My Internship in Canada


My Internship in Canada is a Canadian political satire film written and directed by Philippe Falardeau. The film premiered in 2015 at the Locarno International Film Festival.
The film was nominated for four Canadian Screen Awards, and won three awards at the 18th Quebec Cinema Awards. It was also part of the Canada's Top Ten screening series of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.

Plot

The film stars Patrick Huard as Steve Guibord, an independent, moderate Member of Parliament from northern Quebec, who unexpectedly finds himself in the position of becoming the tie-breaking voter on whether Canada will go to war in the Middle East. Embarking on a tour of his constituency to evaluate public opinion, various lobby groups and Canada's Prime Minister spin the debate farther and farther out of control.
Guibord's confusion and eventual national tour is documented by Souverain, his Haitian immigrant intern, who often calls his mother with updates on the ever-increasing situation.

Cast

The film was shot from 24 September to 10 November 2014 in Val-d'Or, the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region, Ottawa, and Haiti.

Accolades

The film had its North American premiere at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, where it received an honourable mention from the Canadian film jury. It was released in the province of Quebec on 2 October 2015, on seven screens, with a wide release in the province on 9 October 2015. In December, the film was announced as part of TIFF's annual Canada's Top Ten screening series of the ten best Canadian films of the year. In January 2016 it won the Canada's Top Ten Film Festival People's Choice Award, voted on by audiences in Toronto.
The film garnered four Canadian Screen Award nominations at the 4th Canadian Screen Awards in 2016, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Screenplay and Best Sound. For the 18th Quebec Cinema Awards, it won Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Score and Best Editing.