In 2002, in Montreal, Eric Ruel and Guylaine Maroist founded La Ruelle Films (formerly Les Productions de la Ruelle).
They are both passionately devoted to vital causes such as the nuclear threat (Time Bombs and Gentilly or Not to Be) and the resurgence of sexism on social media (Backlash: Misogyny in the Digital Age). They also offer a fresh take on political issues (Disunited States of Canada and God Save Justin Trudeau).
Backed by a top-notch team, Eric Ruel and Guylaine Maroist have forged a unique brand of filmmaking that is reinventing the art of storytelling. They are at the avant-garde of documentary making, creating deep and engaging experiences across multiple platforms.
Winners of the Governor General’s History Award for Popular History in 2011, the team also received the Gémeaux (Gemini) Award for Best Documentary for Disunited States of Canada and the Gémeaux (Gemini) Award for Best Research and Best Editing for Gentilly or Not to Be. The revelations in the latter contributed to permanently closing the only nuclear power plant in Quebec.
With Time Bombs, la Ruelle Films received the 2008 Canadian Gold Ribbon Award for Best Television Documentary, as well as the Grand Jury Award at the New York International Film Festival. The team was nominated for the prestigious Japan Prize in 2010 and also received the Boomerang Grand Prize for the website of J’ai la Mémoire qui Tourne.
The feature-length documentary God Save Justin Trudeau was nominated for four Gémeaux (Gemini) Awards in 2015 for Best Documentary, Best Director, Best Editing and Best Photography. The film also won the VIFF d’Or at Vevey, in Switzerland, premiered at the Vision du Réel Festival in 2015 as the opening film, and was in competition for the Sesterce d’Argent.
The documentary thriller Expo 67 Mission Impossible premiered on April 25, 2017 and was immediately acclaimed by critics. A success both in theatres and on television in Canada, it has been seen by over 1.4 million Canadians. Guylaine Maroist and Eric Ruel also won two Gemeaux (Gemini) Awards for Best Documentary and Best Script for this feature-length documentary.
Jukebox was released in Quebec theatres in 2020 and garnered huge success, ranking in 9th position on the list of the highest-grossing films at the Quebec box-office that year (fiction and documentaries combined). The feature-length documentary was also nominated for the People’s Choice Award at the Gala des Prix Iris in 2021.
Backlash: Misogyny in the Digital Age, the latest film produced by La Ruelle, was released in Canada in 2022. Directed by Léa Clermont-Dion and Guylaine Maroist, the documentary notably received the Gémeaux Awards for Best Research and Best Documentary Direction.
The La Ruelle team is now actively working on their next feature documentary project, Uncomfortable Truths (working title).
Guylaine Maroist started working as a freelance journalist for Le Devoir in the early ’90s, after studying in Law, Cinema and Musicology at Université de Montréal. She made her debut in the music industry during this same time playing the guitar for Les Jaguars. She started putting together some hundred compilation records from the Quebec catalogue in 1996, for Les Disques Mérite and BMG, which is how she came to meet almost all the known and lesser-known artists of the ’50s, 60s, and 70s. In 1998, she pitched a biographical series to Musimax, which became the TV channel’s flagship program, Musicographie, featuring Quebec artists. She went on to work on more than 70 TV documentaries for Musimax between 1999 and 2007.
Depuis 2002 – Présidente de La Ruelle
Depuis 2013 – Présidente des Artistes pour la Paix
Depuis 2015 – Membre de Pugwash
2018 – 2 Prix Gémeaux (Meilleur documentaire et Meilleur scénario) et 3 autres nominations au Gala des Prix Gémeaux pour «Expo 67 mission impossible» (Meilleure réalisation, Meilleure recherche et Meilleur montage).
2015 – Gagnante du VIFFF D’Or Grand Prix du jury pour le documentaire «God Save Justin Trudeau» au Vevey International Film Festival en Suisse.
2015 – 4 nominations au Gala des Prix Gémeaux pour «God Save Justin Trudeau». Meilleur documentaire, Meilleure réalisation, Meilleur direction de la photographie et Meilleur montage.
2015 – Compétition officielle pour le Sesterce d’Argent pour «God Save Justin Trudeau» au Festival Visions du Réel en Suisse. Le film est présenté en ouverture du prestigieux festival.
2013 – Gagnante du Meilleur documentaire société au Gala des Prix Gémeaux pour «Les États-Désunis du Canada».
2013 – Gagnante de la Meilleure recherche documentaire au Gala des Prix Gémeaux pour «Gentilly or Not To Be». Le film a aussi remporté les honneurs du Meilleur montage.
2013 – Nomination pour la Meilleur recherche pour «Les États-Désunis du Canada».
2011 – Gagnante du Prix du Gouverneur général en histoire. Le Prix Pierre-Berton pour les médias populaires.
2011 – Nomination Numix dans la catégorie production de convergence information pour le site web «J’ai la mémoire qui tourne».
2011 – Nomination à Banff dans la catégorie numérique pour le site web «J’ai la mémoire qui tourne».
2010 – Finaliste aux Japan Prize International Educational Program Contest pour la zone éducative du site web «J’ai la mémoire qui tourne».
2010 – Nomination Numix dans la catégorie production de convergence information pour le site web «J’ai la mémoire qui tourne».
2009 – Gagnante du Grand Prix Boomerang pour le meilleur site web média pour «J’ai la mémoire qui tourne».
2009 – 5 nominations pour la série documentaire «J’ai la mémoire qui tourne». Meilleure série documentaire, Meilleur scénario, Meilleur site web, Meilleur montage, Meilleur son.
2008 – Gagnante du Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary pour «Time Bombs» au New-York Internaitonal Film Festival.
