BLUE SKY JO

1980s, Quebec. Her name is Hélène, but she calls herself Jo because she wants to be like Joséphine the Little Musketeer, her favorite cartoon heroine. Jo is only ten years old, has three sisters, a father who is unhappy, and a mother who is understanding but strict. She lives in a working-class neighborhood surrounded by colorful people, the most endearing of whom is her new neighbor, Mr. Roger, a gruff old man who hides a tender heart. With her romantic soul and an imagination eager for grand dramas, Jo also dreams of achieving great feats. One day, she decides to save her father from work and unhappiness. Translated into English from La petite et le vieux – Parallaxes

To say that La petite et le vieux only generates good feelings would, however, be a lie. Tears will surely stream down your cheeks at some point. Keep the tissues close. Aside from an unnecessarily extended ending, the screenplay, sprinkled with colorful dialogues in popular Quebecois parlance, proves to be brilliantly effective. Whether you’ve read the original novel or not, La petite et le vieux is a poignant, lucid, and invigorating entertainment. Elizabeth Lepage-Boily forcinoche.com

The film is very touching with very endearing characters. It demonstrates the contrast between hope and despair. It is highly recommended. Francine Gaudette, Journal Le Voyageur

“It’s a very tender, very beautiful, luminous film, and it perfectly reflects our new editorial or artistic lines. It’s a humanist film. It’s a favorite for the whole team, and we are very confident that the people of Quebec will fall in love with the film.” A quote from Hugo Latulippe, General and Artistic Director of the Quebec City Film Festival.

• Locarno Film Festival, Suisse, 2024
• Festival de cinéma de la Ville de Québec – Film d’ouverture, Canada, 2024
• Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival, Canada, 2024
• Schlingel International Film Festival, Allemagne, 2024
• Hamburg Film Festival, Allemagne, 2024 · Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur, Belgique, 2024
• Athens International Children’s Festival, Grèce, 2024 · Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival, Ukraine, 2024
• Windsor International Film Festival, Canada, 2024
• Cinémental en collaboration avec la Tournée Québec Cinéma, Canada, 2024
• Festival International du Film de Comédie de Liège, Belgique, 2024

• Best French-language Feature Film, Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival
• International Critics’ Prize FIPRESCI, Schlingel International Film Festival
• Special Mention from the Teen Jury, Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival
• Best Female Performance Award– Juliette Bharucha, Festival International de comédie de Liège