Mélanie Charbonneau is a Quebec screenwriter and director known for her bold, character-driven storytelling.

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Her debut feature, Fabuleuses (2019), offers a witty and insightful portrait of three young women navigating life and social media. The film won the Busan Bank Award at the Busan International Film Festival and received five Iris Award nominations. Her second feature, Out Standing (Seule au front), tells the moving true story of Sandra Perron, the first female infantry officer in the Canadian Armed Forces. The film had its world premiere in the Discovery section at TIFF 2025, ahead of its theatrical release on September 26, 2025. Her third feature, Les Furies, is an energetic comedy about a group of fearless women who form their own roller derby team.

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Mélanie Charbonneau first gained international recognition in 2016 with her short film Seule, which was selected for FIFF Namur, Fantasia, Cambridge, Off-Courts Trouville and Cinema on the Bayou. Her science-fiction romantic comedy Lunar-Orbit Rendezvous competed at the Locarno Film Festival in 2018, screened at more than forty international festivals and won several awards, including Best Film at the Sapporo International Short Film Festival. In 2021, she directed the award-winning web series Je ne suis pas un robot (Welcome to Soulshine), which won Best Drama Web Series at TO Webfest and was selected for festivals including Séries Mania and Seoul Webfest.

A graduate of the National Theatre School in 2014, Gabrielle Côté works on all fronts: she can be seen on stage and screen, heard on the radio and appreciate her talents as a writer through all these mediums.

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Gabrielle has co-directed two poetic shows: Attentat and Je me soulève. On the radio, she conducts her Grandes enquêtes at La journée est encore jeune, writes several audio dramas for On dira ce qu'on voudra, as well as columns for Jusqu'au bout and other ICI Radio-Canada Première programs. In 2019, she completed a screenwriting course at the École nationale de l'humour, from which Les Furies (recipient of the ÉNH-NETFLIX grant), her very first feature film script, was born.

 

She played Laurence Caron in the popular daily STAT and coach Caroline in season 2 of Premier Trio. You may also have seen her in Drôles de Véronic, Toute la vie III, Léo II, Hubert et Fanny, Au secours de Béatrice, Unité 9 and Mensonges, among others. On the big screen, Gabrielle plays Séverine in Francis Leclerc's Le Plongeur. In theatre, she has recently been cast in Un navire délicat (at the Licorne) and Salle de nouvelle (at Duceppe). She also took part in Pour réussir un poulet by Fabien Cloutier, Javotte by Simon Boulerice and La logique du pire by Étienne Lepage.

Jean-François Asselin achieved immediate success with his first short films, winning numerous international awards. He wrote and directed François en série, a 22-episode television comedy. The series was sold in numerous international markets and won the Best Script Format award at Mipcom in Cannes. Jean-François made his feature film debut with Nous sommes les autres (2017), which was selected for several festivals.

 

Alongside his work in film and advertising, he has directed popular television series in Quebec, including Plan B, which he created and co-wrote with his longtime collaborator Jacques Drolet. The series has attracted strong audiences, received glowing reviews and won the Gémeaux Award for Best Drama Series two years in a row. The five-season anthology series has been adapted internationally, including in France, Belgium and Germany.

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Since 2022, Jean-François has overseen, written and directed the English-language adaptation of Plan B (three seasons), for which he serves as showrunner. In 2026, the fifth and final season of the French-language Plan B will premiere on June 11, followed by the feature film François.e on July 1.

A graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada in 2015, Mounia Zahzam quickly established herself as a versatile actress, equally at home on stage, television and the big screen. Since the beginning of her career, she has taken on a wide range of projects, exploring characters and creative worlds that are as varied as they are demanding.

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In theatre, Mounia has worked with renowned directors on productions such as Le Misanthrope at Théâtre du Nouveau Monde, L'Énéide at Théâtre de Quat'Sous, Wajdi Mouawad's Notre innocence at La Colline, Théâtre national de Paris, and Antioche, which was staged in Quebec and France. In 2025, she played Mary in Sa dernière femme at Théâtre du Rideau Vert before returning to Théâtre du Nouveau Monde in 2026 for Que notre joie demeure, an adaptation of Kevin Lambert's novel directed by Maxime Carbonneau and Laurence Dauphinais.

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On screen, Mounia has made her mark in several Quebec productions in recent years, including Nuit blanche, Les moments parfaits, Plan B, Manuel de la vie sauvage, L'air d'aller and Une affaire criminelle. In 2024 and 2025, she joined the casts of Veille sur moi and Mea Culpa, while also appearing in Mohamed Nadif's feature film L'Héritier des secrets (Heir of the Secrets).

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With Malgré moi, Mounia is preparing to take another significant step in her career. She stars in the second chapter of this series produced by Wookey Films, playing Clara, an artist and professional con artist. Filmed in Winnipeg in 2026, the new season is set to air during the 2026-2027 television season.

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With this leading role, alongside an extensive theatre career and an increasingly prominent screen presence, Mounia Zahzam continues to build a career that reflects her versatility, sensitivity and passion for strong, distinctive characters.

Frédérick Pelletier is a filmmaker and professor at the École des médias, Université du Québec à Montréal. His debut feature, Diego Star (2013), premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and earned several international awards, including the Reflet d'or for Best Feature Film at the Geneva International Film Festival, the Best Director Award at SANFIC (Santiago) and the Special Jury Prize at the Festival du nouveau cinéma (Montreal), among others. 

