Billy

Utilising a rich film archive, director Lawrence Côté-Collins crafts a frank and intimate portrait of her friend Billy living with schizophrenia.

In this unparalleled depiction of what it’s like to live with schizophrenia, director Lawrence Cote-Collins composes an intimate and complex portrait of her friend Billy Poulin. An aspiring Montreal filmmaker, Billy obsessively filmed himself, unknowingly amassing footage that would years later give striking insight into his deteriorating mental health. During a violent psychosis, Billy left two people dead, and it was not until several years into a life sentence that he received a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Drawing from a vast archive of films shot by Billy himself, Cote-Collins’ film also speaks of friendship, creative collaboration and redemption, and leaves a lasting impression.

 "An energetic, inventive work is built around an extensive archive of Poulin’s own filmmaking." - Allan Hunter, Screen International