinema du Parc, located at 3575, av. du Parc, Montreal (tel. 514-281-1900).
Halifax, Friday November 10 2006 Film critic Stephen Pedersen of the daily HALIFAX HERALD CHRONICLE praises
A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS as "a striking achievement".
[more...]
"This is a film to see with film buffs and friends and is meant to be
heatedly discussed afterwards...on one thing, all are likely to agree:
Vlasta Vrana’s extraordinary performance. It is a tour-de-force..." Read
the review at www.thechronicleherald.ca/Entertainment/539997.html . A YEAR
IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS plays from November 10-16 2006 at Empire 17
Cinemas Bayers Lake, located at 190 Chain Lake Drive, Halifax (tel.
902-876-4800).
Toronto, Friday November 10 2006 Toronto film critics are near unanimous in their disdain for A YEAR IN THE
DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS. [more...]
"They were not critical as much as they were derisive," said filmmaker
Paquette of the film critics at the daily GLOBE AND MAIL, NATIONAL POST,
TORONTO SUN and the weekly NOW MAGAZINE. "Don't get me wrong, I am
obviously very disappointed with their reaction. However, had their severe
derision not been so uniformly inept and trivial, I would have been hurt
or angry. As it is, I am more curious about their reaction than anything
else." Absurdly, the daily TORONTO STAR refused to even attend the
press-screening. EYE WEEKLY's Adam Nayman was the only critic in Toronto
who was not only respectful, but actually favoured the film. A YEAR IN THE
DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS plays from November 10-16 2006 at the Carlton
Cinema Cineplex, located at 20 Carlton St., Toronto (tel. 416-598-2309).
Halifax, Friday November 10 2006 HALIFAX DAILY NEWS journalist Dean Lisk speaks with actor VLASTA VRANA and
filmmaker B, P. PAQUETTE about A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS [more...]
"'What I really tried to do with the film is make it open to a lot of
interpretations...There are a lot of people who will watch the film, and
when you have a talk with them, and they will have 100 per cent different
experiences of what actually happened in the film,' said Paquette." Read
the article at www.hfxnews.com/index.cfm?sid=9394&sc=8 . A YEAR IN THE
DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS plays from November 10-16 2006 at Empire 17 Cinemas
Bayers Lake, located at 190 Chain Lake Drive, Halifax (tel. 902-876-4800).
Halifax, Thursday November 09 2006 A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS hits Halifax and journalist Hillary
Titley of the weekly COAST tries to sort it out. [more...]
"After listening to the surrounding critics give our opinions as to what
the film might actually have been about, Paquette shrugs off explaining
any one thing in the film by saying it was his intention to make a movie
that was wide open to a variety of different interpretations." Read the
article at
http://www.thecoast.ca/1editorialbody.lasso?-token.folder=2006-11-09&-token.story=150015.113118&-token.subpub=. A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS plays from November 10-16 2006 at
Empire 17 Cinemas Bayers Lake, located at 190 Chain Lake Drive, Halifax
(tel. 902-876-4800).
Toronto, Thursday November 09 2006 EYE WEEKLY film critic Adam Nayman acclaims A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK
RICHARDS. [more...]
"B.P. Paquette is an estimable mood-setter...there's a pervasive sense of
dread in the micro-budget, super-16mm indie A Year in the Death of Jack
Richards that puts most burnished Hollywood horror-shows to shame." Read
the review at www.eye.net/eye/issue/issue_11.09.06/film/onscreen_5.php . A
YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS plays from November 10-16 2006 at the
Carlton Cinema Cineplex, located at 20 Carlton St., Toronto (tel.
416-598-2309).
Montreal, Monday October 23 2006 A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS to finally hit Canadian theatres on November 10 2006. [more...]
The national theatrical commercial release by OURSON FILMS of A YEAR IN
THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS will allow for film critics, others in the
media, members of the Canadian and Quebec film industries, film buffs and
the general public the opportunity to introduce themselves to the debut
work of B. P. PAQUETTE, a gifted cinematic talent to watch, and to finally
recognize the extraordinary craft and artistry of veteran thespian VLASTA
VRANA. Stay posted for listings of screening dates, times and venues in
Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec
City, Halifax, etc.
Halifax, Wednesday August 30 2006 OURSON FILMS is selected to attend the preeminent international film co-production conference in Canada - STRATEGIC PARTNERS at the
Atlantic Film Festival. [more...]
Since 1998, Strategic Partners (SP) has facilitated collaboration and
investment in international and interprovincial film and television
production. Set against the exciting backdrop of the Atlantic Film
Festival in Halifax, SP is the only event of its kind in Canada and is
recognized as one of the important co-production markets in the world.
