FEATURE FILM | DOCUMENTARY
BILLY
A documentary by Lawrence Côté-Collins
Synopsis
Filmmaker Lawrence Côté-Collins finds her attacker in prison. She wants to understand, forgive, and support a suffering man. Billy is schizophrenic, and his most serious crisis left two dead. Their pen-and-ink prison friendship sheds light on the truth about this mental illness, which was neither diagnosed nor treated. Together, they share their stories and rebuild their lives through intimate correspondence and previously unseen video archives.
scope | 5.1 | color | 105 min | Canada (Quebec) | DCP & ProRes | French + STE
Key speakers
Billy Poulin, Lawrence Côté-Collins
Why is it Vital?
For its truth and vulnerability.
Festivals and Awards
AWARDS
• Grand Jury Prize – 5th Terraviva Film Festival – Italy, 2024
• Student Jury Award – 5th Terraviva Film Festival – Italy, 2024
• Student Jury Award – 27th RIDM (Montreal International Documentary Festival) – Canada, 2024
• Special Jury Prize – 50th SIFF – Seattle International Film Festival – USA, 2025
• Special Mention – 12th Dieppe Canadian Film Festival – France, 2025
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
• Visions du Réel – International Film Festival in Nyon – World Premiere – April 2024
• RIDM – Montreal International Documentary Festival – North American Premiere – November 2024
• LIFF – Leeds International Film Festival – UK Premiere – November 2024
• Memorimage – Film Festival of Reus – Spanish Premiere – November 2024
• Molodist – Kyiv International Film Festival – Ukrainian Premiere – November 2024
• Front Doc – Aosta International Film Festival – Italy – November 2024
• Terraviva Film Festival – Italy – November 2024
• DocPoint – Helsinki Documentary Film Festival – Finnish Premiere – February 2025
• Biennal Internacional Dona i Cinema – Mujer y Cine – Woman & Film – Spain – February 2025
• Ann Arbor Film Festival – U.S. Premiere – March 2025
• Dieppe Canadian Film Festival – French Premiere – March 2025
• Festival du film de l’Outaouais – Canada – April 2025
• FFAVM – Val-Morin Auteur Film Festival – Regional Premiere – May 2025
• Seattle International Film Festival – USA – May 2025
• UnArchive Found Footage Fest – Italy – May 2025
Team
Screenplay and direction - Lawrence Côté-Collins
Director of Photography - Lawrence Côté-Collins
Editing - Alexandre Leblanc, Josiane Lapointe,
Lawrence Côté-Collins
Production - Vuk Stojanovic, Lawrence Côté-Collins
Sound design - Benoit Dame
Music - Martin Roy, Luc Sicard
