Ballast balade (pour dinoflagellés) (Ballast stowaways dinoflagellates) / Canada (Québec) / U.S. Premiere

In his laboratory, an oceanographer conducts temperature and salinity tests to determine the necessary conditions for the micro-algae Protoceratium reticulatum to survive in the Saint Lawrence Estuary. The filmmaker, moving between the seen and the unseen, follows the scientist as he studies the dinoflagellate, an amazing microscopic monster organism responsible for red tides and other phenomena. "Cysts and dinos are carried by the ballast water of ships. And when these ships from overseas arrive here and empty their ballast tanks in our waters, it can become problematic."

French with English subtitles.

Director's Bio

Françoise Dugré is a maker of social documentaries and art films, as well as a teacher and event curator. Dugré teaches documentary filmmaking at the Cégep de Rivière-du-Loup in the École des métiers du cinéma et de la vidéo program. She is also the co-founder of Paralœil, a film and media production centre in Rimouski. Her recent productions: Métal, Xantoria Elegansis, La cité renversée, Sullivan, La chasse aux papillons. In her work, she observes the minuscule elements of her surroundings through a slightly distorted lens, and is keenly interested in archives. Her art films primarily focus on art symposium, painting, sculpture, and performance.