siamese films

Sophie Deraspe

Sophie Deraspe fell into cinema through visual arts and literature. As both a director and a cinematographer, she has worked mostly in documentary before directing her realism-bending first feature length film Missing Victor Pellerin (2006). Followed by critical acclaim and projections throughout the world, Sophie's realistic work has continued with her second feature film Vital Signs in 2009. Since it's world premiere at the Montreal Nouveau Cinema Festival and its International Premiere in Rotterdam Vital Signs has won 13 prices in more then 30 festivals around the world.

Nicolas Fonseca

After several years in communciations and PR, Nicolas Fonseca joined Locomotion's team as a producer. During five years he developed and produced short films, documentaries and multimedia. This year he has just finished working on Vital Signs by Sophie Deraspe for Siamese Films, as well as Higglety Pigglety Pop! co-produced by Spike Jonze and the NFB. He is presently working on different projects at Siamese Films. 

Antonin Sorel

Born in Montreal in 1971, Antonin Sorel is a self-taught artist-designer, with a long-standing passion for collecting everything from curios to abandoned, broken, or obsolete objects. His work mainly consists of transforming such objects from their original purpose into objects with new life and functionality. In 2001, he co-founded KEZACO INC., a collective specialized in the design of objects and spaces and in the organization of artistic events. Antonin Sorel now runs the company solo, collaborating with creative partners on an episodic basis.   

Inspired by masters such as Jean Prouvé, Mies van der Rohe, Marcel Duchamp, and Atelier Van Lieshout, and nourished by his observations of twentieth century industrial culture, Antonin Sorel constantly strives to broaden the scope of his work and refine his approach in matters art and design. For several years, he has also been working in the realm of cinema, where he has collaborated in the art direction of films by directors Karim Hussein and Sophie Deraspe.

Frédéric Cloutier

Having been a sound enthousiast for ages, Frédéric Cloutier carved his own unique path in the Quebec film landscape. Being a sound editor formely, he developped an interest in sound recording out of of curiosity and by the desire to enhance his work as a sound designer. That is why he explores these two facets, production and post-production, enabling him to further refine the soundscapes of any given project. Frédéric has worked on numerous productions in film, documentary and television such as Elle veut le chaos (D. Côté - 2008), Mémoires des Anges (L. Bourdon - 2008), Toi (F. Delisle - 2007), Rechercher Victor Pellerin (Sophie Deraspe - 2006), Regular or Super (J. Hillel / P. Demers - 2005) and many others.

Krista Muir

Krista Muir has been composing, recording, producing and touring her original music locally and internationally for over 10 years. She has co-produced 4 full-length albums (as Lederhosen Lucil and herself) and toured North America, Europe and Australia/New Zealand. Muir first scored for film in 2007 for short "I Made a Girlfriend” by Sarah Galea-Davis. After hearing her baritone ukulele record “Leave Alight,” Muir was asked by Sophie Deraspe to compose music for her feature film “Signes Vitaux” (2009). Muir will tour Greece in October 2009 and aims to release her next album in 2010. She is currently teaching private ukulele lessons in Montreal.

www.myspace.com/kristallmuir

Marie-Hélène Bellavance

After a diploma in Fine Arts at Concordia University, Marie-Hélène developed her creations around her vision of the contemporary body. A body that is always in movement, never quite stable, symetric or permanent, with incertain and flexible limits. She has been part of several collective art exhibitions and since 2007 she is represented by the Dominique Bouffard art gallery in Montréal.  In 2005 she made a first appearance as a dancer with the Corpuscule danse company, and in 2006 she co-choreagraphed S’ancrer dans la Suspension.  This is where Sophie Deraspe took notice of her and then offered her a first part on-screen as Simone the lead character in the feature film Les Signes Vitaux.

Francis Ducharme

After a theatre degree at Lionel-Groulx college, Francis Ducharme began working in theatre, contemporary dance and on screen. He has been in a dozen plays in Montreal, namely La Charge de l'orignal épormyable (TNM), Meutre hors champ ( Espace GO), Cérémonials (Espace GO), Carnet de Damnés (Salle Fred-Barry), Aphrodite en 04 (NTE) and Le Traitement (Espace GO). A longstanding creative collaboration with choreographer Dave St-Pierre brought him to participate in Un peu de tendresse bordel de merde, La Pornographie des âmes and Le No man's land show. He also dances for the GravelArtGroup directed by the singular Frédérick Gravel. He was also in Louis Maufette's le happening Poésie, sandwich et autres soirs qui penchent. On the big screen he could be seen in La Capture (C. Laure), C.R.A.Z.Y. (J.-M. Vallée) and Elles étaient cinq (G. Côté). Grande Ourse, Nos Étés and Belle Baie are some of the television shows he has been part of over the years.

Danielle Ouimet

Ever since her first appearance in Madame Tisseyre's show at the age of ten, Danielle Ouimet has had a longstanding career in film and television. Her credits include : Valérie ( Dénis Héroux), L’Initiation (Denis Héroux), Daughters of Darkness (Harry Kumel), Le diable est parmi nous (Jean Beaudin), Les Plouffe (Denise Filiatreault), L’Odysée d’Alice Tremblay (Denise Filiatreault). Les Signes vitaux » is her 15th film. Over the years, she has also been a part of many television series and comedy specials, namely in the roles of Florence in Marcel Dubé's Le monde, Julie in Dominique, Laurence Viger in l’Or du temps. She was also part of the 72 and 73 editions of the Bye Bye. She has also been a radiohost and the first female newscaster on FM radio, but her work as a television host that has kept her most busy over the years. She spent 8 years hosting daily shows on TVA and TQS with jean-Pierre Coallier, but has also been a researcher, conceptor, or director for the last five years. 

She is presently writing her memoirs Henri, l’Italie et moi, a sequel to her first book Si c’était à refaire. And next year she will have a fifth solo exhibition of her paintings.

Marie Brassard

For many years, Marie Brassard's career was linked to Robert Lepage's. Under his direction she participated to the creation of several theatre shows and films. In 2001 she created her first solo show  Jimmy créature de rêve, which premiered at the Festival de théâtre des Amériques. Then followed La Noirceur, Peepshow and l’Invisible, in which she continued to explore with technological experiences and the use of sound in theatre. Her personal work has been presented in English and French and has toured in America, Europe and Australia. 

Apart from her role as creative director of Infrarouge, Marie has had many parts on the big and small screens. In Les Signes Vitaux, as an angry dying woman, she brings a troubling sens of truth to her work as an actor.