Sundance 2021: Fanny Drew and Sarah Mannering
The talented producing duo from the exciting company Colonelle films are responsible for some fantastic productions, this year their film Like The Ones I Used To Know is at Sundance. Fanny speaks to us about the making of the film and how creating that 80’s vibe was an important journey. At the time of this interview, Sarah was due to give birth at any moment, so Fanny rides solo with her answers!
What inspired you to make Like The Ones I Used To Know?
It was the result of a long-awaited collaboration. In Quebec, the entire film community knows Annie St-Pierre. She is everyone's friend and she’s always getting involved at different levels with everyone's projects. She also occasionally transforms herself into an actress or a casting director, sometimes a location manager or even a producer, always turning everything she touches into gold. When she came to visit us at Colonelle films to produce her first fiction, it was a big YES. We immediately fell in love with the premise and were moved by the touching drama experienced by the two endearing protagonists. Through this story, we rediscovered a nostalgia for the Holidays that we had all known.
Creating a period must have been fun, how did you handle the challenges of this?
We knew that the main challenge of the production would be recreating the spirit of 80’s Canadian Christmas, involving a big family embodied by numerous extras worthy of the legendary regional family parties, large buffets of typically Quebecois food and, above all, the costumes and sets decoration of the period. Fortunately, we surrounded ourselves with the best team to achieve our goal. Eric Barbeau, the incredible set designer, was in his comfort zone zealously posing tapestry and old rugs EVERYWHERE in the shooting location, in addition to spending nights and days concocting the greatest classics of Christmas buffets.
The costume designer, Gabrielle Lauzier, spent many days scouring all Montréal’s thrift stores looking for vintage pieces, while the cinematographer, Etienne Roussy, tested every lens imaginable on the market in search of that vintage style that makes the film so particular. Not having the means to shoot on film but looking for the texture of super 16mm, we decided to go with the Super Baltar kit after numerous tests. The most fun part was nevertheless the casting, where each character was found by a powerful crush, nothing less.
After several days of research, testing and rehearsals, all punctuated by the numerous calls from Annie's dad, all the ingredients were finally in place to give this particular texture to the film, the result of which is faithful to the emotional memories of the director, now recognized in the industry as the queen of Sandwich Bread.
Getting your film into Sundance is exciting! Do you have a favourite Sundance film?
It's so exciting! I would say that the most outstanding film at Sundance in my opinion is Rich Hill by Tracy Droz Tragos and Andrew Droz Palermo which was shown there in 2014. It was my first experience at the festival, so the films I saw there all have a special connotation for me. This one particularly struck me because we were developing our first documentary. I had found the cinematographic work remarkable. It was such a difficult subject to tackle, but it had been treated with tenderness. You could feel that the directors had developed a relationship of trust and closeness with the young boys. When I saw the whole team on stage at the end, I had tears in my eyes and the film has been following me ever since.
What was your first-ever short film?
Our first film was as producers for The Cut by Geneviève Dulude-De Celles which was presented at Sundance in 2014 where we won the Jury Award for Best International Short Film. Let's say that our career started on a high after this.
The pandemic has affected the industry in many ways, how have you keep motivated during the past year?
My motivation comes from our projects in development. It's a simple way to always look at the future. I feel like every year I look forward to the next one because I'm finally going to shoot this or that project. The scripts that we keep developing are definitely my motivation for the future. With the pandemic we only increased our projects in development, so I'm looking forward to the future! .But I know how to enjoy the present moments too, I don't just live in the future!
What are your thoughts on the transition to virtual film festivals?
It's quite sad not to have human contact. I miss meeting other filmmakers, people from the industry, the public, I miss it very much. Festivals are made to see films on big screens and to meet people who will change the course of our lives. Sometimes small changes, but sometimes big ones. It's hard to be in front of your computer all the time, I can't wait to laugh and cry in a theater, I miss it.
Who has inspired you in your filmmaking journey?
It may sound simple, but that's really what inspires me: the directors we work with. I find their determination contagious, their vision inspiring and their dedication for their ideas makes me want to move mountains. I'm thinking of course about Annie St-Pierre (Like the Ones I Used to Know) and Geneviève Dulude-De Celles (The Cut, A Colony) two talented women and Sundance Alumni, but also about other women directors with whom we worked on producing their first feature film, like Joëlle Desjardins Paquette (Beyond Blue Waves), Emilie Mannering (Jarvik) and Carmine Pierre-Dufour (Mahalia Melts in the Rain). Three extremely talented women that you’ll probably going to hear about in the years to come.
More importantly, who has supported you in your career?
If I'm in the film industry it's because of my childhood friend who is now my business partner at Colonelle films, Sarah Mannering. She is the one who believed in me and she is the one who made me want to go into film production. Today we are a producer duo and I would never be able to do anything if she wasn't by my side. We like to call ourselves siamese producers because we often feel like one person but in two bodies; we do often get confused as well even by longtime collaborators (and even if we do not look alike at all).
What do you hope audiences will take away from your film?
Children understand more than we think and are able to put others first. Our film is about a small moment in Julie's life (Lilou Roy Lanouette) where she understands the distress of her father (Steve Laplante) and makes a choice that will make both of them grow up.
Tell us three goals you want to achieve in the next five years!
We would like to produce a mini-series. This is an area that we have not explored much in our career and it is certainly a goal that we have set for the next 5 years.
Lastly, what are two pieces of advice you would give to young filmmakers starting out?
I think the most important thing when you start is to not lose hope. The film industry is a very difficult path with many refusals. They must not let themselves be discouraged by obstacles and they must continue to believe in their vision.
