It was last Saturday, June 1st, that the medium-length film “Cate Night” about the landslide of May 4, 1971 in Saint-Jean-Vianney was screened in an exclusive premiere at the Shipshaw Multiservice Center. Some thirty volunteer actors and extras from the region participated in the project, which was produced over a period of three years.
“We started in 2021, during the pandemic. We saw that the unfolding of events surrounding the 50th of the tragedy had been minimized due to social distancing. Also seeing that there was a series on Lac-Mégantic that was being produced, we said to ourselves that we could try to do something similar. We started looking at scripts, and the basic idea germinated to film around Jules Girard’s bus, with the Alcan workers who were the first to see the landslide,” explains director, producer and actor Martin Harvey.
The 35-minute medium-length film was shot exclusively using cell phones and in several different locations, both in the region and outside, including La Baie, Kénogami, Alma, Saint-Cœur-de-Marie, Trois-Rivières and Thetford Mines.
However, a challenge was added to the filming process, according to screenwriter, editor and producer Frédéric Gagné.
“A big challenge was filming during the day, while the scenes took place at night. It was a lot of editing work to recreate the dark night everyone talks about. »
The team also used models to better and more realistically reproduce certain elements found in the medium-length film, such as the houses that were swept away by the landslide. To represent the character of the era, the clothes were mainly found in thrift stores, while one of the costumes was even imported from the United States. The antique car clubs of Thetford Mines, Trois-Rivières and Saguenay provided some vehicles.
At the end of the viewing, the audience, made up of members of Cinétex, relatives, actors and even survivors of the tragedy of May 4, 1971, expressed great satisfaction and was very touched, as mentioned by the manager. from ETR Productions, Mark Vigneault.
“With tonight’s results, it gives us the desire to continue and persevere. Hoping that this film will have outlets, there are already many people asking for it, who are eager to see it, so we are eager to present it,” he mentions.
A balm for the hearts of survivors
“That Night” definitely acted as a balm to the hearts of the survivors who were present at the presentation. This was the case for the daughter of the former mayor of Saint-Jean-Vianney, Rolande Lavoie.
“I had already seen a few passages before, but it’s impressive. I tell myself that I didn’t lose anyone, although I know that there was someone who was there tonight who lost several members of her family. For her it must have been even more difficult, already I found it hard too! It’s really well done, it’s extraordinary,” she exclaimed.
The one who is president of the Corporation for the preservation and development of the territory of Saint-Jean-Vianney strongly believes that the medium-length film should be presented in primary and secondary schools, as well as in CEGEPs in the region, in order to raise awareness young people to this tragedy which left 31 victims.
