The Battle of Saint-Léonard by Félix Rose: trailer unveiled
August 12, 2024
Maison 4:3 and Picbois Productions are delighted to unveil the trailer for the documentary The Battle of Saint-Léonard, written and directed by Félix Rose (Les Rose – Iris Audience Award at Gala Québec Cinéma 2021). In the film, Félix Rose revisits key but little-known events in the struggles that led to the adoption of the Charter of the French Language (Bill 101) by the National Assembly in 1977.
An unprecedented language crisis unfolded in the heart of the town of Saint-Leonard in 1968-1969. French-speaking parents demanded French-only schools, while members of the Italian community wanted to preserve bilingual schools. The conflict spread throughout Québec, creating enormous tensions that degenerated into violence and culminated in a bloody riot. The Battle of Saint-Léonard tells the story of Raymond Lemieux and Mario Barone, two remarkable yet forgotten men of modest origins, who each fought with strength and conviction, despite the heavy consequences to themselves, their families, and their professional lives. Their struggle changed the destiny of Québec and led to the adoption of the Charter of the French Language (Bill 101).
With a passion for history, Félix Rose developed a political and social conscience at an early age. After studying film and television, he began his career as a documentary filmmaker with the films Avec la gauche (2014) and Yes (2017). In 2020, he directed the documentary Les Rose, the culmination of a personal quest to better understand the past of his father, the felquist Paul Rose, and his family. The same year, he co-directs a six-part investigative series, Le dernier felquiste, about the unsolved assassination of felquist François Mario Bachand and the history of the various Front de Libération du Québec networks. In 2024, he completed a four-part series on the musical rivalry between two Quebec rock bands: Offenbach and Corbeau. The Battle of Saint-Léonard is his fourth feature film.
The Battle of Saint-Léonard is distributed by Maison 4 :3, produced by Picbois Productions, and opens across the province on October 11.
