Fogo Island's 'beautiful images' shape new film shot on island
The writer and director of a new film shot in Newfoundland and Labrador says it was "amazing" to work in the province.
Chloe Robichaud shot much her film Boundaries on Fogo Island, and said the island almost becomes a character of its own in the film.
"The film is set on a fictional island and most of the shots were done in Fogo. I think it's such a unique place, it really has its own personality and we were lucky because we had beautiful days there … it's kind of a character, it's a force that drives the characters of the film," Robichaud said on CBC Radio's On the Go.
She said the weather presented a bit of a challenge, but Fogo provided some great visual imagery.
"We were scared we might not be able to get on the island, it was very windy, but everything went fine," said Robichaud.
"We had an amazing time, we got just beautiful images from Fogo."
Female politicians as characters
The director said the film features three female politicians and how their political work affects their lives at home.
"The film is about three women who will cross paths on Besco, an island facing an economic crisis, and they will have to ask themselves questions about how they wish to balance their personal life with their professional lives," said Robichaud.
She said she is intrigued by women in politics and the responsibilities they hold and wanted to explore those ideas in the film.
"I think now in 2016, we are revisiting what it means to be a woman, what it means to be a man, how do we balance our professional lives with personal lives?" the director said.
"These women to me were really interesting, and we don't have a chance to see them on screen, it's kind of rare to have women politicians on the screen."
Positive reception
Robichaud said Boundaries has garnered good reviews so far after screenings in Toronto and London. She credits the film's universality for some of its success.
"I think people from everywhere can relate to the film since it is on a fictional island, and those political issues — I hope — they can be universal," she said.
"But, it's fun to be in St. John's since the film has been shot here [in Newfoundland], to have the impressions of the people of St. John's — I feel lucky, it's the public I want to reach."
The film was screened at the Holy Heart Theatre on Friday night as part of St. John's International Women's Film Festival, with a question and answer session following the screening.
Robichaud said she hopes to have another release in the future to bring the film to an even wider audience.
