PALM Festival
2025 EDITION
Next edition of PALM Festival
OFFICIAL SELECTION PALM 2025
Here are the video artists selected for the 8th edition of the PALM Festival!
They were carefully selected and each received a $5,000 grant from Saumon Québec to produce their film for the Festival.
Au-delà des aulnaies
By Émile David
In returning to my roots in the world of fishing films, I wanted to explore themes that are dear to me; Au-delà des aulnaies was born of a reflection on our relationship with the land and the paths we've already traced.
Having spent a significant part of my childhood listening to my grandfather's hunting stories and watching the 4 VHS Bonne Pêche et Bonne chasse box set over and over again, I grew up with the idea of one day making fishing videos. It's a dream that materialized early in my career; after an internship at Hooké, I embarked on the production direction and co-direction of the brand's first two TV seasons. I then became a freelancer, which enabled me to travel the world in pursuit of the best stories and encounters for over 6 years.
The aim of my film is to present an expedition without promises, designed to cultivate adversity, curiosity and self-improvement. A film with no other objective than to let yourself be carried away by the pleasure of the unknown and the hope of a big pike.
Heureux
By Gabriel Rivest
Fly Fish Yukon is a Yukon-based production team consisting of myself, Gabriel Rivest, and Justin Kennedy. In operation for four years, our goal has always been to share our passion for fishing and the outdoors.
I grew up in Abitibi and Justin grew up in the Georgian Bay area of Ontario. We were already big fishing fans when we met in 2011. I worked as an adventure guide in Yukon before becoming a biologist and teacher at Yukon University. As for Justin, he perfected his career as a photographer and videographer in Australia before returning to the Yukon in 2018.
I'd been dreaming of this trip to the Yukon with my family for a long time, but the vagaries of life had until now prevented me from making it a reality. It finally came to fruition, and I was able to bring my loved ones together for a fishing trip. This documentary shows how strong family ties can be, despite the distance.
La malédiction d’Alexis!
By Jérôme Charest
Originally from the Gaspé Peninsula, I grew up by the river with a camera in my hands. From the age of 10, I borrowed my father's video camera to film my friends and me skateboarding and snowboarding. This passion led me to study media art and technology, where I had the good fortune to meet David Tremblay and Elie Girard. With a shared passion for fly fishing and videography, we decided to produce videos of our fishing adventures.
I produced “L'Histoire d'un pari” in 2022 and “Cayo Santa Gaspé” in 2023 for PALM. After a year's absence from the PALM festival, I'm back in full force in 2025 with a story and a film concept I've been looking forward to producing, entitled “La malédiction d'Alexis”!
It's a short film based on Alexis Dufour, a fisherman desperately trying to catch his first salmon in several years. To help him on his way, Alexis meets the great salmon God. The God will put him through rigorous training to prepare him for the big day and break the curse. Despite his best efforts, will Alexis succeed in overcoming the curse?
Labrador
By Mathieu Léonard
I'm an Atlantic salmon instructor and guide on the Bonaventure River. My mother being a native of the Gaspé Peninsula and my father a salmon fisherman, I was lucky enough to spend my youth along the rivers of the Baie-des-Chaleurs.
Having always had a passion for video production, editing and photography, this festival is the perfect opportunity to combine these passions with my childhood passion for salmon fishing. I'm proud to be back with a production that will take you away from my native Gaspésie: I'm heading for Labrador to fish one of the wildest places on earth.
My production introduces you to an Atlantic salmon that's different from the one we know in Quebec, because its proximity to the ocean makes it particularly combative. Should I abandon my usual fishing beliefs for those of Labrador? This short film will take you to a wild territory, to meet the salmon and the enriching people who adopt a lifestyle in harmony with the preservation of the species.
Northern Waters
by Sarah Nellis & Sam Breault
We are a group of passionate fly fishers who have come together and combined our diverse skills and experience to form a videography team for the PALM Festival. Our team consists of Sarah Nellis, Maria Torres, Kaith Palmaria and Sam Breault.
Our main motivation for participating in PALM 2025 is to demonstrate that adventure cinema can be inclusive and diverse. We firmly believe in the power of visual storytelling to inspire and bring about positive change.
Our short film follows the story of Maria, Kaith, Sam Breault and Sarah. United by our shared passion for fly fishing, we embark on a fishing expedition to Salluit, Nunavik, in search of meeting the Inuit community, sharing and learning from them while practicing our passion for fly fishing.
OUT-OF-COMPETITION FILMS
Parmi tant d'autres
by Félix Lamoureux
presented by Saumon Québec
Parmi tant d'autres is a short film that aims to highlight the growing challenges facing Quebec's salmon rivers, at a time when Atlantic salmon populations are experiencing more difficult years. Told through the prism of the Petit-Saguenay River-a little-known jewel whose story has yet to be told-the film highlights the intrinsic value of Quebec's salmon rivers. Through the sincere reflections of those who have long cherished this river, Parmi tant d'autres raises awareness of the rich cultural and natural heritage at risk.
The film introduces us to characters such as Élias Côté, a storyteller with a generational connection to the river, and Gaétan Lavoie, a former forestry worker and long-time fisherman, both former presidents of the Association de la rivière Petit-Saguenay. They offer a glimpse of the Petit-Saguenay River's golden age, when its pools were vibrant with salmon, offering villagers and visitors alike valuable experiences. This vitality, however, has diminished, leaving the community with a sense of loss and fear for the future of the resource.
Scale of hope
Together for the Salmo
presented by ASF et Hooké
Presented by ASF and Hooké, the documentary Scale of hope plunges us into the world of those whose lives are deeply linked to Atlantic salmon. More than just a fish, the salmon is the barometer of our ecosystem, a symbol of the health of our rivers and an essential part of our collective history. This journey takes us to meet the biologists who study its mysteries, the filmmakers and artists who tell its story, the activists who fight for its survival, and the fishermen and guides who pursue this legendary fish with passion and respect.
Across Maine, New Brunswick and Quebec, the documentary explores the importance of Atlantic salmon and the rivers that support them, revealing how these ecosystems and the communities that inhabit them are intimately linked. It also raises the crucial point that, in these uncertain times for salmon, it's imperative to rally together to save them. Community unity and commitment can play a decisive role in preserving this iconic species.
Watch an abridged version of the documentary on the PALM tour. The documentary is scheduled for release in spring 2025.
L'avenir est aux sources
by Hooké
In this Hooké adventure film, Fred Campbell returns to Nunavik five years after his last visit and invites actor and comedian Fabien Cloutier to discover this magnificent territory for the first time. In autumn, amid breathtaking wilderness, they explore the Rivière aux Feuilles, a place where Atlantic salmon return to spawn every year. The land and salmon are transformed by spectacular colors, while caribou migrate through the unspoiled landscape.
Guided by Louis Shecanapish-Tardif, owner of Leaf River Lodge, Fabien and Fred discover the hidden treasures of this legendary river, which rewards them along the way.
This journey highlights the importance of this untouched ecosystem, far from the human footprint, where wildlife and Atlantic salmon continue to abound. A unique journey where the beauty of the wilderness blends with the intensity of adventure.
L'avenir est aux sources celebrates the importance of preserving our heritage and our ecosystems.
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS
MONTEUR ÉRIC TREMBLAY
