Joannie Lafrenière is a photographer and director based in Montreal, Canada. Her credits include “The Woman Who Saw the Bear,” which has been shown in major festivals across Canada and internationally, and “King Lajoie.”
“Snowbirds” will premiere at the 2018 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival on April 27.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
JL: Through “Snowbirds,” we meet beautiful and colorful elders who have found their own place in the sun in a Florida mobile home park. They share their humor and happiness against the clichés and sadness often associated with old age.
W&H:What drew you to this story?
JL: The desire to overcome the prejudices associated with snowbirds, elderly Québécois who spend their winters in mobile park homes in Florida. Thus, we meet the human beings behind the phenomenon.
I was also drawn to the kitsch, pastime aesthetics of the mobile home parks.
W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?
JL: I hope that the audience will leave with the idea that beyond the cliché image we may have of a given community, individual stories can touch us deeply and help us overcome our prejudices — all while laughing heartily.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
JL: The financing of the film. For most Quebec institutions, it was a subject which people already knew of or had seen already, so we unfortunately had to do what we could with an extremely tight budget.
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.
JL: We received financial support from the CALQ (Quebec Arts Council) and TV5, a Quebec television channel. But in spite of this, it was mainly a labor of love since everybody on the team put a lot of their own time and money to get the film done.
W&H: What does it mean for you to have your film play at Hot Docs?
JL: I am deeply happy that my film was selected at Hot Docs. Hot Docs is really my favorite documentary festival. The screenings are full, the programming is great, and the encounters are truly inspiring.
As an alumnus from the Hot Docs Accelerator Program, it is with great joy that I am coming back to Hot Docs this year to show the film.
W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
JL: Worst advice: To wait for full funding before starting to shoot.
Best advice: To trust myself and to follow my heart while taking into consideration the advice of people whose opinion and judgment I respect.
W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?
JL: Trust yourself and don’t doubt your ability to direct a film. Doubt in creation is healthy, but it is better to question our way of doing things rather than our capacity to do it.
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
JL: Sarah Polley’s amazing documentary “Stories We Tell.”
[I’m also a fan of] Miranda July’s work and her contagious and fully-assumed extravagance.
W&H: Hollywood and the global film industry are in the midst of undergoing a major transformation. Many women — and some men — in the industry are speaking publicly about their experiences being assaulted and harassed. What are your thoughts on the #TimesUp movement and the push for equality in the film business?
JL: I am glad that these power relations are denounced, and I sincerely hope that this movement will be the precursor of a new time for women in the film industry and for all other women who are victims of the abuse of power. Together we will win!
