‘La Portraitiste’ Acquired by H264

H264, a Montreal-based movie distribution and worldwide sales company, has acquired the worldwide rights to “La Portraitiste,” the first narrative feature movie written by Florence Longpré, and directed by Annie St-Pierre, her first narrative feature as a director.

It is a interval dramedy with touches of magical realism, set in Montreal in 1962. It follows Françoise, who leads a stifling life, dictated by her husband Germain and sanctioned by her aunt Agathe. Françoise is a receptionist at the local police station, the place her beloved cousin Gilles patrols, and is unexpectedly requested to sketch the composite of an assailant.

The experience rekindles her ardour for drawing and all of the sudden reveals the contours of her telepathic reward. Françoise’s prophetic instinct attracts her into an investigation alongside Sergeant Stevenson, the place long-buried household secrets and techniques echo her personal past.

Carried by a burgeoning love and the discovery of her reward, Françoise comes to know that every quest inevitably leads again to oneself.

The movie is scheduled to start taking pictures this spring, with a release deliberate for 2027.

The movie is produced by Roger Frappier at Max Films, who said, “Working with Florence Longpré and Annie St-Pierre feels like having access to a true dream team. Florence brings an extraordinary intelligence and a rare sensitivity to character while Annie’s vision gives the story both depth and direction. Their collaboration gives me absolute confidence that this story will resonate deeply with audiences.”

Longpré first got here to public consideration with “Like-Moi!” in the position of Gaby Gravel, and later made a strong impression with “Can You Hear Me?” (M’entends-tu?) and “Audrey’s Back” (Audrey est income), two critically acclaimed sequence, on which she also collaborated as a screenwriter. She is also the co-screenwriter of “Le temps des framboises,” a sequence acknowledged at a number of worldwide festivals, including the Berlinale and the Seoul Drama Awards.

In 2025, Longpré unveiled “Empathy” (Empathie), a sequence she wrote and starred in. It gained the Audience Award at Séries Mania previous to its broadcast on Canal+, with a second season in development.

“La Portraitiste” marks Longpré’s first enterprise into cinema.

St-Pierre directed the documentaries “Fermières” and “Le plein potentiel,” the latter chosen at SXSW in 2025. Her brief movie “Like the Ones I Used to Know” (Les grandes claques) premiered at Sundance and was shortlisted for the Academy Awards in 2021 in the live-action brief movie class.

Montreal-based Max Films’ credit embrace “Borderline,” “The Grand Seduction,” “Maelström,” “Jesus of Montreal” and “The Decline of the American Empire.” Its slate also consists of the English-language remake “The Grand Seduction” (dir. Don McKellar), “Two Lovers and a Bear” (dir. Kim Nguyen), “Hochelaga,” “Land of Souls” (dir. François Girard), and Jane Campion’s Oscar-winning “The Power of the Dog.” Most not too long ago, Max Films produced “Tell Me Why These Things Are So Beautiful” by Lyne Charlebois.