2008 – Gagnante du Gold Ribbon Award (Ruban D’OR) for Best Documentary on Canadian Television pour «Time Bombs». Remis par CAB/ACR Canadian Association of Broadcasters.
2008 – Nomination pour la Meilleure recherche pour «Bombes à retardement / Time Bombs» au Gala des Prix Gémeaux. Le documentaire a aussi été nommé pour Meilleur montage.
2007 – Nomination pour la Meilleure biographie pour «Musicographie René Angélil» au Gala des Prix Gémeaux.
2004 – Nomination pour le Meilleur documentaire culturel «Chanter plus fort que la mer» au Gala des Prix Gémeaux. Le film a aussi été nommé pour Meilleur montage et Meilleur son.
2000 – Nomination pour la Meilleure recherche pour «Musicographie Nanette Workman» au Gala des Prix Gémeaux.
2000 – Nomination pour la Meilleure compilation pour «Serge Deyglun en vedette» au Gala de l’ADISQ.
2000 – Nomination pour la Meilleure compilation pour «Renée Martel» au Gala de l’ADISQ.
1999 – Nomination pour la Meilleure compilation pour «Le temps est bon» au Gala de l’ADISQ.
Vice-President, Producer, Filmmaker
Eric Ruel initially started making his name as a film editor working for the National Film Board and the Société Radio-Canada (CBC). After founding La Ruelle (formerly Les Productions de la ruelle) Eric produced, co-directed and edited Singing to Drown out the Sea (Chanter plus fort que la mer) (Zone libre SRC, Bravo). The documentary received praise from critics in Quebec and France and was nominated for three Gemini awards.
He then produced, directed and edited the documentary Time Bombs (Bombes à retardement), winner of the prestigious Gold Ribbon Award for the best documentary of the year from the Canadian Association of Broadcasters. The film also won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the 2008 New York Film Festival and was nominated for three Gemini awards including Best Documentary and Best Editing.
2018 – Gemini Award winner for Best Documentary and Best Screenplay for Expo 67 Mission Impossible which was nominated in three other categories (Best Direction, Best Research and Best Editing)
2015 – VIFFF D’Or winner—Grand Jury Prize at the Vevey International Film Festival in Switzerland for God Save Justin Trudeau
2015 – 4 Gemini Award nominations for God Save Justin Trudeau: Best Documentary, Best Direction, Best Photography Direction, Best Editing
2015 – Presented for the pre-opening of the Visions du Réel festival in Switzerland, God Save Justin Trudeau took part in the festival’s official “Sesterce d’Argent” competition
2014 – Nominated for the Ontario Premier’s Award for Excellence for Ontario College Graduates
2013 – Gemini Award winner for Best Documentary on Society for Disunited-States of Canada
2013 – Gemini Award winner for Best Documentary Research and Best Editing for Gentilly or Not to Be.
2013 – Gemini Award nominee for Best Research for Disunited-States of Canada
2011 –Governor General History Award winner, also called The Pierre-Berton Award, for Popular Media for J’ai la mémoire qui tourne
2011 – Numix nominee for Best Convergent Production for the website J’ai la mémoire qui tourne
2011 –Banff World Media Festival nominee in the Digital Media category for website J’ai la mémoire qui tourne
2010 – Japan Prize International Educational Program Contest finalist for the educational component of website J’ai la mémoire qui tourne
2010 – Numix nominee for Best Convergent Production for the website J’ai la mémoire qui tourne
2009 – Boomerang grand prize winner for Best Media Website for J’ai la mémoire qui tourne
2009 – Gemini Award nominee for Best Documentary Series, Best Screenplay, Best Website, Best Editing and Best Sound for J’ai la mémoire qui tourne
2008 – Grand Jury Prize winner for Best Documentary at the New York Film Festival for Time Bombs
2008 – Gold Ribbon award for Best Documentary from the Canadian Association of Broadcasters for Time Bombs
2008 – Gemini Award nominee for Best Research and Best Editing for Time Bombs
2004 – Gemini Award nominee for Best Cultural Documentary, Best Editing and Best Sound for Singing to Drown Out the Sea
2000 – Winner of the Amtec Media Festival Award of Excellence for the documentary series Transit, produced by the National Film Board
Geneviève Pigeon has a diverse background in film and communications. She holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in film studies, along with advanced training for teaching cinema at the college level. Her work has involved using documentaries to engage with various communities, including youth and individuals in the prison system. She has also led initiatives to grow and engage audiences. Since 2021, Geneviève has gradually taken on the role of producer at La Ruelle Films alongside her involvement in the #Stoplescyberviolences campaign. She now continues to create meaningful content while playing an important role in distribution.
An accomplished multidisciplinary artist, Aelys Laforest-Jean began her studies at the Conservatoire de musique de Québec as a child. She spent years developing and perfecting her mastery of the violin and musical composition. After winning the radio competition “Le Petit Mozart”, she changed her field to pursue another of her passions: graphic design. At the age of 18, she began working with La Ruelle on the film Expo 67: Mission Impossible. Creator of the flamboyant visual universe of Jukebox, she became the art director for the dark opus Backlash: Misogyny in the Digital Age.
Naturally curious and always happy to be involved, Marianne Richard holds a degree in Cultural and Media Production Strategy, with a specialization in video games and a concentration in German language studies. She has a strong passion for anything — directly or indirectly — related to the intersection of technological developments and social change. Since 2024, she has been working with La Ruelle Films with production and research on their latest project.
Maud St-Onge has worked nearly 20 years in multimedia advertising, starting with Quebec advertising agencies before opening her own business more than a decade ago. Brimming with creativity and with full mastery of the available technologies, she offers bold avenues for achieving the objectives of her projects. She designs and programs websites as a senior UI/UX designer, creates interactive animations and layouts for printed advertising materials. Maud has been collaborating with La Ruelle since 2003.
