North of Albany

North of Albany (French: Au nord d'Albany) is a 2022 Canadian drama film directed by Marianne Farley (in her directorial debut) from a screenplay she co-wrote with Claude Brie. It stars Céline Bonnier, Zeneb Blanchet, and Eliott Plamondon as a Canadian family who run away to the United States. The film was shot in the province of Quebec in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in late 2020. The film premiered at Cinéfest on September 19, 2022, and was released in theaters on December 2, 2022, by Maison 4:3.

North of Albany
Poster
French	Au nord d'Albany
Directed by	Marianne Farley
Written by	Claude Brie Marianne Farley
Produced by	Benoit Beaulieu Marianne Farley
Starring	Céline Bonnier Zeneb Blanchet Eliott Plamondon Naomi Cormier Rick Roberts
Cinematography	Benoit Beaulieu
Edited by	Aube Foglia
Music by	Frannie Holder
Production company	Slykid & Skykid
Distributed by	Maison 4:3
Release dates	September 19, 2022 (2022-09-19) (Cinéfest) December 2, 2022 (2022-12-02) (Canada)
Country	Canada
Languages	English French
Budget	> $1.3 million^[1]^[2]

Premise

A single mother, Annie, flees from the Canadian city of Montreal with her two children Sarah and Felix after Sarah physically attacks a bully.^[3] The family's car breaks down, stranding them in the Adirondacks in the American state of New York. There, they meet local mechanic Paul who helps them confront the real reasons they are on the run.^[4]

Cast

• Céline Bonnier as Annie, the mother of Sarah and Felix
• Zeneb Blanchet as Sarah, the 15-year-old teenage daughter of Annie and sister of Felix
• Eliott Plamondon as Felix, the 10-year-old son of Annie and brother of Sarah
• Rick Roberts as Paul, a mechanic who lives in the Adirondacks, and Emma's nephew
• Naomi Cormier as Hope
• Sean Tucker as Richard
• Kelly Depeault as Martine
• Frédéric Pierre as Mme Briére
• Janet Land as Emma, a 65-year-old widow and Paul's aunt

Production

North of Albany was announced on June 17, 2019, when Telefilm Canada revealed three films they would fund in the upcoming months.^[1][5] In December 2019, SODEC announced that they would also finance the film.^[6] Marianne Farley got the idea for the film after her car broke down close to the Adirondack Park while she was visiting her brother in the United States.^[7][8] Calling the mishap a "shitty adventure", Farley wrote the initial screenplay with her then-spouse Claude Brie.^[3][9] Farley also produced the film with Benoit Beaulieu under their production banner Slykid & Skykid. It is the company's second project after 2020's Our Own (Les Nôtres).^[4]

The village of Abercorn, Quebec, stood in for the Adirondacks. Principal photography, delayed several months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, began on October 7, 2020, and concluded on November 16.^{[10][7][11][12]} The crew followed COVID-19 safety protocols by wearing masks, practicing social distancing and receiving frequent temperature measurements while working.^[13][14][15] Filming in also took place in the Laurentian Mountains, the Eastern Townships of Quebec,^[3][16][17] Châteauguay, the Entrelacs, Lanaudière, Sutton, and West Brome.^[7][18] Director of photography Benoit Beaulieu and camera operator Benoît C. Gauthier shot the film with an Arri Alexa Mini LF camera and vintage Leica R lenses.^[19][20] Drone shots were filmed by aerial photography company DroneStudio Canada.^[21] Farley said she does not regret making the film in the midst of a global pandemic.^[8] The film's editor was Aube Foglia,^[22][23] and the musical score was composed by Frannie Holder.^[22]

Release

The film premiered at Cinéfest on September 19, 2022, and was released in theaters on December 2, 2022.^[24]

