Film and television
Québec on the big and small screens
Quebecers are highly attached to audiovisual productions by local creators that mirror their society. Indeed, Québec-made television productions dominate the airwaves and movies that are made in Québec account for a significant share of the provincial box office. Locally produced movies and TV programs are among the most unifying forms of cultural expression in Québec.
The most popular TV programs and movies attract audiences from all segments of the Québec population.
- Year after year, the most popular Québec TV productions, especially dramas, consistently draw over a million viewers.
- For the three-year period from 2007 to 2009, a Québec-made movie, De père en flic, topped the local box office with ticket sales of over 1.2 million — solidly trouncing international blockbusters like Batman, Spiderman, Harry Potter and Shrek.
This local success has been accompanied by considerable international success for both television and film productions. A number of Québec productions have been sold abroad over the past decade, in places like South America, Russia, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, South Korea and the United States.
Québec film directors, actors and technicians are singled out on a regular basis for international honours at prestigious festivals like Cannes, Berlin, Sundance, Locarno and Venice. Their achievements have won them Oscars and Césars, and they have chalked up box office successes outside Québec, especially in France.
