Episode 013: Death of a Parent

On today’s episode, we interviewed Marie-France Guerrette, documentary filmmaker, director, and producer who created the feature doc, Sans Maman or Unmothered.

In this touching documentary about her family, Marie-France blends home-movie footage and interviews to give viewers a window into her own personal experience of grief. Through the lens of the film and beyond, we discuss the death of a parent when you’re a child, and how this impacted Marie-France’s life and work as a filmmaker.

CW: Discussions about death and dying

Music: Deppisch
Design: Perpetualnotion.ca
Mixing/ Mastering: Tony Bao
Support this show: Patreon.com/BraaainsPodcast

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Marie-France Guerrette

Marie-France Guerrette began her career on television at age 14 as the co-host of a kids' show on Radio-Canada Télévision. Since then, she’s been the director, senior producer, and executive producer of several nationally broadcast programs and TV series. Her rich, extensive experience enables her to manage all aspects of a major production.

Her goal as a producer and director within the documentary and unscripted genre is to explore personal stories that reveal human vulnerability and encourage viewers to see the world around them in a different light. Her passion for the human experience and existential questions is at the heart of her artistic process, a process that’s fueled by the desire to understand who we are and why we do what we do.

In 2015, after 3 years as a Senior Producer at the CBC, Marie-France co-founded an independent production company, Productions Loft Inc., through which she’s produced and directed many documentaries that have been broadcast worldwide. She has received numerous awards, including a prestigious Golden Sheaf Award in the Documentary Arts & Culture category. She has also been nominated for Best Director at the Alberta Film and Television Awards multiple times. Marie-France is currently the president of Women in Film and TV Alberta.

FURTHER RESOURCES

• Sans Maman / Unmothered (Feature Documentary) : On August 31, 1995, tragedy struck the Guerrette family when Mona, a mother of two, died from breast cancer at age 42, leaving behind a husband and their daughters, Mylène and Marie-France. But she also left behind a stirring farewell message that would serve as a testament to her life.

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