This year's three-day blitz will be held from September 15 to 17 2006.
Toronto, Thursday June 08 2006 FILM CIRCUIT, a division of the Toronto International Film Festival Group,
selects A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS for its prestigious lineup. [more...]
Tammy Stone, senior coordinator of programming for FILM CIRCUIT, "is
delighted to support A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS." FILM CIRCUIT
fascilitates the screenings of Canadian and International independent
films in over 185 communities across Canada, and also programs Canadian
films for festivals and retrospectives around the world. "We will
endeavour to do everything we can to put this film on as many screens in
as many FILM CIRCUIT cities as possible, to extend the life of the film
beyond Canada's major markets," said Stone.
Delray Beach, Friday January 27 2006 Neophyte filmmaker B. P. Paquette will invite legendary filmmaker Roger Corman to the Florida premiere of A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS at the Delray Beach Film Festival. [more...]
Affectionately known as the "King of B Movies", indie film maverick Roger Corman will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the inaugural Delray Beach Film Festival (DBFF). Corman has directed some of the most classic horror films in history, including "The Little Shop of Horrors"
(1960), "The Raven" (1963), and "The Mask of the Red Death" (1964). Many film superstars, most notably Jack Nicholson and Martin Scorsese, have Corman to thank for giving them initial breaks into the film industry. The DBFF will run from March 8th to 12th 2006, at venues in and around historic downtown Delray Beach, Florida.
Sedona, Tuesday January 03 2006 The Sedona International Film Festival & Workshop will showcase the Arizona premiere of A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS. [more...]
Amid unparalleled scenic beauty, lovers of independent films will celebrate the best in cinematic art from February 23rd to 26th 2005 in Sedona, Arizona. Recently named the "Fest to Impress" by MovieMaker Magazine, the SIFF also provides rich educational opportunity to filmmakers, students and the general public alike through its unique annual Workshop, founded by Academy Award-winner Frank Warner ("Close Encounters of the Third Kind", "Taxi Driver", "Raging Bull").
Montreal, Saturday November 22 2005 A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS is a "fascinating, challenging psychodrama" declares Montreal Gazette film critic John Grifin. [more...]
In an articled of the Saturday, October 22 2005 edition of the Montreal Gazette titled "The festival that roared", Griffin applauded the commercial and critical success of the 34th edition of Le Festival du nouveau cinéma while praising A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS. In addition, a clearly impressed Griifin wrote that Paquette's debut film "could claim a 75-per-cent attendance rate." According to festival representatives, the average per-centage attendance rate at this year's Festival du nouveau cinéma is in the early-to-mid 60s.
Santa Clarita, Monday November 02 2005 A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS is honoured with a Best Picture nomination at the Santa Clarita Independent Film Festival. [more...]
"We wanted to create a festival that’s truly open. A lot of festivals have become about politics or wheeling and dealing," said Jennifer Fischer, co-executive director of SCIFF. "This is purely based on the quality of the films." Based in southern California, The Santa Clarita Independent Film Festival unspools from November 11th to November 13th 2005.
Northampton, Friday October 30 2005 A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS will screen at the 11th annual Northampton Independent Film Festival. [more...]
"We believe Northampton is a regional mecca for filmgoers interested in discovering new work and in sharing their reactions and information," said festival program co-director Charlie Burke. "Our core audience has an appetite for artistic adventure, intellectual discussion, and originality." The festival is located in Northampton, Massachusetts and will run from November 9th to 13th 2005.
Santa Monica, Thursday October 29 2005 Filmmaker B. P. Paquette and Ourson Films co-producer Jason Ross Jallet to attend the American Film Market (AFM). [more...]
Ourson Films will be looking to partner with some of over the 7,000 leaders in motion picture production and distribution - acquisition and development executives, agents, attorneys, financiers, film commissioners, producers and writers - who will converge in Santa Monica, California for eight days of screenings, deal-making and hospitality. The AFM runs from November 2nd to 9th 2005.
Cork, Wednesday October 28 2005 The Irish premiere of A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS is to be held at the celebrated Cork Film Festival. [more...]
"We are delighted to have the opportunity of screening your film before an Irish audience," said Festival Director Michael Hannigan. "We received 2,500 entries over all categories, so many congratulations!" Filmmaker B.
P. Paquette and Ourson Films associate producer Jason Ross Jallet will be in attendance at the 50th Annual Cork Film Festival, which runs from this October 9th to 16th 20005 in Cork, Ireland.
New York City, Wednesday 13 September 2005 Filmmaker B. P. Paquette to attend Independent
Film Week IFP New York. [more...]
