The film

A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR

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Diving into the making and writing of a documentary isn’t really something you decide — I feel like it’s the story that

finds you. I’ve always been drawn to the essence of cinéma vérité: letting destiny guide the camera’s lens. If a film is

meant to exist, it will come to be.

In December 2021, seven months after surviving a stroke, Florent Vollant called me. Despite his health challenges, he

was determined to record a new album, Tshitatau, which means “You Were There.”

In February 2022, I landed for the first time in the winter of Mani-utenam. Florent greeted me with a smile. We set off

by car to tour “Malio,” and that’s how the film began. Florent spoke, and the camera rolled.

I followed Florent through his artistic endeavors across Québec, and through his efforts in political advocacy, long after

his album was completed. Over the months, the bonds I formed with Florent, his family, his community, and his friends

allowed the camera to become a confidant — or to fade into the background. This intimacy gave me access to the

everyday truths that reveal, with no filter, both the artist and the vulnerable man confronting his past and his future.

I was fortunate enough to record the silences of the vast Innu territory. I met the people and the strength of a nation.

With humility, the images reveal the humanity, the gestures, the hopes, and the resilience of Florent and of those who

surround him.