References

1. Duchesne, Andre (June 17, 2019). "Trois projets financés par Téléfilm" [Three projects funded by Telefilm]. La Presse (in French). from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
2. Townsend, Kelly (June 18, 2019). "Telefilm awards $1.3M to three Quebec films". Playback. from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2020. A total of $1.3 million will be provided under Telefilm's selective component production program for projects with a budget under $2.5 million.
3. Demers, Maxime (November 1, 2020). "Au nord d'Albany: s'adapter à la pandémie" [North of Albany: adapting to the pandemic]. Le Journal de Montréal (in French). from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
4. Kroll, Justin (October 6, 2020). "Oscar-Nominee Marianne Farley To Direct Indie North of Albany". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on October 6, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
5. Ramond, Charles-Henri (June 18, 2019). "Téléfilm Canada soutient 3 longs métrages québécois" [Telefilm Canada supports 3 Quebec feature films]. Films du Québec (in French). from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
6. Ramond, Charles-Henri (December 16, 2019). "La SODEC soutient 12 projets de fiction" [SODEC supports 12 fiction projects]. Films du Québec (in French). from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
7. Duchesne, Andre (October 7, 2020). "Céline Bonnier en vedette dans le prochain film de Marianne Farley" [Céline Bonnier to star in Marianne Farley's next film]. La Presse (in French). from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
8. "Marianne Farley a réalisé son premier long métrage en pleine pandémie" [Marianne Farley directed her first feature film in the midst of a pandemic]. Ici Radio-Canada Première (in French). November 29, 2020. from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
9. Homier-Roy, René (November 27, 2020). "Au nord d'Albany, premier long métrage de Marianne Farley" [North of Albany, first feature film by Marianne Farley]. Ici Radio-Canada Première (in French). from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
10. Fournier, Laurence (October 7, 2020). "Début de tournage du premier long métrage de Marianne Farley" [Shooting begins on Marianne Farley's first feature film]. Cinoche.com (in French). from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
11. Demers, Maxime (February 25, 2020). "Deux nouveaux films en chantier" [Two new films in the works]. Le Journal de Montréal (in French). from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
12. Bouchard, Frédéric (November 5, 2020). "Slykid & Skykid se lance dans le tournage d'un long métrage en pleine pandémie" [Slykid & Skykid embarks on filming a feature film in the midst of a pandemic]. Lien Multimedia (in French). from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
13. Bouchard, Frédéric (October 28, 2020). "REPORTAGE PHOTOS: Le premier long métrage de Marianne Farley tourné en temps de COVID-19" [PHOTO REPORT: Marianne Farley's first feature film shot in times of COVID-19]. Lien Multimedia (in French). from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
14. Daignault, Daniel (November 21, 2020). "Céline Bonnier se confie sur la chance qu'elle a, à 55 ans, de cumuler les rôles" [Céline Bonnier confides in the chance she has, at 55, to combine roles]. 7 Jours (in French). from the original on November 21, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
15. "Accès privilégié au plateau de tournage du film Au nord d'Albany" [Privileged access to the film set of the film North of Albany]. Le Journal de Montréal (in French). November 19, 2020. from the original on November 20, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
16. Ramond, Charles-Henri (October 9, 2020). "Marianne Farley tourne Au nord d'Albany" [Marianne Farley is filming North of Albany]. Films du Québec (in French). from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
17. Karine Paradis, Par (November 21, 2020). "Découvrez le nouveau look de Céline Bonnier" [Discover Céline Bonnier's new look]. enVedette.ca (in French). from the original on November 21, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
18. Duchesne, Andre (November 3, 2020). "À Châteauguay comme dans les Adirondacks" [In Châteauguay as in the Adirondacks]. La Presse (in French). from the original on November 3, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
19. Bouchard, Frédéric (November 10, 2020). "Benoît Beaulieu déploie une direction photo qui sert le récit d' Au nord d'Albany" [Benoît Beaulieu deploys a photo direction that serves the story of North of Albany]. Lien Multimedia (in French). from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
20. Supremely tight build by 1st AC @_maplo_ as our lovely little Alexa MiniLF is and LeicaR vintage primes are about to head on out @farleymarianne’s début feature Au nord d'Albany. Best of luck to DP @beaulieu.benoit, Cam OP @benoitcgauthier and the whole cast and crew. CineGround. October 6, 2020. from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2020 – via Instagram.
21. October 2020: busy you say? Totally crazy! On the set of Au Nord d'Albany feature today. #drone #aerialcinematography #dronejob #cinema #movie #drones #dronepic #dronestagram #joboftheday #dronepilot #dji #djiinspire2 #cendence #crystalsky #bts #droneprofessional #dronestudio #aunorddalbany. dronestudiocanada. October 11, 2020. from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2020 – via Instagram.
22. "Au Nord d'Albany de Marianne Farley de retour derrière la caméra" [North of Albany by Marianne Farley back behind the camera]. CTVM.info (in French). October 7, 2020. from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
23. Côté, Emilie (May 26, 2021). "Le Québec dystopique de Marianne Farley" [Dystopian Quebec by Marianne Farley]. La Presse. from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
24. Ramond, Charles-Henri (June 23, 2022). "Au nord d'Albany, en salle le 11 novembre" [North of Albany, in theaters November 11]. Films du Québec (in French). Retrieved October 1, 2022.

External links

• North of Albany at IMDb