Every May, the film industry turns to the French Riviera for the annual Cannes Film Festival as entries contend for the prestigious Palme D’Or prize, amongst other notable awards. This year, Canada brought a record-breaking three films to the table, with the festival coming to a close last Sunday. David Cronenberg’s dark satire Maps to the Stars, Atom Egoyan’s thriller Captives, and young Montréal director Xavier Dolan’s Mommy, each held their own amongst films from all over the world. Julianne Moore received the Best Actress award for her work in Maps to the Stars, and Dolan took home the Jury Prize for Mommy.
Clara Pasieka, an actor featured in Maps to the Stars and recent graduate of the U of T theatre program, shared her experience attending the festival last week. She discussed the filming process and what Canada’s strong presence at Cannes this year means for Canadian arts. Canada’s prominence at the festival this year is unprecedented, prompting buzz amongst up-and-coming Canadian actors and filmmakers.
Pasieka described the atmosphere at the festival. “The eyes of all the film industry around the world were on Canadian film,” she said, “We’re this country that has what — 35 million people? And to have three of 18 films in competition be Canadian is pretty incredible. A pretty incredible ratio.”
Maps to the Stars parodies Hollywood culture’s intensity and brutality, shedding light on the ways in which artistry can be forced to take a back seat in the industry.
Pasieka reflected on how attending the star-studded festival mirrored some of the film’s themes, and discussed how she remained focused in the industry’s environment. “I’d reground myself. Constantly checking back in with the stories and the work — the writing and the process — made me feel most like myself,” she said.
The Canadian films at Cannes were directed by Canadians, as well as almost entirely shot in Canada, Pasieka notes. She described, “There would be people who were trying to get into the Canadian pavilion because they wanted to hang out with the young emerging Canadian artists.”
Despite the excitement about Canadian film, Pasieka is realistic about her artistic aspirations, recognizing that the Canadian film industry, though perhaps less constricting, is significantly smaller than its thriving American counterpart.
“The whole Canadian/American film debate is something that I wrestled with for a long time,” said Pasieka. A self-proclaimed patriot, she admitted that she loves telling Canadian stories, but contends that artists should engage in work that showcases a sense of humanity above all else, adding, “…if you tell a great story that does that, no matter what country its from, that is your obligation as an artist. Because that is our job first and foremost.”
The presence of three Canadian films at Cannes this year not only broke records, but also reinforced the notion that the Canadian film industry is important and well worth supporting.
When asked about her hopes for the future of Canadian film, Pasieka called for increased appreciation of Canadian work at home. “I’d really like it if Canadians in general were really, really proud of our stories,” she said, “We need to not be afraid to be proud. It’s a very Canadian thing — this sort of modesty. It would be great if we could keep maximizing on the great excitement that there is right now after Cannes.”
