On the eve of its first anniversary, Discreet (Discrètes) celebrates its nomination in the Short Form Fiction Series category at the Banff World Media Festival‘s prestigious Rockie Awards. This recognition for the series written and directed by Sophia Belahmer and Juliette Gosselin is the latest addition to an impressive total of 34 nominations and 19 awards won in Canada and abroad.
“The word pride inevitably inhabits us when we reflect back on Discreet’s exceptional journey over the past year. This impressive haul of awards is a testament to the quality of the work of a passionate team, driven by the desire to strive for excellence,” remarked Monique Lamoureux, Co-President of Avanti-Toast.
Produced by Avanti-Toast in collaboration with Amalga, Discreet first captivated audiences at the opening night of the Courts d’un soir festival last year before it was made available for streaming online on ICI TOU.TV. The series then garnered acclaim at the Prix Gémeaux, where it won the awards for Best Original Production for Digital Media: Drama and Best Leading Actor in an Original Production for Digital Media: Drama, Comedy, or Youth, awarded to Olivier Gervais-Courchesne.
In total, the touching story of two young women seeking justice following an assault has been screened at 11 festivals across 8 countries in North America, South America, Europe, and Oceania. Among the 19 awards won so far are the Grand Jury Prize at Melbourne WebFest, Best Director at NYC Web Fest, and Best Drama Series at Rio Webfest. The financial contribution from the Bell Fund played a part in the series’ achievements abroad and other nominations could still be announced in the coming months.
A Dark Thriller
Discreet tells the story of two women determined to seek justice after an assault. Macha (Juliette Gosselin) and Gaby (Aurélia Arandi-Longpré) are housekeepers who work for Discrètes; a company designated to clean an office tower. The night Macha rescues Gaby from the hands of her attacker, in this case a lawyer from the Cabinet Fichaud, the duo embarks on a quest for their own vengeance. Neither seen nor known, in the skyscraper where they work at night, the girls multiply small acts of sabotage with the hopes of regaining their dignity and make the lawyer lose his power, despite the risk of everything spinning out of control. All ten episodes of Discreet are available to watch online for free on ICI TOU.TV.
Complete list of official selections and awards received so far:
- Baltimore Next Media Web Fest (United States)
- Official Selection
- BUEIFF Web Series (Argentina)
- Official Selection
- Courts d’un soir (Quebec, Canada)
- Official Selection – opening night
- Cusco WebFest (Peru)
- Official Selection
- Melbourne WebFest (Australia)
- Official Selection
- Grand Jury Prize
- Best Web Series (Drama)
- Best Actor – Juliette Gosselin
- NYC Web Fest (United States)
- Official Selection
- Best Director – Sophia Belahmer, Juliette Gosselin
- Best Actor – Olivier Gervais-Courchesne
- Outstanding Achievement in Sound – Thierry Bourgault-D’Amico, Gaël Poisson
Lemay
- NZ Web Fest (New-Zealand)
- Official Selection
- Prix Gémeaux (Quebec, Canada)
- Best Original Production for Digital Media: Drama
- Best Leading Actor in an Original Production for Digital Media: Drama, Comedy, or Youth – Olivier Gervais-Courchesne
- Rio Webfest (Brazil)
- Official Selection
- Best Drama Series
- Best Actress (Drama) – Aurélia Arandi-Longpré
- Rockie Awards (Canada)
- Nomination : Short Form Fiction Series
- Rome International Movie Awards (Italy)
- Official Selection
- Best Web Series
- Best Producers – Jessica Bélanger-Pinard, Patricia Blais, Valérie Côté, André Dupuy, Marie-Alexandra Forget, Isabelle Gamelin, Monique Lamoureux, Ian Quenneville
- Best Director – Sophia Belahmer, Juliette Gosselin
- Best Actor – Olivier Gervais-Courchesne
- Best Actress – Juliette Gosselin
- Best Supporting Actress – Aurélia Arandi-Longpré
- Best Cinematography – Louka Boutin
- Best Editing – Zoé Guèvremont
- Best Original Score – Pierre-Philippe Côté
