Filming a documentary from Estree about social assistance

human movie

It is not a moral documentary. It is not an informative documentary where we see the specialists and the statistics. It’s a documentary by the writer, We’re Working, We’re Collaborating With Humans on Film.

The Social Assistance Act was adopted in 1969 by the Legislative Assembly of Quebec to support needy populations. More than fifty years later, it is clear that prejudices about social assistance recipients are still very strong. Through the documentary, the director would like to show the person behind the check.

Living on $700 a month is not a vacation. You have to be resourceful, you have to be flexible, you have to deny yourself. Even worse, you are a victim of bias. Your family and friends often reject you , says director Sherbrooke.

Director Jean-Sebastien Dutel has been working on this project for a year.

Photo: Elise Ben Amer

anyone at any time

There are many reasons for this urgent need for social assistance, including job loss, wrongful dismissal, or the victim of a criminal act. So the team follows five people, five providers, in their daily lives. Jean-Sebastian also wants to show that this kind of situation can happen at any time in a lifetime, and to anyone.

I, I spent close. Colleagues, friends, people who have been or are close to getting social assistance, I know a lot. People who receive social assistance have a history, they have talents, they have values ​​and ambitions. That’s what we want to show, it’s human.

Estrie production

The team is very excited to be able to film a documentary in Sherbrooke, with a full Estrie workforce. “It’s not something that happens often. A lot is done in the biggest cities of Quebec, but in the regions, we also have things to say, and there are also issues we want to talk about. There are also talents here!”, proudly firing the director.

The documentary is funded in part by the Canadian Media Fund and from film production tax credits. Already, about forty hours of filming have been completed. Filming continues until October. Work could be revealed in the spring of 2022.