The 2026 Porte Parole Pitch Night
On Friday, May 22, 2026, the fourth Porte Parole Pitch Night took place at Théâtre Plaza in Montreal! Before a full room and our jury (Evelyne de la Chenelière, Fabrice Vil, Annabel Soutar), Daphnée Côté-Hallé, Josiane Cossette, Jeffrey Rioux, and Emilie Charest presented four bold projects, each rooted in a distinct artistic world and a pressing need to tell its story.
Congratulations to Jeffrey Rioux, winner of the Audience Award for his project Colocathon, and to Emilie Charest, who won the Jury Prize for the 2026 edition! She will receive a grant valued at $10,000 ($5,000 in financial support and $5,000 in services) to support the development of her project L’écho des boîtes noires.
The event was accessible live in Quebec Sign Language (LSQ).
About the Porte Parole Pitch
Porte Parole has heard from many citizens who are keen to bring their ideas to the table. They now have the opportunity to have their voices heard as Porte Parole launches its first open call for projects which focus on societal issues deserving of more attention.
Four selected participants will be coached by Porte Parole to develop a 10-minute pitch for the Porte Parole Pitch Event, where they will have the opportunity to present their project for a jury of artists, broadcasters, journalists and producers. Out of the five participants, one project will be chosen to receive a $10,000 grant, courtesy of founding members of the Documentary Hub, to further its development.
OFFICIAL PARTNER OF THE DOCUMENTARY HUB
The 2026 cohort
PHOTO STÉPHANIE BLAIS
Emilie Charest
On August 11, 1957, a plane crashed in Issoudun, a small village south of Quebec City, becoming one of the deadliest aviation disasters in Canada at the time. What remains of this story, and of all the histories that slowly fade from public memory?
PHOTO JULIE ARTACHO
Josiane Cossette
Non criminellement responsable
Criminal non-responsibility due to mental disorder provokes strong reactions, particularly since the first trial of Guy Turcotte. Drawing on that case, as well as the murder of my aunt by her schizophrenic partner in 1984, this project examines the verdict and asks a broader question: in Quebec, when it comes to mental health, do we too often wait for tragedy before acting?
PHOTO ALEXIS GR
Daphnée Coté-Hallé
La disparition du ciel
As light pollution steadily erases the night sky, this project explores our relationship to the sky and the sacred, asking what we collectively lose as darkness disappears.
PHOTO JEAN-PHILIPPE SANSFAÇON
Jeffrey Rioux
Colocathon
To make ends meet, Diane rents out rooms in her home to a steady flow of strangers.
The jury
Photo Vivian Doan
Annabel Soutar
Annabel Soutar is Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Porte Parole. She studied theatre at Princeton University where she learned about the documentary approach to playwrighting. Since 2000, her plays and dramaturgical collaborations, including the acclaimed Seeds, The Watershed, Sexy béton, Fredy, J’aime Hydro, The Assembly, and Rose et la Machine have been performed in theatres across Canada and around the world.
Photo Sarah Bourque
Fabrice Vil
A former lawyer and founder of an educational and social organization, Fabrice regularly speaks out on a wide range of sociopolitical issues, notably as an author, columnist for La Presse, and public speaker. He has also lent his voice to Ados et armés and Briser le code, two documentaries that explore issues of gun violence and racism in Quebec, respectively.
Photo Charlotte de la Chenelière
Evelyne de la Chenelière
Evelyne de la Chenelière is an actor and writer. Her plays, produced in Quebec and abroad, probe the limits of language and the experience of writing. Among them, Bashir Lazhar (2010) was adapted for the screen by Philippe Falardeau as Monsieur Lazhar and nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Lumières, lumières, lumières (2014) will receive a new production at the Comédie-Française in 2026. As an actor, she has appeared under the direction of Marie Brassard, Daniel Brière, Jérémie Niel, Brigitte Haentjens, Florent Siaud, Cédric Delorme-Bouchard, and Denis Côté, among others. De la Chenelière’s trajectory is marked by a formal curiosity that subverts expectations. Present in major institutions, she also works quietly at their margins.
The Night In Pictures
Photos Najim Chaoui Arach'Pictures
OFFICIAL PARTNER OF THE DOCUMENTARY HUB
