A Sony Pictures Classics Release

The Fall of The American Empire

Synopsis

Pierre-Paul Daoust, 36, an intellectual with a PhD in philosophy is forced to work as a deliveryman to afford a decent living. One day, while delivering a parcel, he gets caught in a hold up gone terribly wrong: two dead and millions in money bags laying on the ground. Pierre-Paul is confronted with a dilemma leave empty handed, or take the money and run?

This new Denys Arcand film takes a witty yet touching look at, as only Arcand knows how, the predominance of money in a society where all other values seem to have crumbled.

 

 

Cast

Alexandre Landry

Alexandre Landry

Pierre-Paul Daoust

Alexandre Landry (Pierre-Paul Daoust) graduated from l’École Nationale de Théâtre du Canada in 2009.

Before embracing cinema, he worked in the theater world. He played the title role in LES AVENTURES DE LAGARDERE, a play performed more than a hundred times throughout the island of Montreal and across the province of Quebec. He played in CHAMBRE(S), an Éric Jean creation at the Quat’Sous Theater, Euripides’s MEDEE at Denise-Pelletier Theater, THEATRE EXTREME at the Berkeley Theatre in Toronto and played Tom in TOM A LA FERME at the Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui, a Michel-Marc Bouchard creation, directed by Claude Poissant.

On T.V., he plays Theodore in LES PAYS D’EN HAUT III. He is part of the cast of all three seasons of the BLUE MOON series, playing the role of Francis. He also took part in the youth series CAMPING DE L’OURS, and plays Julien in both seasons of CHEVAL-SERPENT.

For his first movie role in 2013, he played a young intellectually disabled man in Louise Archambault’s film GABRIELLE. This film has been viewed in more than twenty countries and Alexandre has won interpretation awards abroad, including the Best Actor VALIOS in Angoulême, France and the Best Actor Award in Gijón, Spain.

In 2014, in Rodrigue Jean’s LOVE IN THE TIME OF THE CIVIL WAR, he plays the role of Alex, a young addict struggling to survive in the world of prostitution. That performance earned him a nomination at the GALA DU CIENMA QUEBECOIS, and he was part of the TIFF’s Rising Stars program where Rodrigue Jean’s film premiered.

Finally, he is offered the role of Vincent in Chloé Robichaud’s film BOUNDARIES, the role of Jeff in the English-Canadian film THE SAVER and he also plays in Émile Gaudreault’s FATHER AND GUNS II.

 

Maripier Morin

Maripier Morin

Aspasie/Camille Lafontaine

In less than ten years, French-Canadian Maripier Morin (Aspasie/Camille Lafontaine) has imposed herself as one of Canada’s fastest rising stars. With an enviable career as one of Quebec’s top TV hosts, she does not shy away from any new opportunity to widen her audience and show everyone her seemingly endless set of skills.

In 2006, Maripier was first discovered by the public when she took part in a very successful reality TV from Quebec: OCCUPATION DOUBLE. Little than a year later, she was offered her first contract in television. She was then selected as one ofthe beauties for the French version of DEAL OR NO DEAL.

She was then able to perfect her natural talent for animation in, UN GARS LE SOIR, DISTRICT V, ÇA COMMENCE BIEN, FAITES COMME CHEZ VOUS, 99 ENVIES D’EVASION, and addressing teenagers in CODE F. She co-hosted LA VOIX JUNIOR on TVA network, a spinoff of the popular TV contest THE VOICE.

In the spring of 2016, she finally realized her dream to host her own late-night talk show with MARIPIER! The flagship program of CanalZ. In the last 3 years, Maripier has also taken part in the hosting team for the top afternoon-drive show in the province of Quebec.

Recently married to the professional hockey player Brandon Prust, Maripier was chosen to “spice up” to the group of girls starring in the documentary show HOCKEY WIVES on W Network. She is the only recurrent cast member of the first 3 seasons. It accommodates her “not-so-secret” desire to work one day as a pan- Canadian host on an English-speaking network. Her Youtube Channel PARDON MY FRENCH, is just another opportunity for her to target this vast audience. She is also the spokesperson of the Foundation of Stars, where she is implicated with kids who have untreatable diseases.

In 2018, Maripier is hosting the French-Canadian version of THE WALL: FACE AU MU. A show that is perfectly suited for her innate sense of empathy and her playfulness.

With Maripier Morin, the answer to the question: “what’s next?” is always unexpected and fascinating.

 

Rémy Girard

Rémy Girard

Sylvain Bigras

With his impressive track record, Rémy Girard (Sylvain Bigras) has a rich and abundant career. On stage, he delivered remarkable interpretations of many great characters. He was seen in LA LECON, QU’EST-CE QU’ON A FAIT AU BON DIEU?, MARIUS ET FANNY, LE MURMURE DE COQUELICOT, LE DINDON, UBU ROI, L’OVRE-BOITE, LES JOYEUSES COMMERES DE WINDSOR, DON QUICHOTTE, LE MALADE IMAGINAIRE and EN ATTENDANT GODOT among others.

