GAGNE TON CIEL

Appearances may suggest that Nacer (Samir Guesmi) is in a great place in his career, his community, and his happy family life with wife Farrah (Meriem Medjkane). Yet there’s something eating away at the protagonist of director Mathieu Denis’ drama, a haunting cautionary tale about the destructive effects of life in a society that so often equates human worth with wealth and status. Nacer’s own drives and desires push him to increasingly risky decisions, leading to a situation that could cost him everything. Denis’ first feature since his startling TIFF prizewinner THOSE WHO MAKE REVOLUTION HALFWAY ONLY DIG THEIR OWN GRAVES (KCFF17), co-directed with Simon Lavoie, this powerful drama confirms the filmmaker’s status as one of Quebec’s foremost talents.

Director: Mathieu Denis

Cast: Samir Guesmi, Crixus Lapointe, Meriem Medjkane

Language: French with English subtitles

Runtime: 116 minutes

Content warning: mature themes

Alexandre Auger, writer

Alexandre Auger wrote the short films GASPÉ COPPER, PAS LA GROSSE SOPHIE, UNE BOMBE AU CŒUR and LANDGRAVES. He also co-wrote the feature films YO (Rotterdam Film Festival), PRANK (Critics’ Week at the Venice Film Festival, TIFF, BAFICI), LES BARBARES DE LA MALBAIE and BUNGALOW (Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival).

Alongside his career as a screenwriter, Alexandre also acts as a script consultant, where he enjoys supporting screenwriters and filmmakers in their creative process.

Alexandre is currently working on several feature film projects as a screenwriter, including GAGNE TON CIEL, directed by Mathieu Denis, and FOLICHONNERIES, directed by Éric K. Bouianne. He is also developing his first television series project as a creator.

Mathieu Denis, writer/director

Mathieu Denis studied film at the University of Quebec at Montreal. Initially an editor, he turned to writing and directing in 2006. He then directed his first short fiction film, * Le silence nous fera écho* (Silence Will Echo Us ), which was screened at numerous festivals worldwide. *Code 13* , his second film, was released in 2007 and was included in Canada’s Top Ten list of the year, in addition to earning him the Best Director award at the Fantasia Film Festival in 2008.

He then co-wrote and co-directed his first feature film, Laurentie , with Simon Lavoie. This film premiered at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic in the summer of 2011 and won the Best International Feature Film Award at the Raindance Film Festival in London, as well as the Best Director Award at the Polar Lights International Film Festival in St. Petersburg in the fall of 2012. A second feature film, Corbo, was released in theaters in the spring of 2015, after screenings at festivals including Toronto (2014) and Berlin (2014). In 2016, Mathieu completed his third feature film, Ceux qui font les révolutions à moitié n’ont fait que se creuser un tombeau (Those Who Make Revolutions Halfway Only Dig Their Own Graves ), which he co-wrote and co-directed with Simon Lavoie and which also screened at the Toronto (2016) and Berlin (2017) film festivals, in addition to winning several awards worldwide. His fourth feature film, Gagne ton ciel , is currently in post-production and will be released in 2025. Mathieu is also preparing to shoot his fifth film, The Falling Man , which will be filmed in the fall of 2025.