About

Éléphant : mémoire du cinéma québécois

is a large-scale philanthropic project, funded by Quebecor, to digitize, restore, preserve and make accessible all the feature fiction films ever made in Québec.

Elephant films a propos

It officially launched

in November 2008 with an initial catalogue of 25 restored films. Since then, Éléphant has continued to add works from all periods and genres to its catalogue, preserving millions of images that bear witness to Québec's history and the talent of our artists and creators. This diverse collection gives the public access to over 60 years of our traditions, customs and concerns, our world view, our architecture and our landscapes.

Before they were restored, most of these films were difficult, if not impossible, to find. In some cases, the last existing projection prints were in such a fragile state that they could no longer be screened. Often, the original had deteriorated considerably. Without Éléphant, much of Québec’s cinematographic heritage would have been lost forever.

Today,

more than 260 feature films are available at all times directly on our website (via Vimeo), on Videotron’s platforms and on the Apple TV app.

Éléphant is a philanthropic project from which Quebecor derives no financial benefit. Aside from a small amount to cover a portion of the platform’s operating costs, all revenues from the showing of the movies go to the rights holders and filmmakers.

Facts and figures

0

NON-PROFIT ! With the exception of a small amount to cover part of the platform’s operating costs, all revenues from the distribution of the films on illico goes to the people who make Québec movies.

16

MORE THAN 16 MILLIONS spent by Quebecor since 2007

160

MORE THAN 160 FILMS SCREENED at festivals and cultural institutions

260

MORE THAN 260 FILMS AVAILABLE 24/7 on our website, Videotron’s platforms and the Apple TV app.

400

NEARLY 400 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS with the builders of Québec cinema

18 000

Nearly 18,000 rentals of our restored films last year

300 000

NEARLY 300,000 VISITORS to the Éléphant website last year

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Éléphant on the web

Over the past 16 years, the www.elephantcinema.quebec website has become an essential source of information on Québec fiction films. It is now the largest Québec cinema archive and database. The site covers all feature-length fiction films, past and present, produced or co-produced in Québec with nearly 1,700 film fact sheets. Visitors can quickly access the list of restored films available for rental and perform precise, detailed searches for Québec movies and their casts and crews. Over the years, the site has been enriched with a wealth of exclusive and entertaining content, including hundreds of interviews with the makers of Québec films. Their wide-ranging discussions about their artistic processes and careers are a goldmine of cinematic information. The site also features news, special features, trailers, film clips and thousands of stills. 

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Éléphant on the big screen

As these films were made to be seen on the big screen, Éléphant has been presenting a film from its catalogue at the Cinémathèque québécoise in Montréal every month since 2016. Often, the director, producer or one of the stars is present to share tidbits from on and off the set with the audience during the post-screening discussion. 

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Éléphant in the community

Since its inception, Éléphant has partnered with film festivals and organizations across Québec to promote its work and enable film-lovers and the audiences of the future to discover works that had disappeared from public view. Over the years, films restored by Éléphant have been screened at the Montréal World Film Festival, the Festival du nouveau cinéma, the Fantasia International Film Festival, the Québec City Film Festival, the Festival du cinéma international en Abitibi-Témiscamingue and the Montréal International History Film Festival. Copies of our restored films are also shown regularly at other events across the province. Screenings for young people have been organized through CinÉcole and various student film clubs. 

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Éléphant around the world

The movies digitized and restored by Éléphant are available everywhere in Canada on our website and the Apple TV app. Many are also available in the U.S., Europe, and African countries where French or English is an official language. All the films are available in French and English (dubbed or subtitled). As well, 50 movies from Éléphant’s catalogue are available with Spanish subtitles in all Spanish-speaking countries. Québec movies can therefore be seen at any time on every continent!

FAQ

Our website lists all feature-length fiction films produced or co-produced in Québec from the dawn of filmmaking to the present day, a total of more than 1,600 titles. Of these, more than 260 films have been digitized and restored. For these films, a Play button appears when you hover your mouse over the film’s poster in our catalogue. 

If you click on the poster to view the film’s listing, you will see a Play button at the top of the page and the “Éléphant,” “Videotron” and “Apple TV” icons to the right of the synopsis.

To see the full list of available movies, go to Explorer le répertoire.

Yes, all the restored feature films in our catalogue—more than 260 titles—can now be rented directly on our website. To rent a film, go to its listing and click on the Éléphant icon to the right of the synopsis. You can consult or download our 2025 catalogue, which lists all the available films.

Éléphant negotiates licences to the films it digitizes and restores only for its own activities. To screen a movie at a festival, event or theatre, you have to contact the rights-holder to obtain their permission, as well as information on the terms and conditions for screening the movie. Write to us at elephant_commentaire@quebecormedia.com for assistance with contacting the rights-holder. 

Unfortunately, we are unable to provide physical copies of the movies our team has digitized and restored. Éléphant holds video-on-demand broadcast rights but not retail sale rights. We provide a copy of each restored movie to the rights-holder, who is then free to decide if they want to produce a DVD or Blu-ray for retail sale.  

We do not currently offer institutional subscriptions to the entire Éléphant catalogue, which is part of illico’s video-on-demand and Helix offering. If someone at your institution has access, you can use a personal iTunes Canada, Apple TV, Helix or illico account to watch an Éléphant movie, or go directly on our web site. Rentals last 48 hours.

None of the movies that we restore and make available are in the public domain. We have negotiated agreements with the rights-holder for each movie in our catalogue but we don’t hold rights that would allow us to make our movies available for free through a public institution. 

Éléphant only restores fiction feature films. We digitize feature films that had a theatrical release prior to 2008, with some exceptions. If the movie meets these two criteria, you can email Éléphant’s director, Raphaël Rainville, at raphael.rainville@mels-studios.com for more information.

Éléphant can use promotional material for a movie only within the scope of its digitization and restoration activities. You must contact the rights-holder of the movie to use a video clip or promotional materials related to the work or artist. Email us at elephant_commentaire@quebecormedia.com for assistance with contacting the rights-holder.

Éléphant digitizes and restores fiction feature films produced before 2008. Films are selected to ensure that our catalogue includes a wide range of works and genres. Digitization and restoration also depend on the availability of prints, which can be difficult to find and sometimes require in-depth research, and on whether agreements can be negotiated with the rights-holders. Eventually, we hope to digitize and restore all Québec movies and make them accessible to everyone. 

Quebecor does not benefit financially from Éléphant rentals. A portion of this minimal fee covers part of the platform’s operating costs. All revenues go to the rights-holders and the creators of Québec cinema through agreements with various professional associations.     

Contact

Découvrez l'histoire riche et captivante du cinéma québécois avec Éléphant! Pour en savoir plus et rejoindre notre aventure, contactez-nous dès maintenant

Contactez-nous

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