Hiver Rouge

The story of Hiver Rouge is one that was important for me to tell in its depiction of mental illness and the dive into human psychology. As someone who deals with mental illness – not in the same way as our protagonist Pauline of course – I wanted to explore the effects of denial and toxic loyalty through a psychological thriller/drama. Mental health is getting more and more representation today, and I wished to bring my own voice. Most particularly, my decision to follow animation and art as a career began with a short film about mental illness when I was in high school. It wasn’t well drawn or very developed, all I had was two minutes of screen-time, a whiteboard and marker, and a rough concept, to tell an emotional story. But that rushed, badly drawn video got recognized by a special someone who inspired me to pursue my passion. And today, I come full circle with my debut directorial project that features more mental health themes. Another important aspect about this film is the unconventional female representation I wanted to portray – when do we ever see military women depicted as protagonists, if at all, in media? Thus, Pauline was born. She is young, she is vulnerable and lost, and she represents all the younger generations who are thrown societal expectations upon them. She is given an order and has no choice but to follow it, but at what cost? All in all, Hiver Rouge is a dramatic anti-war story of denial and crashing reality.