Soleils Atikamekw

In presence of the director

Manawan, 1977. The police find a car containing five Atikamekws, all deceased. The initial suspects, two white Quebeckers, survived unscathed. The official version: a “drinking binge gone wrong,” an unfortunate accident. Until now, the crime has remained unsolved. After Avant les rues (2016), Chloé Leriche updates a terrible incident from the past that feels like a contemporary tragedy.

The filmmaker guides the families of the five victims through an intimate, people-focused process, involving them behind and in front of the camera. The film fuses reality, fiction and poetry as it patiently, doggedly pursues its memory work. A heartrending, deeply political film about grief, community and stolen memory.

Mediafilm Award – Festival du cinéma international en Abitibi-Témiscamingue – 2024
Best Francophone Film – Festival du Nouveau Cinéma de Montréal – 2023
Best Direction / Best Canadian Feature – Whistler Film Festival – 2023