Narrative/Drama | 2021 | Belgium | 2 Hours 22 Minutes | French
Presented in split screen, VORTEX tells the story of an aging couple in a Paris apartment. With this film, Director Gaspar Noé (Enter the Void, Climax, Irreversible) delivers a career best, finding a level of compassion and tenderness that sacrifices none of the visual excitement that has marked his best work.
Had its world premiere at Cannes 2021.
Dr. Allison Sekuler (FSEP, FPsyS, FAPS) is the Sandra A. Rotman Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience and President and Chief Scientist of the Baycrest Academy for Research and Education at the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, and President and Chief Scientist of the Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI). A graduate of Pomona College (BA, Mathematics and Psychology) and the University of California, Berkeley (PhD, Psychology), Dr. Sekuler holds faculty positions in the Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto and the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour at McMaster University. Her foundational research uses behavioural and neuroimaging approaches to understand how the brain processes visual information, and her research group was the first to show conclusively that older brains “rewire” themselves to compensate for functional changes. Her clinical and translational research aims to develop methods to prevent, detect, and treat age-related sensory and cognitive decline. Dr. Sekuler has won numerous national and international awards for research, teaching, and leadership -- including serving as the country’s first Canada Research Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience and recently being named one of WXN's Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada (2019). In her spare time, she is proving that you’re never too old to learn: she picked up her first drumsticks a few years ago, joined a band, and recently earned her Drum Professional Certificate from Berklee College of Music.
Judy Gladstone was the Executive Director of Bravo!FACT (Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent) for 15 years. While at Bravo!FACT, she commissioned thousands of short-form film and video projects from across the country. Gladstone’s commitment to identifying talent and innovative ways to exhibit screen work gained her a Crystal Award for Outstanding Achievement, a Leadership Award from Women in Communication Canada and a Maverick Award from the Female Eye Film Festival. The works she commissioned were honoured with a Prix de Jury de Cannes, an Academy Award nomination, an Emmy and a nomination for an International Emmy. Gladstone served as the first CEO of Vucavu, launching a streaming platform for Canadian filmmakers from coast to coast to coast, and as ED of the Documentary Organization of Canada. She has been invited to speak at industry events around the world such as Dance on Film (Lincoln Centre, NYC), Banff Centre, Mobile World Congress (Barcelona), World Film and Television Film Forum (Paris) and film markets in venues as diverse as Cannes, Rio de Janeiro, Banff and Mumbai.
