Hochelaga, Land of Souls


Hochelaga, Land of Souls is a 2017 Canadian historical drama film directed and written by François Girard and starring Gilles Renaud, Samian and Tanaya Beatty. Dramatizing several centuries of Quebec history and the local history of Montreal in particular, the story depicts Quebec archaeology revealing the past of indigenous peoples, explorers and 1837 rebels.
Girard had previously used an anthology approach in his films such as The Red Violin, and was interested in another project that would depict Montreal. It was shot in Montreal, with performances in numerous languages. The film was screened in the Gala Presentations section at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. It won four Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Cinematography for Nicolas Bolduc, and was Canada's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Plot

In the aftermath of a hard-fought battle between Indigenous warriors in 1267, when many Iroquoians were killed on the "Isle of Death", an Iroquois prophet gives the massacre's lone survivor the name Asigny. Centuries later, Asigny's descendant Baptiste Asigny is a graduate student studying Mohawk history. Baptiste struggles to pay rent and obtain research grants while studying under the Université de Montréal archaeology professor Antoine Morin. One night, a rainstorm opens a sinkhole in the field during a game at McGill University's Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, killing one player. Observing the development, Morin theorizes the sinkhole may lead to evidence of Hochelaga, where French explorer Jacques Cartier contacted Indigenous peoples in Quebec. Morin obtains an order from the Ministry of Culture to be allowed to dig and hires Baptiste to lead an archaeological excavation of the field.
The archaeologists dig over several days, finding the "Isle of Death" was the site of a "purple fever" outbreak in 1687. French settler Étienne Maltais is involved in a sexual affair with a native woman named Akwi. He vows to marry her next year, not before God, but the Great Spirit. She notices sores on his body, which he dismisses as injuries caused by a fall during a hunt. Maltais falls gravely ill of purple fever and is committed to a hospital, where the Catholic chaplain and nuns accuse him of fornicating with a "savage", sin and apostasy. He resolutely orders them to stop haranguing him.
Baptiste finds the sinkhole is located over a stream and finds weapons he believed could have belonged to Patriote rebels during the Lower Canada Rebellion in 1837. The two Patriotes had fled British loyalist forces led by Colonel Philip Thomas. They came upon the Walker property, though archaeologists note Mr. Walker had been firmly loyalist. However, the widowed Sarah Walker gives the Patriotes sanctuary. The Patriotes are discovered and killed by the loyalists. Mrs. Walker tells Thomas that due to her advanced age, she does not believe she will ever go to trial.
At the end of the dig, Baptiste finds the cross of explorer Jacques Cartier, who arrived to Hochelaga in 1535, claiming the land for the Kingdom of France. Cartier met with the chief Tennawake and presented him with the cross. The meeting is peaceful, though Tennawake and his people consider that more Europeans will come to Hochelaga. Cartier names the land Mont Réal. The football team returns to the field, and six years after the sinkhole opened Morin congratulates Baptiste on his research.

Cast

Development

Director François Girard said the project grew out of his "tremendous affection for Montreal" and a desire to portray it in greater depth than in his 1998 feature The Red Violin. Girard remarked "I grew more and more interested in showing where I live, and pay tribute to the ancestors who lived there before us". Girard conceived of the story as "spatially extremely limited", and about "waves of immigration", beginning with depictions of Iroquois and Algonquins, and later the French, English and Irish. He stated:
Historic episodes that inspired the story included the explorations of Jacques Cartier in 1535, the 1837 Lower Canada Rebellion and 1944 operations in the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital. Other incidents, such as the 1267 battle and the Iroquois prophet played by Trujillo, were invented. The project required performances in French, English, Mohawk, Algonquin, Latin and Arabic. Native leader Dominique Rankin served as a consultant. Other historical research required included a study on the evolution of the French language.
Producer Roger Frappier supported the project with a budget of $15 million, calling it his most complicated. Frappier cited the project as important, and as Girard's return to the form of The Red Violin and Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould, but more locally based. While beginning to work on the screenplay, Girard was collaborating with composer Terry Riley and Terry's son Gyan Riley, also a musician, on developing a score, to assist the spiritual aspects of the story. On 26 April 2016, Telefilm Canada announced $17 million in grants for 17 projects, including Girard's film, announced as a historical drama and starring Emmanuel Schwartz and Yvan Attal.

