Kalina Bertin is a Canadian documentary filmmaker, most noted for her 2017 film Manic . [1]
A graduate of the film studies program at the Université du Québec à Montréal, she made Manic about her siblings' struggles with bipolar disorder. [2] She ultimately uncovered the story of her biological father, a Montserratian cult leader who also suffered from bipolar disorder, and who had, unbeknownst to Bertin until making the film, also fathered at least 12 other children with four other women. [2]
Manic premiered at the 2017 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, [3] where Bertin was selected by Daniel Cross of EyeSteelFilm as the recipient of a $5,000 grant for emerging women documentary filmmakers. [4]
Manic received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Feature Length Documentary at the 6th Canadian Screen Awards, [5] and a Prix Iris nomination for Best Documentary Film at the 20th Quebec Cinema Awards. [6] The film was also shortlisted for the Prix collégial du cinéma québécois in 2019. [7]
Bertin has also been a cinematographer and camera operator on other documentary films, including Byblos, Prisons Without Bars (Prisons sans barreaux) and 7 Beats per Minute .