Three weeks ago, director François Girard and his partner met up with their friends Daniel Langlois and Dominique Marchand in the beauty and tranquility of the Coulibri Ridge Resort, in Dominica. For several days, the two hosts showed their guests the breathtaking landscapes offered by this island located in the heart of the Caribbean. The two couples traveled in Langlois’ vehicle.
You can imagine the shock that François Girard had when he discovered the photo showing the same vehicle, ravaged by fire, at the bottom of a ravine, and inside which we found the two charred bodies of those with whom he had just had an exciting time.
It is with the aim of contrasting this horrible image with the magnificent relationship that the Langlois-Marchand couple had with the community of Dominica that François Girard agreed to speak on Sunday afternoon. Still greatly shaken by the news, he had to interrupt his testimony several times to allow sobs to pass.
“Every time I took the taxi on the island, people praised the kindness of Daniel and Dominique. These are people who have given a lot to this community. What we see of tragedy is so much the opposite of that. »
This sordid image that we are confronted with has no relation to what Daniel and Dominique experienced with the inhabitants.
Francois Girard
François Girard arrived in Los Angeles on Saturday evening. When he set foot at the airport, he learned the terrible news. Over the next few days, he is scheduled to meet several people. To some of them, he wanted to talk about the Coulibri Ridge Resort project. He exchanged emails on this subject with Daniel Langlois on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Then nothing.
When the two couples met again three weeks ago, the Coulibri complex was on hiatus. The friends spent a week visiting caves, kayaking, swimming, eating. Looking back, François Girard cannot see a single clue suggesting the tragedy that occurred. ” Absolutely nothing ! It’s a nightmare ! He’s the most relaxed Daniel I’ve seen. They were peaceful, laughing. It’s inexplicable! It is a sordid crime that brings a sordid end to the lives of a remarkable couple. »
In 2002, Dominique Marchand created the Humane Society, which raises children’s awareness of animal welfare. But in 2017, after the hurricane Maria, which devastated many buildings in Dominica, the couple’s commitment took a significant leap. “They have done incredible things for the residents,” continues François Girard. They told it to me in such a humble way that I had to search the web to find out more. They built schools with sturdy roofs and kitchens for children to eat. They provided tools to those who did not have them. They gave scholarships. They rebuilt a dock. They are exemplary citizens who are totally part of the social fabric of Dominica. »
François Girard insists on talking about Dominique Marchand, a woman he describes as “extraordinary and brilliant”. While working in technology companies in New York in the 1990s, she met Daniel Langlois. “They built projects together and they died together,” he says.
Daniel Langlois and Dominique Marchand had a reputation for being discreet. Their circle of friends was small. “They are very family,” adds François Girard, unable to speak of his friends in the past tense.
In private, they are real, laughing, playful people. They have a blend of super intellectual performance and adorable simplicity on a human level.
Francois Girard
The Coulibri Ridge Resort project began to take shape in 1998 with the purchase by Daniel Langlois and Dominique Marchand of a first plot of land. “Daniel is a builder, a builder. And Dominique, a female citizen. They therefore built an ecological resort area self-sufficient in water and energy. It’s a little paradise in a 250-acre basin of land bordered by spectacular volcanic formations that overlook the sea.”
PHOTO TAKEN FROM THE COULIBRI RIDGE RESORT SITE
The Coulibri Ridge Resort was, in the opinion of François Girard, “a little paradise”.
This project, carried out in a tent with a computer and an electric bulb powered by a generator, Daniel Langlois spoke about it “1000 times” to François Girard. “But what I discovered when we saw each other three weeks ago was… Excuse me… It was the civic action of Daniel and Dominique. They employed people from the island to build this. For them, it was important to do things like that. »
The relationship between François Girard and Daniel Langlois dates back to when the latter set up Softimage. “I see him in his 1,000 square foot premises on Saint-Laurent Boulevard, in the 1980s,” remembers the director of Red violin. We ate at the Shed Café. Daniel is a very private person. Our friendship has been defined over the decades. »
François Girard does not hesitate to describe his missing friend as “national pride”. He ardently wishes that we speak of him in richer and broader terms than that of “entrepreneur”.
“Softimage is a real revolution that comes from one guy,” he says. He did this alone. Daniel saw how computing could contribute to 3D animation. He became an entrepreneur because of his financial success. But at the start, he was an artistic visionary, a creator who changed the course of cinema, nothing less. »