Team Ourson Films has
been invited to Canada Connects, an immersion program at the 2005 IFP Market &
IFP Conference made possible by the Consulate General of Canada and Telefilm
Canada. OURSON FILMS is seeking finance and distribution partners for its
current and future projects, including A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS.
IFP New York runs from this September 19-23 in New York City.
Manchester, Saturday 03 September 2005 THE MANCHESTER FESTIVAL OF FANTASTIC FILMS honours
A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS with the Delta Film Award for Best Feature Film.
[more...]
Although
filmmaker B. P. Paquette could not attend the festival proceedings
because he is hard at work on his second feature film THE WOMAN OF AHHS,
he was most certainly there in spirit. Program Director Gil Lane-Young
informed a gleeful Paquette of the win by telephone. Paquette plans to
return to the festival with his horrific, jet-black comedy THE ANONYMOUS
RUDY S., currently in development.
Montreal, Wednesday 24 August 2005 The Montreal premiere of A YEAR IN THE DEATH
OF JACK RICHARDS to be held at LE FESTIVAL DU NOUVEAU CINEMA DE MONTREAL. [more...]
Amid the plethora
of film festivals now clogging Montreal, filmmaker B. P. Paquette will
present his debut feature film at the oldest, most cutting-edge and
resonant of them all: the 34th annual Festival du nouveau cinema de
Montreal. Said Head Programmer Claude Chamberlan, "we are delighted to
invite A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS to our festival." The dates
for this year's Festival du nouveau cinema de Montreal are from October
13th to October 23rd.
Valdivia, Tuesday 23 August 2005 The Valdivia International Film Festival taps
A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS for its 2005 official selection.
[more...]
One of the
premiere film events in South America, the Valdivia International Film
Festival will celebrate its 12th edition this year. Filmmaker B. P.
Paquette and Ourson Films associate producer Jason Ross Jallet will attend
the festivities, which are scheduled to unspool from September 30th to
October 6th in Valdivia, Chile.
Manchester, Monday 22 August 2005 A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS is one
of the ten feature films shortlisted for this year's Delta Film Awards at THE FESTIVAL OF
FANTASTIC FILMS.
[more...]
Incoming
award administrator and freelance journalist
Steve Gren will be joined in the final adjudication by Harvey Fenton,
editor of the acclaimed film magazine Flesh and Blood and director of
genre publisher FAB Press, freelance journalist Michael J. Simpson, author
of the Douglas Adams biography Hitchhiker, and Norman J. Warren, director
of Inseminoid and Satan's Slave. The 16th annual Festival of Fantastic
Films will run from this September 2nd to September 4th.
Rehoboth Beach, Thursday 18 August 2005 A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS to
highlight the Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival. [more...]
Over the past eight years, the
Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival has grown from a local Delaware
event to a mid-Atlantic cultural destination attracting film lovers from
Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC and beyond. The 8th annual Rehoboth
Beach Independent Film Festival is scheduled for this November 9-13.
Norrkoping, Wednesday 17 August 2005 Officials at NORRKOPING FILMFESTIVAL FLIMMER have invited filmmaker B.P.Paquette to present A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS in their Exposé Program, which is devoted to "new and interesting films of the year."
[more...]
This year, the Expose
Program is to focus specifically on the different aspects of man's psyche/persona.
"In my opinion," said Expose Program Administrator Mark S. Denize, "[this] film
fits perfectly and I think it's going to do quite well!". The Norrkoping
Filmfestival Flimmer is scheduled to run from this September 30th to October 9th in
Norrkoping, Sweden.
Oklahoma City, Monday 12 June 2005 deadCENTER
Film Festival awards Grand Jury Prize for Best Feature Film to A
Year in the Death of Jack Richards. [more...]
A
delirious B. P. Paquette traversed the treacherous
Kerr Park Moat to accept the award. Event organisers
were relieved that the director was not drowned. Paquette has drowned before.
Montreal, Wednesday 01 June 2005 Ourson Films announces Director B. P.
Paquette to drive on "The 25 Hours to deadCENTER Run". [more...]
B.P. and his entourage
will be driving to Oklahoma City for the deadCENTER
Film Festival. Paquette et alia will drive
the grueling 30 hour 1900 mile course in a rented
gold ash metallic clearcoat Ford Taurus.
Cluj-Napoca, Sunday 29 May 2005 Good Reviews from The Transilvania
International Film Festival. [more...]
Both film and filmmaker
were well appreciated at the film's first screening
and the pursuant Q&A in Cluj-Napoca on Saturday
May 28th 2005. A second screening has been programmed
for Friday June 03 2005. A Q&A with the director
B.P. Paquette will follow the presentation as per
usual.
