Gabriel Allard found an original way to produce his first feature film, lowering, a psychological thriller he co-wrote with his partner, actress Catherine Bérubé. Instead of going through the usual route of asking public authorities for help, the director decided to finance the project independently by selling half of his film shares to private investors.
It is therefore thanks to some 34 people who have agreed to invest in their film that Gabriel Allard and Catherine Bérubé are launching this weekend in Quebec cinemas this psychological thriller that they have been keeping at bay for more than a decade.
The original idea for The Descent was born in the director’s mind in 2012 during a road trip in the West.
“I’ve always wanted to make films, but I thought it was out of reach,” reveals the man who once worked as a croupier in another life.
“We flirted a bit with the institutions at the beginning, but I didn’t see the way. It’s my first film. Nobody knows me and I make a kind of film that institutions don’t usually fund.
Photo courtesy of TVA FILMS
Actress Catherine Bérubé stars in the film and co-wrote and co-produced it.
inspiration
Then, inspired by his American role models — filmmakers Christopher Nolan, Robert Rodriguez, and Darren Aronofsky, who made their first films independently — Gabriel Allard had a flash.
“I was wondering what’s the point of owning the whole movie if nobody has seen it,” he explains. That’s when I got the idea to surround myself with a community. So I sold half of the film’s profit shares to private investors – 34 in total. We divided the other half among all the film crew members. So we end up with nearly 80 owners of the film, which means it has a chance to be further promoted through word of mouth. Obviously my technicians were paid less because we were on a tighter budget. But if the film manages to make money, everyone will.
Filmed in about twenty days in Saint-Octave-de-l’Avenir, in Gaspésie, The Descent stars Catherine Bérubé in the shoes of a former professional snowboarder who is going through hard times after causing a fatal accident while driving while drunk.
“The script of the film has changed a lot over the years,” explains Catherine Bérubé. A few years ago, while visiting filming locations in Gaspésie, we heard the radio story of a family decimated by repeated drunk driving in an accident. It really shaped us. I was pregnant too. This news inspired us and allowed us to bring depth and meaning to our film. It got deeper than just a thriller.”
lowering (snow angel), in cinemas since January 20.