Travelling Distribution

Blond Night

A film by

Gabrielle Demers

Synopsis

At night, Victor walks without supervision to live his life.

Highlights

Tags

2022

Drama

Fiction

Genre

Drama

Country

Canada (Quebec)

Year

2022

Length

16'59"

Themes

Sexuality

LGBTQIA+

Neurodiversity

BIPOC

With
Patrick Dorneval, Dany Boudreault

Production
Nellie Carrier (Cinquième Maison)

Director
Gabrielle Demers

Scenario
Gabrielle Demers

Images
Chloé Ellegé

Editing
Mathieu Bouchard Malo, Charlie Boisvert

Artistic Direction
Valérie-Jeanne Mathieu

Sound
Nataq Huault

Music
Alexis Elina

Director's Statement

Blond Night was born from a meeting with Patrick, a 40-year-old Haitian man living with autism spectrum disorder. I worked with Patrick for three years at a social reintegration organization. After many discussions about cinema (our shared passion) a strong bond of trust formed between us. Patrick gradually opened up and confided in me. He revealed his desire to leave his assisted living facility for autistic adults to gain the privacy of living alone. He also shared how he experiences intimacy outside of his residence, which changed my perception of autistic people. I found something deeply human in his story, and a subject rarely explored in cinema: Patrick manages to maintain a sexual life that is freer and more active than that of many people. He finds this intimacy through sex workers.

Addressing this reality on screen felt important to me, as it remains largely misunderstood by the general public. By honestly depicting the desire and private life of an autistic man, the film exposes the vulnerability and risks these individuals may face, without reducing their experience to fragility alone. Instead, the encounter between Jessy and Victor opens onto something profoundly human and positive. It highlights the empathy, active listening, and kindness that sex workers can demonstrate, a reality seldom represented in film.

The production was prepared in close collaboration with Patrick’s specialized educators and an acting coach specialized in working with neurodivergent individuals, ensuring he was comfortable with every scene. In his screen debut, Patrick Dorneval delivers an unforgettable performance, proving that neurodivergent people truly belong as artists.
‍

Gabrielle Demers

‍

Gabrielle Demers

Gabrielle Demers is a screenwriter and director originally from Lévis and now based in Montreal. Her graduation film, Paupière Mauve, gained recognition at several international festivals, including Slamdance. She later directed La Pornographe, which was selected at the Rhode Island International Film Festival. Her latest film, Nuit Blonde, was nominated at the Iris Awards and received a Special Jury Mention at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, won Best LGBTQ+ Film at Palm Springs, and received a Special Mention from Denis Villeneuve at the Prends ça court Gala. She is currently working on her first feature film, an adaptation of Kevin Lambert’s novel Querelle de Roberval.

Filmography

Social media

No items found.

Festivals

‍

Press Inquiries

Press Kit

External Links

Social media

‍↗︎ Facebook

Back to catalogue