Filmmaker to visit St Andrews

Monday 19 March 2007

A Canadian filmmaker will ‘stow away’ to St Andrews when he visits the town this week for a special screening of his first feature film.

Denis Chouinard will attend a screening of his internationally- acclaimed 1997 film ‘Clandestins’ (‘Stowaways’) hosted by the University of St Andrews’ Centre for Film Studies.

The screening, at the New Picture House tomorrow (Tuesday 20 March, 6pm), will begin with an introduction and conclude with a Q&A session with the director. The evening event will be preceded by a special master class for students earlier in the day, in which they will hear about Chouinard’s experience of studying and making films.

Chouinard has made a name for himself as a filmmaker who uses the camera as a tool for social justice and who uses his films to introduce audiences to worlds unknown to them.

Professor Dina Iordanova, Head of Film Studies, said, “I have been an admirer of Denis Chouinard’s work for the past ten years, so I am particularly happy to be able to welcome him to St Andrews. His increased sensitivity to current social issues and his distinctive appreciation of the political responsibilities of the artist have made him one of the leading socially-committed filmmakers working internationally today. ”

Chouinard is a graduate of the cinema programme at the Université Québec à Montréal and began his filmmaking career by making super 8 short films. Emboldened by their critical and international acclaim, Chouinard moved on to short and medium length films with his school colleagues. It is with one such colleague, Nicholas Wadimoff, that Chouinard collaborated on his first feature film, ‘Clandestins’, which tells the gripping story of stowaways hiding in a cargo container on board a ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

Following the making of that film, Chouinard continued writing and directing films, including ‘L’Ange de goudron’ (‘Tar Angel’, 2001), which explores the challenges of an Algerian immigrant who seeks to become a Canadian citizen, and his most recent release, ‘Délivrez- moi’ (2006), the drama of a woman who regains custody of her daughter after serving ten years in jail for killing her former lover.

For more information, please visit www.st- andrews.ac.uk/filmstudies/events or contact Dr Leshu Torchin, [email protected].

ENDS

Issued by Press Office, University of St Andrews

Contact Gayle Cook, Press Officer on 01334 467227 / 462529, mobile 07900 050 103, or email gec3@st- andrews.ac.uk

Ref: Chouinard visit 160307.doc

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