Barbaracadabra + Q/A

Screening with filmmakers Renaud Lessard and Barbara Ulrich in attendance

Unforgettable in her role as the heroine of Gilles Groulx’s The Cat in the Bag (1964), Barbara Ulrich embodied the spirit of a youth yearning for change in a Quebec on the cusp of transformation. Dubbed “the girl with the cat” or “Quebec’s Anna Karina,” Ulrich—who at times felt suffocated by the myth surrounding her—now embraces the challenge of creating a deeply personal film, in collaboration with Renaud Lessard (Mad Dog Labine, winner of the National Competition Grand Prize at FNC 2018). Inspired by 1960s direct cinema, this film-experiment constructs and deconstructs itself before our eyes, embracing total creative freedom. Endearing, funny, and moving, the Ulrich-Lessard duo share glances and musings, moving freely in front of and behind the camera. What emerges is a playful yet thoughtful meditation on art, friendship, and the passage of time. (FNC)

*National Competition – Festival du nouveau cinéma 2025