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Alongside his filmmaking, he has been actively involved in film culture and criticism: co-editor of the magazine Hors Champ, documentary programmer at the Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma for over a decade, and co-director of the festival in 2020. In 2026, he returns with two new films: Un homme libre, a fiction feature, and Michel Brault, l'instinct de vue, an archival documentary dedicated to the great Quebec filmmaker. 

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Photo credit: Olivier Tétreault

Emmanuel Schwartz is a bilingual and multifaceted artist who moves effortlessly between acting, writing, and directing, from stage to screen. He presents his original works (Chroniques, Nathan, Alfred, L’Exhibition) in renowned institutions such as the National Arts Centre, La Chapelle Scènes Contemporaines, and the Centre du Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui. He frequently collaborates with leading figures such as Wajdi Mouawad, Denis Marleau, Dave Saint-Pierre, Mani Soleymanlou, Jan Lauwers (Needcompany), and Christian Lapointe.

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Nominated for an ACAD award in 2016 for Waiting for Godot, he won Best Actor the following year for Tartuffe. More recently, he appeared in Terrasses by Laurent Gaudé, La Traversée du Siècle by Alice Ronfard, and in the English-language version of Encore une fois, si vous le permettez, titled For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again.

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On television, he has appeared in Blue Moon, Trop, Lâcher prise, Virage, Hôtel, and Dernière seconde. He received a Gémeaux Award in 2020 for his performance in L’Écrivain public, a series that garnered international acclaim. On the big screen, he has worked with Xavier Dolan (Laurence Anyways), Denis Villeneuve (Next Floor), and François Girard (Hochelaga, Land of Souls), for which he received the Iris Award for Best Supporting Actor.

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In 2023, he created Le Partage, presented at La Chapelle and the NAC, and later adapted into a film (FIFA 2024). He also directed Projet Pigeons and L’Avenir, the latter winning Best Canadian Work at FIFA 2025. A teacher at UQAM and Lionel-Groulx, he served as spokesperson for the Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma in 2022 and 2023.
 

Luc Picard is one of the most prominent figures in Quebec’s cultural landscape. An actor, director, screenwriter and writer, he has pursued an exceptional career spanning more than three decades, distinguishing himself in both television and film, in front of and behind the camera. A graduate of the Conservatoire d’art dramatique de Montréal, he quickly stood out for the intensity of his performances, his sensitivity and his deep understanding of the characters he portrays.

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He became widely known to the public through his portrayal of François Pelletier in the acclaimed series Omertà, a role that helped establish him as one of the most appreciated actors of his generation. Over the years, he has delivered memorable performances in numerous major television productions, including L’Ombre de l’épervier, Chartrand et Simonne, Malenfant, Les jeunes loups, Blue Moon and District 31.

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In film, Luc Picard has built an impressive body of work that reflects the breadth of his range as an actor. He has given acclaimed performances in notable films such as Pierre Falardeau’s Octobre and 15 février 1839, Bernard Émond’s 20h17 rue Darling, Robert Favreau’s Un dimanche à Kigali and Savage Messiah. More recently, he has appeared in productions including Les mauvaises herbes, La disparition des lucioles, Arsenault & Fils and Confessions.

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Alongside his acting career, Luc Picard has established himself as a leading director and screenwriter. His first feature film, L’Audition, was a major critical and popular success, earning numerous awards in Quebec and internationally. He continued his work behind the camera with Babine, Ésimésac, Les Rois mongols and Confessions, films that reflect his distinctive perspective, humanism and talent for telling stories deeply rooted in Quebec identity.

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In 2026, he presents Rédemptions, his latest feature film as director and screenwriter. This ambitious thriller, filmed between Montreal and Europe, features Gérard Lanvin, Kelly Depeault, Sophie Desmarais, Maxim Gaudette and Henri Picard. With this sixth feature film, Luc Picard once again demonstrates his desire to push the boundaries of his work and create cinema that is both accessible and demanding.

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Throughout his career, Luc Picard has received numerous honours recognizing the excellence of his work. His talent has earned him several prestigious awards, while his work as a filmmaker continues to receive recognition both nationally and internationally.

 

A versatile and passionate artist, Luc Picard remains one of the most respected figures in Quebec film and television. His exceptional career, rigour and commitment to meaningful, powerful works continue to inspire both audiences and new generations of creators.

Amanda Langlet is a French actress who has become an emblematic figure of auteur cinema thanks to her collaboration with director Éric Rohmer.

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After an early debut on television at the end of the 1970s, she was revealed to the public at the age of 15 in the title role in the movie Pauline at the Beach (1983). Her freshness and great naturalness made a lasting impression.

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This major artistic ability would last for more than twenty years, offering viewers the magnificent portraits of Margot in A Summer's Tale (1996), and Janine in Triple Agent (2004).

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Beyond Rohmer's universe, Amanda Langlet enriched her filmography with other renowned directors, notably Michel Deville, for whom she shot The Divine Pursuit (1997) and Sachs' Disease (1999).

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A discreet but cult actress, Amanda Langlet embodies with sensitivity and elegance the very essence of the Rohmerian heroine.

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Ms. Langlet has also appeared in short films, like Je sais pas de Jean-Baptiste Toussaint, as well as commercials, corporate vignettes, in addition to lending her voice to animated films, such as Muyi, la légende du village des femmes by Julien Chheng, recently presented at TIFF 2026, released in theaters in 2027.

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To mark the 30th anniversary of Conte d'été (A Summer's Tale), Cinémental is pleased to welcome Amanda Langlet for a conversation about the film and her collaboration with Éric Rohmer. Learn more about the movie and this special event.