Shock wave in the Quebec film industry: Seville Films, one of the largest film distributors in Quebec, is ceasing its theatrical distribution activities.
According to information obtained by The newspaper, employees of the distribution company were dismissed on Tuesday followingnoon. Seville Films, a subsidiary of the giant Entertainment One, has distributed several of the most popular Quebec films of recent years, including Mommy, 1991, Starbuck, Louis Cyr et Liar.
Reached early Tuesday evening, the president of Seville Films, Patrick Roy, confirmed the information obtained by The newspaper.
“The rumor is true: Entertainment One has made the decision to cease its theatrical distribution activities in Canada,” he said.
Mr. Roy would not specify the number of employees who had lost their jobs on Tuesday, redirecting these questions to the leaders of Entertainment One. However, he hinted that he might have some good news to announce soon.
“My contract was going to expire this week so I also quit,” he said. But I still have the same passion [pour le cinéma en salle] and I am still in discussion with eOne. I hope to be able to announce some good news very soon. »
This announcement comes a few days before the theatrical release of the comedy vanishing lines, one of the most anticipated Quebec films of the summer. Patrick Roy assures that the feature film “will be distributed as it should be”.
“We will take care of the release of this film with some of the employees or ex-employees of Seville, he specifies. There will be no impact on its theatrical distribution. I also spoke this morning to Denise Robert [la productrice de Lignes de fuite] to reassure her regarding the film’s release. She trusts me and she knows that the work will be done as usual. »
And the future?
As for the other releases planned for the next few months, Mr. Roy indicates that “no film will be affected by this decision”.
It is not only for the next theatrical releases that several questions remain unanswered. What will now happen to the huge catalog of Quebec films from Seville Films?, wondered several stakeholders in the field on Tuesday.
Founded in Montreal in 1999, Seville Films was acquired in 2007 by Entertainment One. In 2012, Sevilla merged with Alliance Atlantis Vivafilm, another major distributor in Quebec.
“It’s the end of an era, admits Patrick Roy. But I hope that we will eventually be able to announce something else and see how the rest will unfold, ”repeated Patrick Roy.