Cluj-Napoca, Tuesday 17 May 2005 A Year in the Death of Jack Richards
nominated for illustrious FIPRESCI Award. [more...]
A Year in The Death of Jack Richards is one of ten films in the
running for this coveted honor awarded by the International Federation
of Film Critics at the Transilvania International Film Festival.
Trenton, Sunday 01 May 2005 Vlasta Vrana takes Best Actor honors at
The Trenton Film Festival! [more...]
The 2005 Richard Kind Dramatic Award for Best Actor at the Trenton Film Festival
went to Vlasta Vrana for his outstanding performance in the title role of Jack Richards
in A Year in the Death of Jack Richards.
Trenton, Sunday 01 May 2005 A Year in the Death of Jack Richards wins Best Cinematography at The
Trenton Film Festival. [more...]
The 2005 Trenton Film Festival Director's Award for Best Cinematograpy
was awarded to A Year in the Death of Jack Richards at the Trenton
Film Festival award ceremony on Sunday May 1st 2005. On hand to
accept the award was a stupefied B.P. Paquette.
Jack Richards, a Professor of Theology in his
50s, has apparently gone mad obsessing over the supposed abduction
of his daughter by what he believes to be a sinister cult. Wallowing
in self-pity for years, he decides to commit suicide. However, the
manner in which he decides to suicide is quite peculiar: he allows
himself to be abducted by what he believes to be a cult, whose members
treat him as their “king” for one year (he is given
a “castle”, “concubines”, “gifts”,
etc...) and then murder him as an atonement for their sins.
A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS
is an electrifying, radical, and emotional piece of filmmaking.
A bold statement about the complexity of what can and what cannot
be seen, of what can and what cannot be known, A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF
JACK RICHARDS is bound to trouble, perplex and excite most filmgoers.
Filled with warmth and deep understanding, A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK
RICHARDS is nonetheless a mystery of the obscure: images and
sounds are presented which the viewer cannot help but find puzzling,
not being able to decipher whether certain scenes take place in
the past, present or future; and whether certain images and sounds
belong to reality or non-reality. [more...]
And at the centre of this compelling jigsaw puzzle is the
bravura lead performance by veteran Canadian character actor
Vlasta Vrana as Jack Richards, a man who is engaged in a desperate
duel of the mind, of things real and things not real. Filled
with passion, fury, and raw tenderness, Vlasta Vrana delivers
that exceptional, high-calibre performance all too rarely
found in today’s cinema.
A most challenging film experience, A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF
JACK RICHARDS is sure to be most appreciated by those viewers
who are engaged by film AS film. A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF
JACK RICHARDS is not just telling a story about the psychic
ordeal of a man –A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS
IS the psychic ordeal of a man.
Featuring
VLASTA VRANA
MICHELINE LANCTÔT
The Cast
SARA BRADEEN
GRIFFITH BREWER
JENNIFER CHANU
KLIMENT DENCHEV
ALLON C. KOFFKIN(SKY)
With
HARRY HILL
And Introducing
DARRYL HUNTER
as “Dan Stewart”
Production, Screenplay
& Direction
B.P. PAQUETTE
Cinematography
DANIEL BRETON
Montage, Music & Sound
Recording
ANDREW DAVID
Production Design
MELINDA HART
Sound Design
FRÉDÉRIC CLOUTIER
Starting with bit parts in David
Cronenberg's Shivers (1975) and Rabid (1977), Canadian character
actor Vlasta Vrana has appeared in a variety of different roles
in hundreds of films and tv series over the past thirty years. Whether
making a guest appearance on CBC television’s Urban Angel,
Street Legal, or Due South, or taking on a principal role in films
by such acclaimed Canadian filmmakers as Anne Wheeler (Bye,Bye Blues-1989),
Christian Duguay (the 1999 Joan of Arc blockbuster miniseries for
CBS televison), or George Mihalka (La Florida-1993) Vlasta Vrana
is perhaps Canada’s most well known unknown thespian. His
consummate artistry and skill redeem him even in such campy fare
as Cannonball Run II: The Speed Zone (1984) and Highlander III:
The Gathering (1992), films in which he keeps a straight face and
makes that which is inherently laughable seem entirely credible.
A man of a million faces, accents, and mannerisms, Vlasta Vrana
is that rarity–a true actor’s actor. [more...]
