Director's Works
Hugh Saint-Jacques is a Canadian director whose growing body of work focuses on character, environment, and the experiences that shape us. Through having started his career in Post, he brings an editorial sensibility to his films and chases exacting rhythm, mood, and tone. His work spans languages and cultures, from English to Farsi and Mandarin, reinforcing a lesson he first learned as a child: that emotion and truth transcend linguistic and cultural boundaries. His recent project “此刻 : NOW”, starring rising freeride ski talent Weitien Ho, premiered internationally in Shanghai, Beijing, Annecy, Copenhagen, London, Vancouver, Whistler, and Munich. His photographic work for brands like Adidas, Peak Performance, Hardpack Magazine, and more have helped shape his creative approach to film direction as he continues to move more into narrative projects.
At it's core this film is about the implications of the future technologies we are rapidly evolving; or more accurately, it is about one or two of those implications that I find particularly interesting and concerning. Our current information technology is truly unparalleled, and AI and large language models are moving closer and closer into the most personal corners of our lives. So the question of how AI might be used by humans seeking solace in grief and loneliness became a question that felt important to talk about. While the film is a little conceptual and more than anything a conversation starter around technology, it is also hopefully a portrait of love and loss. It was an exercise in storytelling for sure, and a challenge to find a good balance between it's non-linear structure and also wanting to make sure the information lands and the narrative as a whole connects. It was a humbling experience that reminded me that making a film (however small) is really hard, and it simply would not have happened without massive help from the whole team, but specifically Ethan Shandro (Producer) & Harrison Mendel (Cinematographer).
