Before receiving an Oscar nomination for his short film, Vincent René-Lortie was ready to quit cinema.
“It was a difficult time for me. We were just coming out of the pandemic and I wasn’t making any money,” said the Montreal director during a video call from Los Angeles.
“I was really having serious conversations about changing my whole career and becoming a nurse. »
Fortunately, the 30-year-old’s career path became much clearer when his film Invincible has been nominated for an Oscar in the category of best short fiction film, which will be awarded at the ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday.
A video posted on social media shows René-Lortie and his team shouting and jumping for joy in reaction to the nomination announcement in January.
“We were upset because we didn’t expect to be here,” he said. I don’t know if I would still be a filmmaker today without the reception this film received. »
Invincible chronicles the last 48 hours of a 14-year-old boy’s life as he escapes from a juvenile detention center and battles his inner demons. The French-language film is inspired by real events involving René-Lortie’s childhood friend Marc-Antoine Bernier, who died after driving a stolen car into a river.
It competes against four other films, including The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar by Wes Anderson and Steven Rales.
A long-standing idea
Vincent René-Lortie had the idea for the film five years ago, just after graduating from Concordia University’s Mel-Hoppenheim School of Cinema. Still affected by the death of his friend, he began conversations with the family of the deceased in order to better understand the tragedy.
“One of the first things his father told me was that there was a possibility it was suicide,” he said.
“This information really struck me because I realized that there were many things about my friend that I didn’t understand and that I felt very far from him. I started researching for about a year and as I did, I felt closer to him. And this idea of making a film started to grow in me. »
René-Lortie says he wantedInvinciblewhich he wrote and directed, is a film about someone “who feels ignored, who feels like he’s drowning, who feels like no one is listening to him.”
Léokim Beaumier-Lépine, originally from Victoriaville, plays Marc-Antoine Bernier in his first leading role. René-Lortie said he chose someone with little experience because he wanted an “honest and pure” service.
“When Léokim entered the audition room, I immediately knew it would be him, because he was very close to his emotions. In his own way, he could understand the real Marc,” he explained.
A “surreal” experience
René-Lortie describes preparation for the Oscars as “surreal”. He flew to Los Angeles in mid-February to attend the 2024 Oscar nominees luncheon, where he met two of his biggest inspirations: Canadian filmmaker Celine Song and Steven Spielberg.
“With Steven, we talked a lot about filming in Quebec, because he filmed there a lot and he loved working with the people there,” he testified.
“I hope to make new connections and potentially work with some of the people I’ve met here.” »
René-Lortie has since been in Los Angeles meeting with agencies, managers and production companies, making connections that he hopes will be useful for his first feature film, You Were Always An Island, which he is currently working on. He describes it as “a very solid science fiction film”.
“It’s once again very personal, this time even more (thanInvincible). It’s about mental health, but more specifically about a lot of things I’ve been experiencing over the past few years, especially during the pandemic. »
René-Lortie claims that he and the producer ofInvincibleSamuel Caron, will walk the red carpet with their partners, as well as a dozen members of the film crew.
” It’s gonna be fun. We’re all going to stay in the same Airbnb and get dressed. We’re going to have a glam team come and do our hair and makeup. I have to wake up at 5 a.m. to start getting ready. »
René-Lortie will wear a suit from the Italian brand Tagliatore and jewelry from the Montreal boutique Coming Age.
A wave of love from Quebec
The filmmaker is excited to represent his hometown at the awards.
“I really feel, for the first time in my life, a wave of love coming from Quebec and Montreal,” says René-Lortie.
“We were so young when we started working on this film and I still feel very young and new to this world. It’s crazy, but also moving and beautiful to see people reaching out. »
The 96e Oscar ceremony, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will be broadcast Sunday evening on ABC and CTV.