On T.V., he was part of the cast of L’ECHAPPEE II, 30 VIES, TI-ME SHOW, DETECT.INC, EMMA, BUNKER LE CIRQUE, LA PETITE VIE, CHER OLIVIER and SCOOP. He also played the inimitable Papa Bougon in the cult series LES BOUGON, C’EST AUSSI CA LA VIE, and on the big screen in VOTEZ BOUGON, as well as Stan, the coach and spiritual father in LES BOYS I, II, III (L. Saia) and IV (G. Mihalka).

In addition, Girard proves that he also masters comedy in English, in the Canadian series INSECURITY I and II broadcast on the CBC. On the silver screen, in addition to INCENDIE (D. Villeneuve), CABOTINS (A. Desrochers), FATHER AND GUNS (É. Gaudreault), 7 DAYS (Podz), HONEY, I’M IN LOVE (C. Meunier), THE AMERICAN TRAP (C. Binamé), BLUFF (Marc-André Lavoie and Simon-Olivier Fecteau), THE ROCKY (C.Binamé), THE BARBARIAN INVASION (D. Arcand) and SERAPHIN: HEART OF STONE (C. Binamé), LA FLORIDA (G. Mihalka), DANS LE VENTRE DU DRAGON (Y. Simoneau) and THE DECLINE OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE (D. Arcand).

 

Louis Morisette

Louis Morisette

Pete LaBauve

In 1996, shortly after graduating from l’École Nationale de l’humour, Louis Morisette (Pete LaBauve) landed in Quebec’s cultural landscape. He quickly earned a reputation for his caustic humour as a member of Les Mecs Comiques trio, both on stage and on the radio.

A few years later, he took on the roles of writer and comedian on several shows, including 3x Rien, C. A. and several editions of the comic year-in-review Bye Bye.

As Louis Morissette's irresistible desire for creative freedom intensified, the idea of producing his own shows and feature films was making headway. Thus, he went on to coproduce C. A., Le verdict, several Bye Byes… and developed a taste for it.

In 2011, to give himself the means to fulfill his ambitions, he cofounded what has become Groupe KO, a group whose entities KOTV, KO Média, KOScène and KO24 now produce a wide range of programming, including TV series, comedy, variety, documentary, fiction (KOTV), live comedy shows (KOScène) and magazines (KO Média). Similarly, KO 24 fulfills his passion for making films.

Indeed, he doesn't hesitate to take on many tasks within a single project, as also evidenced by his triple role of scriptwriter, actor and producer for Ricardo Trogi’s film The Mirage, released in 2015, and for the Plan B series produced by KOTV in which he starred and kept viewers in suspense last spring. He also produced and co-wrote, with Kim Lévesque-Lizotte, the highly successful series Les Simone.

In December 2017, Louis Morissette and his wife Véronique Cloutier ended a series of comedy shows, Les Morissette, in which they both starred. With 250,000 tickets sold and 300 performances, Les Morissette is without question one of the most popular comedy shows in recent years.

Recognized as a funny, intelligent and honest artist, who also holds a Bachelor of Marketing and International Commerce from McGill University, Louis has become what can only be referred to as a serial entrepreneur, whose success is equalled only by his ambition.

 

Maxim Roy

Maxim Roy

Carla McDuff

Maxim Roy (Carla McDuff) started her acting career doing theatre and musicals. Her big break came when she landed a lead role in a television series based on the best-selling book AU NOM DU PERE ET DUE FILS and went on to do the sequel, LE SORCIER. At an early age, she worked with Oscar winner Denys Arcand, Bruce McDonald and Richard Ciupka. After an incredibly successful, four-year run as the controversial Marie-Claude in Radio-Canada’s popular prime-time soap VIRGINIE, she played Sonia in the Golden Reel winner LES BOYS, making Roy a Quebec Star.

Perfectly bilingual, Roy was soon offered projects in English Canada. She received nationwide attention for her role as the extravagant Intelligence Gathering Officer, Jennifer Mackenzie in THE LAST CHAPTER I AND II. Her work then crossed the border in the television series, MISGUIDED ANGELS for Fox Family. Roy’s versatility enables her to play characters that are both colourful and memorable.

Roy starred as Caroline Morrison opposite Peter Outerbridge in the award-winning, internationally renowned series REGENESIS for two seasons and as Mickey Bell, an undercover cop mini-series, WOULD BE KINGS.

She starred in INFECTED with Gil Bellows, in MVP (THE SECRET LIVES OF HOCKEY WIVES) on ABC, in the BBC mini-series, SUPERSTORM and had a recurring role in SOPHIE PARKER on CBC. She graced our TV screens as Fight Surgeon Claire Dereux, in the international series DEFYING GRAVITY (ABC, CTV, BBC and ProSieben).

