Film crew tours francophone communities

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This article was published 04/06/2021 (1477 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg film crew kicked off a video tour of Manitoba’s francophone communities Monday with a visit to the village of La Broquerie.

Rivard Productions, an independent audiovisual production company based in St Boniface, is gathering footage for Franco 150, a Manitoba 150 program whose goal is to create a 15-part video series showcasing Manitoba’s francophone communities.

The theme for the project is, ‘A story that unites us.’

“It’s sort of a way of bringing everybody together, because francophone communities are all spread out across Manitoba,” Michelle Gervais, coordinator of the five-person film crew, explained.

The crew is also visiting Marchand, Ste Anne, St Pierre, St Malo, and Otterburne, St Adolphe, Ste Agathe, Ile des Chenes, Lorette, St Jean Baptiste, and St Joseph.

In La Broquerie, the crew stopped by St Joachim Parish, the HyLife Centre, a school and park, and the village’s roadside mascot, Brisette the cow.

Gervais said the crew will visit two dozen communities in all. Before setting out, they conducted research and lined up interviews. Gervais estimated the crew made about 300 phone calls in total to arrange four to seven interviews in each community.

Gervais said the interviews cover local history, culture, tourism, industry, youth, immigration and diversity, and anything else “that really keeps the town rolling.” The role of the Metis in forming Manitoba will also be explored.

Interviewees in La Broquerie included visual artist Robert Freynet and Louis Tétrault, who travelled Manitoba promoting francophone communities during his time as executive director of the Association of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities.

Filming will take place throughout June, followed by post-production work. A second video series, consisting of humorous clips by francophone comedians, is also in the works, along with eight television specials produced by CBC Radio-Canada.

The Franco 150 project, which is presented by the Société de la francophonie manitobaine, will culminate in an October gala. Gervais said COVID-19 restrictions will determine whether the event is held in-person or virtually. Either way, it will feature screenings of the videos alongside performances from some of the province’s best-known francophone musicians.

After the gala, the videos will be given to communities, which can use them for tourism and promotional purposes.

“It’s a nice legacy to leave the communities,” Gervais said.

Manitoba’s film industry is allowed to operate during the pandemic. Gervais said crew members must wear masks, take their temperature, and follow other precautions.

She said the crew was appreciative of the sunny weather and grateful to be out and about producing content for people to enjoy at home.

For more information on the Franco 150 video series, visit franco150.ca and sfm.mb.ca.