RIDM 2013: Le Semeur - The Sower

LE SEMEUR - THE SOWER

PRODUCTION TEAM:

PRODUCTION: JULIE PERRON

CINEMATOGRAPHY: GEOFFROY BEAUCHEMIN, SAMI MERMER, ALEX MARGINEANU, FRANÇOIS VINCELETTE
EDITING: MICHEL GIROUX, ALEXANDRE LEBLANC
SOUND: CLAUDE BEAUGRAND, FRANCINE POIRIER
LANGUAGE: FRENCH
SUBTITLES: ENGLISH
COUNTRY: QUEBEC
YEAR: 2013
RUNTIME: 80 MIN
CONTAC: CLOTILDE VATRINET, LES FILMS DU 3 MARS, COORDINATION@F3M.CA

RIDM OFFICIAL FILM SYNOPSIS:

"He likes beets, especially hardy varieties that can stand up to a strong wind. He admires independence in a plant. He looks over his carrots with the same patience and meticulousness as he harvests seeds from his squash. Sometimes, he dreams about a certain cherry tree whose genetic legacy he wants to preserve and spread. Not to mention his pride in his Polish rutabagas. Patrice Fortier isn’t crazy, he’s just seriously passionate about his work. Living on his company farm, Société des plantes, in the Kamouraska Valley, he is preserving and propagating rare and forgotten seeds in order to restore vitality and variety to our agricultural heritage. Directed by Julie Perron with uncommon elegance and assurance, Le semeur gives us a fascinating taste of Fortier’s intensely lived days."

This is a truly inspirational film. Patrice Fortier's determination and vision of preserving the heritage seeds is remarkable. He was not born a farmer. Originally, he was a city dweller and an artist. But then he drastically changed his life and moved to the rural Quebec and began farming in order to propagate the heirloom seeds. 

Although farming requires a lot of work and stamina, the film also captures the playful and poetic moments, as well as Patrice's light sense of humour, and especially his visceral approach to his work and the pleasure he finds in it. It also shows how farming is a source of inspiration for his unique artistic expression. Yet alongside the works of art that he creates apart from his farming, the film appears to state that the process of seeds cultivation and preservation is indeed a creative process, an art form in itself, an artistic installation in progress.

Click on the image to enlarge

The film shows what can be accomplished by a single person with a big vision and a lot of willpower. In our modern world of mono-cultures, the variety of produce is quickly disappearing. The abundance of plants that nature created and people had cultivated for hundreds of years is now rapidly fading into oblivion. The personal mission of Patrice Fortier is to slow down this process and to bring more variety in food and plants back, to make them once again available for all and for the future generations to come.

The cinematographic aspects of the film are precise, well defined and help bring forth the story and the main premisses of the film. The film successfully tells us what it is to have a desire to properly manage the riches that nature had provided to us all so freely, and portrays the efforts and action needed to save and reclaim those riches for the benefit of all.

Patrice's words at a launch party after the projection of the film said it all: "I really want to preserve the seeds!"

Patrice Fortier's  La société des plantes website:

http://www.lasocietedesplantes.com

Although the website is only in French, Patrice speaks English. So do not hesitate to get in touch with him should you be interested in his heritage seeds, his art, or other activities he is offering. The contact information is on the website.