Subjects: Arts & Culture , Health

Directed by

Isabelle Hayeur

Language

No dialogue

Produced by

Les Productions du Golem

English Version French Version

27 min, dance, Canada, Canada, 2014

Bringing together contemporary danse and architecture in a series of six pieces, A Short History Of Madness evokes the history of treatment of mental illness.

Synopsis

Synopsis

A Short History Of Madness is a contemporary dance film. Traveling through time in six architectural scenes, it touches on key moments in the treatment of mental illness in Quebec, from the end of the 19th century to today. The film introduces us to six mentally ill characters who are interpreted by dancers. It then goes on to follow a woman, Jacqueline, who ends up on the street after losing access to psychiatric care as part of the de-institutionalization process in the eighties.

Credits

Script, Direction, Editing : Isabelle Hayeur
Choreography : Virginie Brunelle
Director of Photography : Jessica Lee Gagné
Art director : Laura Nhem
Costume design : Sophie Lefèbvre
Sound : Gaëlle Komar
Sound design : Alexis Pilon-Gladu
Mixing : Bruno Bélanger
Music : Timber Timbre, Scout Niblett, The Ex & Tom Cora, Peter Broderick

Executive producer : Laurent Allaire

Production : Les Productions du Golem

Financial Partners

Conseil des arts du Canada

Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec

SODEC

PRIM

ACIC

Conseil des arts de Montréal

Isabelle Hayeur

As a producer, director and scriptwriter, Isabelle Hayeur has written and directed three feature-length fiction films: La bête de foire (1993), Luce-Guilbault Prize at the Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois, Les Siamoises (1999), presented at the prestigious London Institute of Contemporary arts and Le Golem de Montréal (2004), opening film at the Festival du film pour enfants de Montréal. As an adaptor of stage plays for the cinema, she has also developed over the years a body of work, producing about twenty films and videos with choreographers such as Ginette Laurin, Marie Chouinard and Susan Marshall in New York. In 2005, Richard Desjardins asked her to direct the video for his show Kanasuta which was nominated for Best musical DVD by l’ADISQ. She is a founding member and president of Réalisatrices Équitables. Filmography A Short History Of Madness (2014 / 27 min) Droits d’auteur(e) (2006 / 16 min) Kanasuta (2005 / 112 min) Le Golem de Montréal (2004 / 90 min) Les entartistes (2000 / 60 min) Les siamoises (1999 / 79 min) La chambre blanche (1993 / 12 min) La bête de foire (1993 / 68 min) Narrow room (1989 / 7 min) Londeleau (1988 / 11 min)