A film production company is chaining the awards

From left to right, Gabriel Bissonnette from Fusion Film, director, actress Dania Thibodeau, actor Arnaud Vincent-Raschella and producer, Steve Thiboutot from Héroïque Films. (Photo courtesy from Jimmy Lajoie-Boucher)

Héroïque Films Inc. and Fusion Film stands out, of course, by its unique concept, but also by its story. A dream, will and hard work led the passion of a team towards the realization of a short film which will be nominated and rewarded in 158 festivals.

By Jimmy Lajoie-Boucher

It was in 2019 that citizen of Drummondville named Steve Thiboutot started a film production company. He founded his film production company which will allow viewers to watch different myths, secular legends, or even historical moments, which not only have marked the history of the world, but which have also traveled through time. With some diplomas, passion and a dream as the only weapon at his disposal, this career worker will follow suit and, against all odds, meet with great success from his second project.

Towards recognition

After a first project focused on the story of Joan of Arc, which gave a mixed result according to Mr. Thiboutot, and this, despite the modest budget at his disposal, the opus will still have opened doors for him, and by the very fact, provide the means to embark on another project… Ancestral Land.

The short film has no dialogue, at least verbal, which makes it possible to use universal language, the one that speaks to the heart. That said, with this second project comes a wave of awards like: the Best Experimental Short Award at the Cannes Film Festival, an Honorable Mention at the Hollywood Gold Awards in Hollywood, of course, and the Silver Award for originality of the soundtrack, to name a few.

Ancestral Land

The film, lasting six to seven minutes, reminds us of the environment in which humans rose above all other species. In this hegemonic situation that he has created for himself, the man and his greatest weaknesses are highlighted, to the detriment of a spoken script, while remaining the central point of the short film. Money and power predominate over everything around it.

These themes are brilliantly presented to viewers through a woodsman who discovers the riches that natural resources and, in this case, power can bring him.

Our adventurer, masterfully orchestrated by actor Arnaud Vincent-Raschella, quickly finds himself confronted with his own conscience when the huge tree he cuts with an axe, representing the riches of nature, expresses his suffering through a charming elf, played by the very talented Dania Thibodeau. The message passed without ambiguity as to its intentions.

The flame comes to life as a film

“It was an amazing experience. Normally, we shoot in the studio, but here we were in the forest. -Dania Thibodeau, actress who plays the elf. (Photo courtesy of Martin Piché)

The Ancestral Land project is not one that can be done without a flame coming to life within itself. This is clearly a project to be cherished from the production to the actors playing the characters. The emotion transmitted by the latter responds to a mission without which the message conveyed would lose all its meaning. One of the factors that helped bring this spooky reality to life, goes back to the very essence of filming.

The latter, unlike the majority of filming, took place outside allowing immersion, as much as possible, in the universe of the story. Actress Dania Thibodeau, who plays the elf, shares her experience on this extraordinary shoot:

“It was very special. It was very cold and I had a hard time concentrating, but it was an amazing experience. Normally, we are used to filming in studios, but here we were in the forest. The fact that there were two of us, too, made it all very intimate, more intense. »This “old school” side is the trademark of Héroïque Films. The producer, Steve Thiboutot, makes it his guideline as for his first short film which focused on the story of Joan of Arc.

Beyond the work

There are many reasons why one work is successful and another is not. Nevertheless, the main cause of such effervescence has something in common with each work that has become legendary.
His message goes beyond the work and brings a deeper questioning that speaks to the general public.

Here, Ancestral Land challenges our way of life, of course, but also the greed that inhabits, to varying degrees, each of us. Let’s present a case in point. If every human could, with the help of a simple ax for example, become rich like this famous Croesus to the detriment of the nature that surrounds him. Would he? Specifically, would you? It is this questioning that comes to seek, in the depths of their being, the viewers and which is the basis of a success… a success!

These useful questions

These questions, raised by successful works such as Ancestral Land, not only allow us to take a step back from the preconceptions that are forged in us, however subtle they may be, but also question certain personality traits that make us humans that we are.

Themes, still relevant today, such as: the place of the environment in our societies, money and capitalism, but also, how far are we ready to go under the aegis of the latter . The predominance of profit even before the well-being of our fellow human beings. All angles approached under the fine eye of the craftsmen who offer to guarantee our habits and customs, but also under the watchful eye of a people who are still today looking for their place and how to achieve their ends. It is explained, during this short film, the harsh existence of a nature ransacked by human greed.

This subject, which divides as much as it unites, is carried with brio, and besides, isn’t it, in a certain way, the lot of artists to raise these necessary introspections, through their vision? of the world.
It is through all these subtleties that Steve Thiboutot and Gabriel Bissonnette, the director, as well as their team submit this work to us. Humbly, but who, by raising the stakes, have made Ancestral Land the success it has become.

The magic of a team

It is often question of the talent of a team to explain the success met by a short or feature film. To this must be added cohesion. The unity of this team is one, if not THE decisive factor. The complicity added to the passion that emerges from this “team”, is inescapably the added value that has sparked the spark of magic necessary for any masterpiece.

During the Yes! Let’s make a movie, many competitors came to present the fruits of their labor. From these teams, it was easy to deduce who was part of what. However, there is no doubt about the Ancestral Land team. The uniqueness that was manifest between them, radiated among all the participants. That’s the beauty of this success!

Beyond the professionalism, which cannot be questioned, there was this absolute desire to do the job well. The immeasurable desire which, beyond the costs, raised this work to the level of mission. A mission accomplished without ambiguity for the team led by Steve Thiboutot! Ancestral Land, remember this title, because it will continue to make people talk.