Drawing on the past

A local animator contributed to Canada’s sesquicentennial by helping shine a light on a dark time in Manitoba’s history.

North Kildonan’s Melissa Hiebert did the animation for L’Inspecteur, a short-film from Wookey Films about the struggle rural Franco-Manitoban teachers faced in the 1940s and 50s. The film is part of Hot Docs’ In the Name of All Canadians, a commissioned compilation of six short films which debuts in Toronto on June 28. Each of the six films tackles an aspect of Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

"(Our) film focuses on how Franco-Manitoban teachers had to fight for their right to teach French in a time when the government was attempting to Anglicize them," Hiebert explained.

"We hope the subject of our documentary helps further the dialogue about the meaning of 150 years of Confederation," said Annick Marion, co-director of L’Inspecteur. "We believe our characters’ message on respect, tolerance and equality is highly relevant in our current social and political context as well as in the context of Canada 150."

Earlier this year Wookey Films, a Winnipeg-based Franco-Métis production company, contacted Hiebert after viewing her work online.

"We were drawn to work with her on this project because of her impressive drawing skills and her portrayal of strong female characters," Marion explained.

 "They asked if I was interested in coming on board this women-focused, historically based project in French — everything that I love, in one project," Hiebert said. "Of course I said yes!"

Hiebert’s animations are intended to help provide a narrative flow to the film, which relies heavily on interviews to tell the story of the Ste. Agathe school teachers who dared to teach French to their students.

"I didn’t know we’d had something like this happen in Manitoba," said Hiebert, a River East Collegiate grad. "This was the law overstepping and interfering in education, sending these inspectors to see if they were secretly teaching French to their students. It was a very intense thing."

 Hiebert said she poured over archival photographs from rural Manitoba in the 1940s and 50s.

"I found a lot of amazing family photos," she said. "I’m one of those artists who, I look at an image, once I really connect with it, that’s when stuff starts happening."

As for aesthetic, Hiebert said she drew inspiration from two films in particular, The Zookeeper’s Wife and The White Ribbon.

"They’re two very different films, and sometime our film feels like two very different stories," Hiebert said.

While Hiebert took emotional cues from The Zookeeper’s Wife, the look of her animation for L’Inspecteur owes more to The White Ribbon, a German black and white film from 2009.

"It’s very stark, black and white, high contrast," Hiebert explained. "That’s what the producers were going for. Very gritty. I drew everything in ink, very grainy. It ended up working out very well."

"Paired with live action interview footage, the animations help to visually transport us back in time, highlighting the characters’ feelings and reactions to the unjust events being described," added Marion.

Hiebert said she is excited to travel to Toronto for the premiere of In the Name of All Canadians.

"It will be my first time leaving the province to a screening of something I’ve worked on. I feel it will be a whole new thing, a lot of people I’ll get to meet, artists I’ll get to talk to."

Following its release, In the Name of All Canadians will run in Toronto until July 6. It will then screen across the country, including the Gimli Film Festival on July 30. For more information, visit www.inthenameofallcanadians.com

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