CONTENT WARNING: This article includes a brief mention of suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 (English and French).
Some students set their sights on earning straight A's, while others such as Concordia Film Production student Antoine Boulanger set the bar even higher.
Boulanger's short film La Pichenotte has won a 2026 Student Academy Award®, making him the first Concordia student to receive the honour.
Selected as one of 16 winning films from nearly 3,000 entries worldwide, La Pichenotte is the sole Canadian film to receive the award this year. Gold, Silver and Bronze placements will be announced during the Student Academy Awards ceremony at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 14. All Student Academy Award-winning films are now eligible for the 99th Oscars®.
La Pichenotte tells the story of Stéphane (Hugo Giroux), a death agent whose mission is interrupted when he meets Huguette (Carmen Sylvestre), a senior woman determined to challenge fate. Through dark humour, the film explores grief, connection and healing themes rooted in Boulanger's own experience.
"The core concept comes from a rather dark place my father, who struggles with mental health issues, attempted suicide several times a few years ago," he says. "I found this situation very difficult, and the way for me to process it was to invent a world where Death is personified a world where Death tries to kill someone who also wants to die, but for some reason, it just doesn't work."
Produced independently during Boulanger's studies at Concordia's Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema, La Pichenotte also reflects lessons learned in the classroom. He credits teachers Daniel Brière, Daniel Cross and Peter Hošták with helping him develop both his creative voice and his approach to filmmaking.
Boulanger says Brière fostered a collaborative environment where students felt comfortable sharing their ideas, while Hošták inspired a new appreciation for sound design that continues to shape his work. Boulanger is currently developing a photo-documentary he conceived in Hošták's class.
More broadly, studying at Concordia helped Boulanger think intentionally about how each creative decision, from composition to camera movement, becomes part of a cohesive cinematic language.
"I focus heavily on the 'language' of the film. What tools will I work with? How will this or that type of shot communicate the emotional core of the film? How do I make each shot unique yet necessary and cohesive with the whole? I discovered that I was creating a cinematic 'lexicon' for each project."
Looking to the future
The young filmmaker says the Student Academy Awards recognition is more than a career milestone. He hopes the international recognition will help him secure funding for future projects and connect him with production companies interested in original voices.
"I hope this nomination will attract the attention of production companies that are looking for new ideas, a breath of fresh air and authentic cinema," he says.
While he hopes the recognition opens doors professionally, Boulanger's ambitions for La Pichenotte itself remain modest.
"Honestly, I have no expectations regarding what the audience will take away from it. I only hope that the film will add a bit of imagination and humour to their personal relationship with death."
La Pichenotte screened at the Fantasia Film Festival on July 25, 2026.
The 2026 Student Academy Awards will take place at the Toronto International Film Festival on Monday, September 14, 2026, where Gold, Silver and Bronze placements will be announced.
Find out more about Concordia's Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema.
