The Divine Strategy
Frustrated by Catholic Church’s decline, a priest gets help from a strange marketing expert to get people back to church.
Interview with Director Martin Forget
Watch The Divine Strategy here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I made this movie to prove to myself that I was able to write and direct one ! I work full time in marketing but I’ve always dreamed of being a storyteller, an artist…
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
You should watch this movie for the soundtrack, the beauty of the churches, the Faustian deal between a priest and Machiavelian marketing adviser, for the great acting performance of Robert Lepage.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
It’s a story of a priest who wants to make things change, who is tired to have a monotone routine. Everyone can relate to this.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
We almost had the time shoot the entire scenes written in the script, but at the editing stage, we changed the order of so many scenes to have a more powerful story.
The divine strategy
What type of feedback have you received so far?
People are loving it, first of all because this short movie is so different from the shorts we use to produce in the province of Quebec. It’s a philosophical comedy, with a great pacing and a great soundtrack. The general theme (Catholic Church's decline) is bigger than my movie, and it generates a lot of discussions.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
The positive feedback just pushed me to go even further for my next projects, especially in the dialogues.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Just to entertain as many people as possible.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We’ve already been on some festivals in Europe, Canada and the USA, and we had so far a great media coverage for our short movie. I still can’t believe it !
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
Right now I’m writing the script for the adaptation of this short movie with the support of a producer from Montreal. Maybe this short will become a real movie ?
The divine strategy
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
What should do a religious organization to attract people again ?
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
A long version script based on my short movie.
Also, I’ve written a new short movie script, that will probably be produced this winter. The story is about a very old man bowling, who’s about to realize a perfect game…
Interview: September 2016
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
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The divine strategy
Frustrated by catholic church’s decline, a priest gets help from a strange marketing expert to get people back to church.
Length: 18 min
Director: Martin Forget, Eliot Laprise
Producer: Martin Forget, Quebecwood productions, 4 Éléments Productions.
Writer: Martin Forget
About the writer, director and producer:
Born in 1984, Martin Forget is working in marketing in Quebec city since 2008.
Key cast: Robert Lepage
Made in association with: Office National du film du Canada
Release date: September 2015
Where can I watch it in the next month?