Mothers and Monsters

Mothers and Monsters
Directed byÉdith Jorisch
Written byÉdith Jorisch
Produced byPatrick Francke-Sirois
Isabelle Grignon-Francke
Édith Jorisch
StarringJuliette Gariépy
Mylène Mackay
CinematographyOlivier Gossot
Edited byLouis Chevalier-Dagenais
Production
company
Club Video
Release date
  • September 10, 2023 (2023-09-10) (TIFF)
Running time
15 minutes
CountryCanada

Mothers and Monsters is a 2023 Canadian short drama film, written and directed by Édith Jorisch.[1] An allegory for women's anxieties and fears about motherhood, the film depicts a group of women at a banquet whose babies are delivered to them in heads of cabbage, amid an increasingly strange and surreal environment.[2]

The cast includes Dean Brisson, Ines Defosse, Arielle Fournier, Juliette Gariépy, Noémie Lanoix, Mylène Mackay, Sarah Ouimette and Aline Winant.

The film premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.[3] It was subsequently screened at the 2023 Festival du nouveau cinéma, where it won the audience award in the national short film competition.[4]

The film was named to TIFF's annual Canada's Top Ten list for 2023.[5] The film was a Canadian Screen Award nominee for Best Live Action Short Drama at the 12th Canadian Screen Awards in 2024,[6] and received a Prix Iris nomination for Best Live Action Short Film at the 26th Quebec Cinema Awards in 2024.[7]

  1. ^ Silvia Galipeau, "Monstruosités maternelles". La Presse, October 5, 2023.
  2. ^ Navid Nikkhah Azad, "Edith Jorisch’s ‘Mothers and Monsters’ challenges maternal ideals in a dystopian world". ZIZ News, September 12, 2023.
  3. ^ Thom Ernst, "TIFF 48 – Day 6". Northern Stars, September 12, 2023.
  4. ^ "Palmarès du 52e FNC: Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant remporte les honneurs de la compétition nationale". L'Initiative, October 15, 2023.
  5. ^ Pat Mullen, "TIFF’s Canada’s Top Ten Includes BlackBerry, Solo, Humanist Vampire". That Shelf, December 6, 2023.
  6. ^ "BlackBerry Leads CSA Nominations". Northern Stars, March 6, 2024.
  7. ^ Éric Lavallée, "Prix Iris 2024: Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person Leads “Quebec Oscars” Noms". Ioncinema, October 9, 2024.