His most recent work includes a small but memorable role as
a Nazi propagandist’s health-challenged chauffeur in
Keith Gordon’s black comedy Mother Night (1997), the
critically acclaimed screen adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut’s
novel starring Nick Nolte and Alan Arkin; a supporting role
as a wealthy hunter and bon vivant opposite Pierce Brosnan
in Oscar-winner Sir Richard Attenburough’s Grey Owl
(1999); and as a hefty spy operative along side Ewan McGregor
and Ashley Judd in Stephan Elliott’s campy thriller
Eye of the Beholder (1999). He currently appears in Roland
Emmerich's hit The Day After Tomorrow (2004).
A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS marks Vlasta Vrana’s
first lead role in a feature film.
Renown in her native Québec,
Governor-General's Performing Arts Awards recipient Micheline Lanctôt
is an internationally acclaimed director and actress. With ten Genie
(Canada’s equivalent to the Oscar) nominations and two wins,
plus various international awards to her credit, Lanctôt is
perhaps best known in English-language cinema as the lead opposite
Richard Dreyfuss in Ted Kotcheff’s Oscar-nominated and Berlin
Silver Bear recipient The Apprenticeship of Duddy
Kravitz (1974), based on Mordecai Richler’s celebrated novel.
[more...]
In Canada, Lanctôt will be forever remembered for her
portrayal as the legendary Bernadette in the Cannes Film Festival
entry La vraie Nature de Bernadette (1972), Gilles Carle’s
classic film for which she received a Genie for Best Actress.
Lanctôt’s debut film as director, L'homme à
tout faire (1980), was quite a success, as it played at the
Cannes Film Festival, was an official entry in the New York
Film Festival, and received the Silver Medal at the San Sebastian
Film Festival. More stunning is Sonatine (1984), the film
for which she received both the Genie for Best Director and
the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
Her most recent work as a director – Le piège
d'Issoudun (2003) – and as an actress – Denys
Arcand's Oscar winner Les invasions barbares (2003)- has garnered
her much adulation from both audiences and critics alike.
A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS marks Micheline Lanctôt’s
first English-language feature role since her debut over thirty
years ago.
Financed primarily by SODEC, The
National Film Board of Canada, and both provincial and federal tax
credits with a budget of $500,000, A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS
was completed in the summer of 2004 and is the first professional
feature film from 29 year-old filmmaker B. P. Paquette. [more...]
An English-language, fiction, color film running 85 minutes
long and featuring performances by Vlasta Vrana and Micheline
Lanctôt, A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS was shot
in 22 days, on black & white super-16mm film stock (tinted
cyan or sepia), with additional sequences shot in color, all
of which was then blown-up to 35mm. A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF
JACK RICHARDS will be released theatrically on 35mm (5 reels)
in 2005.
A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS premiered September 2004
in Official Selection at Cinefest Sudbury International Film
Festival.
Presented in the first-person, A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK
RICHARDS is the first panel in B. P. Paquette’s triptych
on the psychology of romantic love. The remaining panels are
presented in the second-person and third-person, respectively:
in pre-production, THE ANONYMOUS RUDY S. is a horrific jet-black
comedy; and in post-production, the primarily Telefilm Canada
financed VICTORIA FLEMING'S THE WOMAN OF AHHS: A SELF-PORTRAIT
is a pseudo-documentary and dark musical-comedy.
As a high school student with
nearly a dozen short films under his belt, a precocious B. P. Paquette
premiered the first two of his three student feature-length films–Maxwell’s
Silver Hammer (1993) and A Descent Into Darkness (1994)–in
his native Sudbury, Ontario. The first of these two works was hailed
as “one of the best films ever made in Northern Ontario”(The
Sudbury Film Society), while his sophomore effort was praised for
being “an ambitious film dealing with human mentality and
frailty”(The Sudbury Star). [more...]
Paquette was then accepted into the undergraduate film production
program at Concordia University’s acclaimed Mel Hoppenheim
School of Cinema (Montreal, Quebec) in the fall of 1994. The
following year, Paquette was the recipient of the Videomaker’s
Competition: Open Category award for his short film An Uneven
Scroll (1995) at Cinefest–Canada’s 4th largest
film festival.
Upon graduation, Paquette then premiered Raining Angels (1997)–his
third and final feature film as a student. Various members
of the Montreal press praised the film for being “vastly
ambitious”(The Montreal Gazette), “admirable...extremely
well composed”(Montreal Mirror), and “genuinely
haunting...an obviously ambitious effort”(Montreal Hour).
That fall, Paquette entered The Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema’s
prestigious graduate studies program (Film Production).
In 1998 he formed Ourson Films Inc., and soon thereafter embarked
on the production of A YEAR IN THE DEATH OF JACK RICHARDS,
his first professional feature film as producer, writer and
director.