Casting

In casting, artistic director André Dudemaine claimed that the Quebec film industry was skeptical of the project finding Indigenous actors, saying there were not enough in Montreal. The 1990 Oka Crisis also left lasting distrust between communities. George Wahiakeron Gilbert helped the actors learn Mohawk lines, and also performed a chief in the Cartier scene. Trujillo embraced the project for its authenticity.
Swiss actor Vincent Perez assumed the role of Jacques Cartier in October 2016, citing his interest in the 16th century and in visiting Quebec. The Algonquin rapper Samian was cast in his first prominent performance in a film. Karelle Tremblay also had a role.

Filming

began on 15 September 2016 and was expected to last 42 days, employing thousands of extras. All 300 extras playing Indigenous characters were portrayed by Indigenous people. Filming continued in Montreal in October 2016 to February 2017. The initial football scenes were shot at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium. Rainstorms delayed some production.

Release

In February 2017, Seville International adopted the film for distribution. It was also selected for the Gala Presentations section at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. Festival organizers chose it for screening at the 22nd Busan International Film Festival in October 2017. At Camerimage in October 2017, Nicolas Bolduc competed for the Golden Frog Award.
Hochelaga, Land of Souls premiered in Montreal at the Place des Arts on 6 September 2017, before TIFF. The event marked Montreal's 375th anniversary and commemorations of the 150th anniversary of Canada. A second screening that night at the Imperial theatre was attended by prominent Quebecois cultural figures Denis Villeneuve, Gilles Vigneault and Luc Plamondon, along with a speech by Ghislain Picard, the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec leader. While TIFF organizers would ordinarily wish to ensure a gala screening would be the premiere, Girard said president Piers Handling was sympathetic to Montreal seeing it first, given the subject matter.
Before 25 September, the film was screening in Medicine Hat, Alberta in order for it to be eligible for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. A full theatrical release was planned for later in fall 2017.

Reception

In La Presse, Mario Girard hailed Hochelaga, Land of Souls as powerful and a meaningful way to mark Montreal's 375th anniversary. Girard especially cited its depiction of Indigenous peoples in Quebec. For Le Devoir, Odile Tremblay praised the film as beautiful and a story of reconciliation, giving fair weight to different sociological nations. Franco Nuovo of Radio-Canada described being overwhelmed by Hochelaga, comparing the cinematography to paintings and finding the abundant symbolism erased any dullness that the historic subject matter could have threatened.
Dennis Harvey wrote in Variety that the film was "a worthy return to the strengths and ambitions of Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould and The Red Violin". The Hollywood Reporters John DeFore called the screenplay episodic and found hints the film suggests a vision of "all the region's inhabitants as a single human population".

Accolades

Hochelaga, Land of Souls was selected as the Canadian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards. Despite showings in Los Angeles for the Academy, it was not shortlisted or nominated. It was also submitted to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for consideration of a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film nomination.
AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipientResult
Canadian Screen Awards11 March 2018Best Art Direction / Production DesignFrançois Séguin
Canadian Screen Awards11 March 2018Best CinematographyNicolas Bolduc
Canadian Screen Awards11 March 2018Best Costume DesignMario Davignon
Canadian Screen Awards11 March 2018Best ScoreTerry Riley and Gyan Riley
Canadian Screen Awards11 March 2018Best SoundClaude La Haye and Bernard Gariépy Strobl
Canadian Screen Awards11 March 2018Best Sound EditingClaude Beaugrand
Canadian Screen Awards11 March 2018Best Make-UpKathryn Casault
Canadian Screen Awards11 March 2018Best Visual EffectsAlain Lachance, Yann Jouannic, Hugo Léveillé, Nadège Bozetti, Antonin Messier-Turcotte, Thibault Deloof and Francis Bernard
Canadian Society of Cinematographers14 April 2018Theatrical Feature CinematographyNicolas Bolduc
Prix Iris3 June 2018Best Supporting ActorEmmanuel Schwartz
Prix Iris3 June 2018Best CinematographyNicolas Bolduc
Prix Iris3 June 2018Best Art DirectionFrançois Séguin
Prix Iris3 June 2018Best Costume DesignMario Davignon
Prix Iris3 June 2018Best ScoreTerry Riley and Gyan Riley
Prix Iris3 June 2018Best SoundClaude Beaugrand, Raymond Legault, Jean-Philippe Savard, Claude La Haye and Bernard Gariépy Strobl
Prix Iris3 June 2018Best HairRéjean Forget, Ann-Louise Landr
Prix Iris3 June 2018Best Make-UpKathryn Casault
Prix Iris3 June 2018Most Successful Film Outside QuebecFrançois Girard
Whistler Film Festival3 December 2017Best Cinematography Honourable MentionNicolas Bolduc