“We can’t do everything we want on a military base, but we are very, very well received,” assures Mélanie Charbonneau.
The director, who grew up on the Île d’Orléans, is delighted to be able to count on the collaboration of the 22nd regiment for this film which takes place in the Canadian military environment of the 1990s.
A great camaraderie reigns on the film set during the visit of the Sun. The soldiers are happy to have been invited to play extras and the actors are delighted to be able to count on their expertise to perfect their performance.
Moreover, Mélanie Charbonneau organized a boot camp for the actors, at the start of filming, so that they become familiar with the codes of the army.
“We have some of the best extras I’ve seen in my life!” declares Vincent Leclerc.
The actor, who we recently saw in the spy series IXE-13here plays Captain Pritchett.
Actor Vincent Leclerc was touched by Sandra Perron’s story.
(Frédéric Matte/Le Soleil)
“Captain Pritchett is an amalgamation of different trainers and teachers who have marked Sandra Perron’s journey during her infantry training. He’s a guy who takes his task very seriously, perhaps a little too seriously, but he and Sandra recognize each other in their desire to do things well. There will be a mutual respect which will develop, with difficulty, but which will develop,” he adds.
In addition to Vincent Leclerc, Out Standing stars Nina Kiri and Antoine Pilon.
“Nina Kiri, who plays Sandra Perron, is an exceptional actress. It gives soul and depth to the character. […] It’s a very physical role and she gives 100%: she’s a real trooper», Enthuses the director.
Nina Kiri, who we notably saw in The Handmaid’s Tale, had the chance to meet Sandra Perron before playing her on camera. (Frédéric Matte/Le Soleil)
Adrian Walters, Stephen Kalyn, Noah Parker, Anthony Therrien and Nicolas Fontaine complete the cast of this feature film shot in English. Like the memoirs of Sandra Perron on which it is inspired, the film will first appear in this language before being dubbed into French.
A heroine
Alone at the front, from its French title, traces the journey of Sandra Perron who, after becoming the first female infantry officer in the Canadian Armed Forces, suddenly resigned.
An investigation is then launched. This gained momentum when a photo of Sandra Perron tied to a tree in uniform appeared in the media.
“People want to honor Sandra Perron’s story. There is a desire to show the truth, not to amplify it […] and to show that it also makes her a heroine,” says Mélanie Charbonneau about her collaboration with the Valcartier military.
Mélanie Charbonneau is proud to bring Sandra Perron’s story to the screen. (Frédéric Matte/Le Soleil)
“Her story is the story of many women who find themselves in systems where men take up a lot of space, where they do not have their voice, where they are not able to take their place. I think there are many women who can recognize themselves in this story,” argues the director.
She and Martine Pagé, co-writers in this project, were able to count on the collaboration of Sandra Perron to adapt this story, both painful and inspiring, to the screen.
“Certain passages, for her, were hard to reread, or to relive in her reading, but she always guided us in a very wise way,” reports Mélanie Charbonneau.
“I thought it was a wonderful story of resilience, but I found it hard to read. One, for what the army and her male colleagues inflicted on her, and especially for the pressure she put on herself,” comments Vincent Leclerc.
Certain scenes shot in Valcartier will be used to evoke Sandra Perron’s missions in ex-Yugoslavia. (Frédéric Matte/Le Soleil)
The filming of Out Standing began in April in Montreal. After this visit of a few days to Valcartier, the team will continue its work in Hamilton, Ontario and in the greater Montreal area.
Produced by Marcel Giroux (GPA Films) and Julia Rosenberg (January Films), Out Standing will be released on screens in 2025.
