Jour2Fête is painting this as a passion project, with founder Sarah Chazelle positioning herself as an early believer in both Florence Longpré's ascent and director Annie St-Pierre's leap from acclaimed shorts to fiction features. H264 frames France's embrace of "Empathie" as proof that French audiences are ready for more Longpré.
Industry watchers note this deal signals something bigger: Oscar-nominated producer Roger Frappier attaching himself to the project gives it legitimacy that a standard Canadian indie would never get. His nomination from Jane Campion's "The Power of the Dog" opens doors—and wallets—that wouldn't otherwise swing open for a telepathy-tinged period dramedy.
Florence Longpré's "Empathie" won the Audience Award at Séries Mania in 2025 before airing on Canal+. Annie St-Pierre's short film "Les grandes claques" premiered at Sundance and earned an Academy Awards shortlist nomination in 2021 for Best Live Action Short Film.
This isn't just another festival acquisition—it's a calculated bet that Longpré's growing French fanbase will translate to box office. With Frappier's Oscar pedigree and St-Pierre's awards credentials, "La Portraitiste" has the kind of backing that turns small films into prestige phenomena.
Jour2Fête has secured French distribution rights to "La Portraitiste," a period dramedy currently filming in Quebec that pairs two rising Canadian talents with one of the industry's most decorated producers. The deal went down at Cannes with H264, the Montreal-based international sales company handling worldwide rights—and the signatures were barely dry before industry insiders started whispering about what this means for both filmmakers' trajectories. Florence Longpré writes and stars in the film as Françoise, a 1962 Montreal housewife whose stifling existence is upended when she's called upon to sketch a composite image of an assailant at her local police station.
The experience awakens a telepathic gift she never knew she had, plunging her into an investigation alongside Sergeant Stevenson where long-buried family secrets come roaring back. It's a premise that sounds tailor-made for the magical realism treatment—something director Annie St-Pierre has shown she can handle after her documentary work including "Fermières" and "Le plein potentiel," which premiered at SXSW in 2025. But here's what's got the industry paying attention: Longpré isn't some unknown betting on a breakout.
She first grabbed public notice playing Gaby Gravel in "Like-Moi!" before delivering critically acclaimed turns in "Can You Hear Me?" (M'entends-tu?) and "Audrey's Back" (Audrey est revenue), series where she also worked as screenwriter. In 2025, she unveiled "Empathie," a project she wrote and starred in that snagged the Audience Award at Séries Mania before landing on Canal+. A second season is already in development.
That kind of momentum doesn't happen by accident—and it explains why Jour2Fête's Sarah Chazelle was so quick to move. "We are huge fans of the series 'Empathie' and of Florence Longpré's work, and we are thrilled to distribute 'La Portraitiste,' Annie St-Pierre's first fiction feature following her remarkable short film," Chazelle said in a statement. "Working with Florence, who will star in the film and co-wrote this beautiful screenplay, is something we are incredibly excited about." The enthusiasm reads genuine—but it also reads like a studio staking early claim on talent they expect to explode.
Then there's the production pedigree that elevates this beyond standard indie fare. "La Portraitiste" is produced by Roger Frappier, who earned an Oscar nomination for producing Jane Campion's "The Power of the Dog." That's not the kind of name attached to passion projects without serious money and distribution infrastructure behind it. Jean-Christophe J.
Lamontagne, co-president of H264, made sure to emphasize that connection in his statement: "Jour2Fête is an essential partner in France. Their confidence in 'La Portraitiste' is incredibly exciting for us." The subtext being: this isn't a gamble—it's a calculated investment in creators who've already proven they can deliver.