French Canadian Actress and Writer is Found in Dynamic Love Drama 'Lost Ones'

    LOS ANGELES, CA, December 16, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Actress and writer Eliane Gagnon, one of Canada's foremost burgeoning film and TV talents, is pleased to announce her short drama film - "Lost Ones" - has been named an Official Selection for the Los Angeles CineFest.

Los Angeles CineFest (www.lacinefest.weebly.com) is a monthly international online festival that's commencing January 14-21, 2016.

"Lost Ones" is written, produced, directed by and stars Gagnon, who last year wrote and produced the short drama, "Douce Amere (Bittersweet)," that won the Best International Short Film Award at the International Film Festival of Williamsburg in New York City.

"Lost Ones" follows the story of love-starved Canadian woman and a cynical Canadian man who are from distinctly different backgrounds and are trying to answer the timeless question of love: what is "the one" and is there even such a thing? The unlikely pair consider the romantic ideal's existence in a world consumer by modern technology and filled with language, geographical and emotional barriers.

Gagnon stars in the film in the role of Mila. Acting her opposite in the role of Tom is Joseph Murray, who last year acted in David Cronenberg's "Maps to the Stars" and has composed music for more than 20 other film and TV titles.

"This short film exists through the relationship of two human beings who get to know each other over the course of one night," said Gagnon. "It's a two actor film and a love story between a heartbroken, French Canadian woman who falls in love with an English Canadian musician."

In order to create "Lost Ones," Gagnon received a special grant from BRAVO Fact that was sanctioned by Bell Media. For the concept and characterization, Gagnon was partly inspired by Charles Bukowski's poem - "Alone with Everybody" - and she also drew upon experiences that hit close to home. "I really was inspired by my own life," she said. "Mila was really close to me in many ways. She is a character who is having a hard time in her relationships."

Murray said, "The film is about two adults, lost in their futile search for love. The film is a well-crafted glimpse into a story that many of us can relate to in some way. I think what the film does well is portray the unravelling events of these two lost souls in a playful and naturalistic way."

Gagnon's script made an immediate impression on Murray, who also felt a personal connection to the story's thematic material. "The script spoke to me right away," he said. "I was at a time in my life where you could maybe describe myself as a 'lost one,' so it felt very easy to relate to the story and insert my own experiences."

Over the last 12 years Gagnon, a Montreal native, has worked in film and television as an actress. She's been writing during the last six years and brings her very own unique perspective into productions as a trilingual talent with French Canadian and Chilean heritage.

"I liked the honesty that Eliane brought to the writing of Lost Ones," Murray said. "As a French-native speaker writing dialogue in English, there were a couple moments in the script that were endearingly honest and playful that brought up great discussions of communication and authenticity. I would describe Eliane's writing to be authentic to her voice."

Speaking on her sure-handed, extraordinary talent to craft drama, conflict and relatable characters, Gagnon said, "Characters I write are often not from perfect families and have not experienced the best family examples. It was pretty easy to bring Mila to life because she was close to me. It was really fun to make this relationship believable between Mila and Tom."

Julie Groleau, who produced the short film, "Overpass," that won the Short Cuts Award at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, line produced "Lost Ones." She says "Lost Ones" is about the evolution of love and includes love's high and low points, which give the film's characters a complete arc.

"I think that Lost Ones is, in a way, a feel-good film," Groleau said. "Of course, you saw the girl at the end of the relation, alone in a room crying. But the first part of the film, the relation is beautiful. The audience would live a great moment to discover these two people falling in love."

Groleau noted Gagnon's screenwriting ability to have art mirror life in her execution of the concept and pursuit of love within the film's storyline. "In the script, love is really like in real life," Groleau said. "It could be beautiful and magical, but also very cruel."

Showing itself in "Lost Ones" too is Gagnon's outstanding acting ability. The international beauty has acted in more than 20 distinguished productions spanning film, TV and web series. She played Paulette in Mark Penney's acclaimed feature drama, "The Beautiful Risk," that received award nominations at the Bogota Film Festival and the Shanghai International Film Festival in 2014. Gagnon played an 18-year old Emiliana Cyr in the feature biopic - "Louis Cyr" - about the world's strongest man at the end of the 19th century. Directed by the award-winning Daniel Roby, "Louis Cyr" starred Antoine Bertrand and Emmy winner Gil Bellows ("Temple Grandin," "The Shawshank Redemption"). It won 11 different awards at the 2014 Genie and Jutra Awards.

Of Gagnon's performance in "Lost Ones" Murray said, "I very much enjoyed acting opposite to Eliane! We knew each other before, but not well. So it was fun exploring our relationship as friends and artists while in the process of documenting it and making a film. The acting process was very natural and I would love to work with her again."

Groleau noticed Gagnon's portrayal of Mila as one featuring natural realism and compelling authenticity. "The acting of Eliane in the film is real, very emotional," she said, "but not too much. She acted like she lived for real the story, and the fact that she wrote it helps, I think, for that kind of emotional acting."

Gagnon made her feature film debut in the role of Charlie in the 2008 feature drama, "Behind Me." Directed, written and produced by Rafael Ouellet, "Behind Me" was nominated for the Best Film Award at the 2009 Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema. She later went on to act in critical roles in the feature drama, "Jo for Jonathan," which won the Festival Prize at the 2011 Gotham Screen International Film Festival Awards, in the feature drama "Ceci n'est pas un polar" with the award-winning "La Femme Nikita" actor Roy Dupuis and in Renee Beaulieu's "Le Garagiste."

Her short filmography includes principal and leading roles in "La Part de l'Homme" directed by the International Academy of Web Television Awards nominee Adam Kosh, as well as "Avant demain" from director-producer Sandrine Brodeur-Desrosiers.

On television and in web series Gagnon acts in recurring roles for "Papa" from creator Jonathan Roberge, Radio Canada's "Memoires Vives" and the two-time Gemeaux Award-winning drama series, "Feminin/Feminin." From 2004-2008, Gagnon acted in the recurring role of Kim Bellavance in 100 episodes of the Vivaclic Canadian comedy drama series, "Ramdam."

Gagnon's other writing credits include the 2014 web series, "Je t'aime tue-moi," the 2014 short film, "Sale" and the 2011 Oliver Sabino-directed drama, "The Best Mom in the World" that she both wrote and starred in.

Watch the "Lost Ones" teaser here:
https://vimeo.com/148321139

For more information, visit:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1799768/
http://elianegagnon.workbooklive.com
www.acteursassocies.com/elianegagnon

Eliane Gagnon is a film and TV actress and writer from Montreal.

# # #