News

French production and distribution firm Oble is to handle international licensing of Canadian hit drama series “Aller Simple” or “No Return.”

Produced by French-Canadian firm Sphere Media, the six-episode psychological thriller premiered on prime-time earlier this year in Canada and has been a hit with critics and audiences. It plays on Noovo, where it has been the most watched drama in the channel’s history, and is available before linear broadcast via subscription on Crave TV.

Written by Annie Pierard, Bernard Dansereau and Etienne Pierard-Dansereau, who all previously worked on Sphere’s “Epidemie” (aka “The Outbreak”), the show sees six complete strangers; a former policeman, an art-dealer, a retired teacher, a marketing director, a criminal lawyer and a businesswoman, en-route to a reclusive billionaire’s home when their helicopter makes an emergency landing deep in the forest. Having survived intact, they stumble across a fishing camp. But disturbing incidents suggest...

In L’Inhumain, Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg member Jason Brennan crafts a film about the Anishinaabe’s perspective of the Wendigo and his personal connection to the creature. Brennan fuses oral histories into a film that explores the difficult choices, temptations, identity issues, and financial pressures that arise when someone decides to leave their reservation land and live in a big city. The horror film focuses on a neurosurgeon named Mathieu, portrayed by First Nation hip-hop artist Samian, struggling with substance abuse, and a failing marriage. After his father dies, he returns to his ancestral land but soon crosses paths with the ravenous Wendigo.

I spoke with Brennan about what it was like to tell this story, his experience as an Indigenous filmmaker, and his company Nish Media – a production studio prioritizing finding and supporting Indigenous talent.

L’Inhumain revolves around the Anishinaabe’s oral history of the Wendigo. Do you...

Scratch

Written by Sébastien Godron

Directed by Sébastien Godron

Canada, 2015

Art, regardless of the medium, is all about one’s voice, or that of a collective. There is no art if there is no voice operating as the driving force behind the creativity and the brilliance. In music, the voice of a piece can be heard via instrumentation as well as through lyrics and song. In fact, when it comes the meshing of the worlds of music and film, the story of young, up and coming musicians and singers is a tried, tested and true venue. Someone with connections always comes along and discovers that special voice, be it because it sounds distinctive or it has something of pertinence to say. Hip-hop is no exception to said rags to riches tales in real life or on film. Scratch, the new film from director Sébastien Godron, is one such film inspired...