Prize Winners (2013)

Alphée of the Stars
Entering
Organization
National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
Media/Duration Film / 82m 00
Country/Region Canada

The Committee on Welfare Education has chosen the film Alphée of the Stars by the National Film Board of Canada as the best film in this category. The film is about a little girl, Alphée, who has a rare genetic disorder. Her father, the filmmaker, sensitively documents, from her perspective, the world around her. The result is an incredibly beautiful and touching film. While the fi lm depicts the choices Alphée’s parents face as they consider what is best for her, it also shows us how a sensitive educational system can transform not only a special child but also the so-called ‘normal’ children with whom she interacts. The film is also imbued with a special quality because of the personality of little Alphée, who is amazingly positive and joyful. But capturing these qualities on film is not easy. For that the filmmaker deserves to be highly commended.

Alphée, her mom, her big brother Colin and I were completely surprised and honoured by the news from faraway Japan that the film has received this prestigious prize. How could our little story touch hearts on the other side of the earth? What are the rules of that kind of universal magic? I wish I had the answer. But maybe Alphée is a crucial message? Maybe her own existence means something? What if our world was too fast, too productive, too everything? What if our world needed a little attention, a little pause, a little... humanity. Alphée is exactly that; a free game in our crazy world. A question. I wanted to translate her essence into a film. This amazing news from Japan today means I kind of succeeded, right? Means we share a certain understanding of the world. Means we are brothers and sisters in front of the realities of today’s sometimes destructive world. This is big news to me! In the name of all my friends and colleagues that worked on ALPHÉE DES ÉTOILES in Québec, I thank you.

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