India Desjardins learned on July 15 – her birthday – that SODEC was financing the script for her next film, Haunted. “I really received it as a beautiful gift”, says the author behind the feature films Aurélie Laflamme’s diary And December 23.
Notice to fans of teenage stories written by the prolific India Desjardins. Despite its title reminiscent of horror stories, his fourth film will be more of a fantastic comedy for the whole family. His main character? We give you the bull’s eye: a teenage heroine! As for the screenplay, it is an original work, not taken from one of his novels.
Teen stories in the heart
“I have muses in my head, unfortunately it’s not me who is making the film, so I will have to leave the choice of the main actress to the director or the director”, explains the mother of the cult character Aurélie Laflamme.
“What I can say is that I really love this story, it lives in me a lot. In fact, it’s my only topic of conversation [rires]. I see it in my head from the start, in images, like in a film.
This idea that haunts her – precisely! – allows the 47-year-old designer to let herself go in her imagination, without constraints. While December 23, her most recent feature, was a one-day choral film with all the mathematics that entails, films starring Aurélie Laflamme came with a certain pressure not to disappoint the readers of the novels.
“Here, I just have fun, launches the one who admits to having already done a good bit of work. I like to make family films. It looks like me.”
India Desjardins also confirms that this film “will not take ten years” to see the light of day, as was the case with December 23. It is that this last feature film had come with many periods of doubts on its part and some good battles.
The one who will publish a short story for teenagers called My father’s wedding this fall at Quebec America says to have “still a few stories of teenagers in the heart”.
Photo archives, Chantal Poirier
Privileged link with the public
It is its privileged relationship with the public that gives India Desjardins the strength it needs to continue making films.
“There is a strong bond that has been created and that makes me feel good,” she said. The response from the public has been so beautiful with December 23. People everywhere tell me that they liked the film. The public response is always a good boost in my heart.”
Meetings in person, with the general public, in cinemas when December 23 also charmed her. “Cinema really allows for a human experience with the audience,” she adds.
The two films by Aurélie Laflamme (Aurélie Laflamme’s diary (2010) and Aurélie Laflamme: down to earth (2015), which are adaptations of his novels) raised $1.2 million and $700,000 respectively at the box office. As for December 23, it became in January 2023 the most profitable Quebec film (since July 2019, after the comedy Liar) with its cumulative receipts of $2,112,145 across Canada.
haunted will be produced by Guillaume Lespérance and the Immina films team, also behind the film December 23.
Photo Stevens LeBlanc
– SODEC has also given the green light to funding in aid of the‘writing of 23 productions (15 films and 8 documentaries), including the first film by Florence Longpré (Letter From A Stranger) and the third film In a galaxy near you.