In 2009, the start of construction of the open-pit gold mine in Malartic by Osisko, which, with the permission of the Quebec government, would result in the displacement of some 200 houses, attracted the attention of some filmmakers. Two years later released Hole Storyby Richard Desjardins and Robert Monderie, Others’ goldby Simon Plouffe, and The golden ruleby Nicolas Paquet.
“On the first day of filming, with the director of photography François Vincelette, we were on the street corner at 4:30 in the morning and, next to it, there was the team of Hole Story. It was my first feature film, so I was both a little intimidated and also stressed because I was wondering how we were going to go about doing something different,” says Nicolas Paquet (Canteen spirit), joined by videoconference.
At the time, the documentary maker wanted to give a voice to citizens weakened by the situation, as well as to resistance fighters and those who expressed several criticisms of the project which was going to destroy the south of their city. In this spirit, he wanted Richard Desjardins to sign the music for Malarticwhich is in some way the continuation of The golden rule.
“Since he doesn’t compose the music for his own films, I thought he might not be interested. I sent him the script and a link to The golden rule and he replied: “It’s okay, I’m on board.” As it is his territory and for me, it was important that the voices, those of the people in front of the camera and those of the creators, were anchored in the territory,” explains the native of Quebec based in Bas-Saint-Laurent. .
Return to Malartic
During the years following the filming of The golden rule, Nicolas Paquet continued to be interested in the evolution of the Malartic mine. However, he was far from suspecting that one day he would place his camera there again. However, in 2018, upon learning that the mining company was going to double the surface area of the mine, he had a thought for all those who, believing that they were finally going to find their peace of mind, were going to have to continue to live with the dust, the noise detonations and tremors for another ten years. And maybe more.
“It was clear that this time, it would be my quest. I had acquired a sort of “notoriety” because I had been in the field. I wanted to paint a broader picture, but always focusing specifically on what is happening in Malartic. The only hiccup I made was the interview with the sociologist Anne-Marie Voisard (author of the book The right of the strongest: our damages, their interests), whose point of view I absolutely wanted to have because I found his words just too eloquent. Hearing his testimony, which is extraordinary, people want to sign up for his courses. »
Like The golden rulewhere he gave the floor to several resistance fighters, Nicolas Paquet noticed that once again, several women found themselves at the heart of Malarticincluding Délisca Ritchie Roussy, mayor of Murdochville, where the action moves to the end of the documentary, after a few stops in Montreal and Rimouski.
“In my desire to paint a broader portrait, my research allowed me to unearth these resistance fighters. As Anne-Marie Voisard explains, on the scale of the legal community, there is law at the top and at the bottom, the people who take care of the most deprived. »
In this case, it is women who defend the rights of Malarticois; for me, they are the ones who carry the film. It is thanks to their words that we understand everything, that we can be interested in what is happening there, and perhaps either leave the room in tears or motivated.
Nicolas Paquet
While it had been easy for the filmmaker to collect comments from various people to The golden rule, this time, several doors were closed to him, several calls went unanswered. To his great surprise, no representative from Investissement Québec wanted to report on camera. However, Robert Wares, president of Canadian Malartic Mine, was willing to collaborate.
Push to act
“My idea was not to demonize people, but I think that for him, the positive far outweighs all the inconveniences experienced by the Malarticois. I hope that the film will make you think on a range of levels, on what we can do as citizens, on what local and national authorities and our governments can do, but also on this need to know what is happening . When we learn things too late in the newspapers, whether about Northvolt or the Horne foundry, it creates a form of disillusionment and a feeling of helplessness. At the end of the film, the first question viewers ask is: “What can we do?” »
If the observation he makes in Malartic is “quite serious” and the comments of the speakers, more than convincing, Nicolas Paquet did not just film talking heads one after the other. Through the power of images of the open-air gold mine and the nature that surrounds it, he illustrates the scale of the situation while instilling a glimmer of hope.
“Cinematographically speaking, with director of photography François Pesant, we had a super eloquent setting. Somewhere, there is something beautiful, but we tried to show to what extent this machine controls everything, never stops, that it is movement and continuous noise. As for nature, my hope is on that side. In Malartic, this nature is always threatened; it always feels a bit like a bulldozer is going to come out and crush everything. If we succeed in loving nature, we will participate in its survival and ours at the same time. »
Indoors
reference: www.lapresse.ca