Relancez l’été: Filming Montréal as People Came Together Again
In summer and fall 2020, I collaborated with the Quartier des spectacles Partnership on Relancez l’été: Downtown Montréal Reimagined. I worked as director, cinematographer and editor. It was a documentary project connected to cultural recovery, at a time when rediscovering the city and its gathering places held particular meaning.
Montréal is often present in my work, but this project called for looking at it in a different context. How do you tell the story of a city trying to catch its breath? How do you give presence to the initiatives and people contributing to that movement? Behind the spaces and installations are gestures, ideas and a desire to come together again. That human dimension gives a story about a place its strength.
The collaboration with Nicolas Chabot of the Quartier des spectacles Partnership supported preparation and interview organization. Filming took place in September 2020. The work combined the words gathered with downtown images, bringing that desire for recovery to life on screen.
Handling directing, cinematography and editing allows me to follow a project’s thread from beginning to end. Behind the camera, I look for what gives a place presence. In the edit, I need to find connections between viewpoints, give the images room to breathe and build a rhythm carrying the message. That continuity is an important part of my independent filmmaking practice.
I remember Relancez l’été as a collaboration rooted in Montréal and in a very particular collective moment. The project reminds me why I love filming the city: streets change, but people and the connections they build give them a story. Helping tell that return to movement enriched my career, bringing together my interest in human stories and the places we share.
Comments