 

Pierre Curzi

Pierre Curzi

Wilbrod Taschereau

Pierre Curzi (Wilbrod Taschereau) graduated from the National Theatre School in 1969. He then played in numerous popular Quebec movies such as MARIA CHAPEDLAINE, THE CRIME OF OVIDE PLOUFFE, THE DECLINE OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE, THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS, DAYS OF DARKNESS, LITTORAL, and ROMEO AND JULIET. Most recently, he played Along Thierry Lhermite in THE NEW LIFE OF PAUL SNEIJDER, a France-Canada coproduction.

He was part of many television shows including NOUVELLE ADRESSE, MENSONGES, LES INVINCIBLES, LE NEGOCIATEUR, VIRGINIE, MARGUERITE VOLANT and LES FILLES DE CALEB.

He received nominations for four Genie Awards, three of them for his roles in MARIA CHAPDELAINE (1983), LUCIEN BROUILLARD (1983) and THE DECLINE OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE (1986) and one for Best Screenplay (with co-writer Yves Simoneau) for INTIMATE POWER in 1986.

He was also president of the Union des artistes for eight years. The UDA is the main union group for cinema, theatre and television actors in Quebec.

 

Vincent Leclerc

Vincent Leclerc

Jean-Claude

Talented and versatile, Vincent Leclerc (Jean-Claude) gets noticed for his work on television and in cinema, and as much in French as in English. On the scene, we get to know him in LUCIDITE PASSAGERE, TROUT STANLEY or THE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, in a European tour. In cinema, he was directed by many renowned film makers such as Rolan Emmerich (WHITE HOUSE DOWN), Jonathan Levin (WARM BODIES), Martin Doepner (ROUGE SANG) and Sylvain Archambault (PICHE: THE LANDING OF A MAN). We also can see him in THE REVENANT from Alejandro González Iñárritu.

On television, he worked in more than 30 productions such as MAUVAIS KARMA, BEING HUMAN, TOURE LA VERITE, MIRADOR, 19-2, LES BEAUX MALAISES, LE CLAN, THIS LIFE, BAD BLOOD, and BELLEVUE. For his role in the web series COMING OUT, he received a nomination at the Canadian Screen Awards in the category Best Performance in a Program or Series Produced for Digital Media.

Vincent embodies in an eloquent way the mythic character of Séraphin Poudrier in the series LES PAYS D’EN HAUT, airing on Radio-Canada. This role got him 3 nominations since 2016 at the Gala Artis in the category Actor in a lead role – series, a Gémeaux award in for Lead role in a series in 2016 and a nomination in this same category the following year. Since this winter, we can see Vincent in the popular series DISTRICT 31 incarnating Maxime Vézeau.

 

Filmmakers

Denys Arcand

Denys Arcand

Director / Screenwriter

An Academy Award winning director, Denys Arcand's (Director and Screenwriter) films have won over 100 prestigious awards around the world. In 2003, he wrote and directed The Barbarian Invasions which was nominated for Best Original Screenplay and won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. In France, it won three César – Best Film, Best Screenplay and Best Director; in Italy, the Donatello for Best Foreign Language Film; at the Cannes Film Festival, the Best Actress and Best Screenplay awards, amongst many.

In 1989, Denys Arcand directed the powerful Jesus of Montreal which won the Jury’s Grand Prize and the Ecumenical Prize in Cannes. The film also earned 12 Genie Awards in addition of being nominated for the Oscar in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

In 2007, his film Days of Darkness was the Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival for Closing Night, a very special evening as it was the 60th birthday of the festival. His film The Decline of the American Empire won the International Critic’s Prize (FIPRESCI) in Cannes, as well as an Oscar nomination as Best Foreign Language Film. In addition to his work as a filmmaker, Denys Arcand has published several articles and a book entitled Euchariste Moisan (2013). In 2011, he created, with artist Adad Hannah, an installation called SAFARI for the Big Bang Exposition celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. A lover of classical music, he directed in 2015 the opera Zémire and Azor, with Les Violons du Roy and the students of the school of Opera of Montreal.

Denys Arcand is Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters (France); Companion of the Order of Canada and Knight of the National Order of Quebec. He is also a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) and the Académie des arts et techniques du cinéma (César). Denys Arcand’s films depict his love for history and his passionate look at the human condition.

 

Denise Robert

Producer

Denise Robert (Producer) has produced numerous international award winning films and tv series. Amongst them, Best ForeignLanguage Academy Award winner The Barbarian Invasions, Days of Darkness and Stardom (Denys Arcand), The Confessionnal (Robert Lepage), The Rocket (Charles Binamé), Mambo Italiano (Émile Gaudreault), Father and Guns I & II (Émile Gaudreault) which have both won a Golden Screen Award for the highest grossing Canadian film at the box-office in 2010 and 2017, and 1:54 (Yan England), a film on cyberbullying which was shown at the United Nations Headquarters in New York followed by a discussion with world-renowned experts on the subject.

She is a member of the Order of Canada and has received the grade of Knight in the Order of Arts and Letters (France) and in the Order of La Pléiade.