Canadian producers Wookey Films and Chasseurs Films have teamed up to produce Dennis Saint-Denis, the debut feature from veteran TV director Guillaume Lonergan.
Written by Paul Reuban, this dark comedy tells the story of a 60-year-old woman who decides to break free from a life of self-sacrifice, only to set off a chain of increasingly chaotic consequences.
The film is produced by sibling duo Janelle Wookey and Jérémie Wookey of Winnipeg-based Wookey Films and Laurent Allaire of Quebec’s Chasseurs Films.
“I am thrilled to begin my journey directing Denise sans Denis with Wookey Films and Chasseur Films,” said Lonergan.
He also helmed Florence Lompre’s blockbuster psychiatric drama Empathy, which won the Series Mania Audience Award last year. Lonergan noted that the series shares certain qualities with his new work.
Jeremy and Janelle Wookey of Winnipeg-based Wookey Films.
Regian Brandt
“Very similar to series I’ve directed in the past, such as Empathy and The Glass House, Dennis Without Dennis combines comedy and drama, realism and dreamlike moments.”
“I read Paul Reuban’s script a year ago and it was difficult to say no,” he added.
Set in the city of Winnipeg, “Denis Saint Denis” tells the story of a woman in her 60s who plans to leave her husband just days before his retirement.
Dennis has spent his entire life caring for others. A dedicated principal, she is the glue that holds together a crumbling ecosystem of poverty. The plot continues: a well-meaning but chronically disappointed husband, a school full of minor crises, a self-centered daughter and unruly grandchildren who treat her like a built-in safety net, and an elderly father whose obsessive nudism leads to him being kicked out of one nursing home after another.
When too much humiliation pushes her past her breaking point, Denise makes a drastic decision.
Described as “darkly funny, poignant, and unexpectedly moving,” Denis Saint Denis is the story of a woman who has the courage to choose herself for the first time, even if it means everything around her burns down.
“Dennis wants to be free and live his remaining years on his own terms, instead of always putting others first,” Lonergan said. “The problem is that something always happens that triggers her and prevents her from getting out of her old life.”
Josee Deschenes, who co-starred with Lonergan in Empathy and the 2021 series Audrey’s Back, will star as the titular Dennis. The cast also includes Claude Legault, Gilles Renault, Catherine Denisset, and Micheline Martildon.
“I’m thrilled to be working with such an amazing cast and to be part of a Manitoba-Quebec co-production that depicts the realities of Manitoba’s French community.”
Principal photography on “Saint Denis” is scheduled to begin in May in Winnipeg, with additional filming to take place in the subarctic Hudson Bay port city of Churchill before heading to Dublin, Ireland.
“I am thrilled to be collaborating with director Guillaume and co-producer Laurent Haller of Chasseur Films on Denis Saint-Denis,” said Janelle Wookey.
“We are extremely proud to be able to showcase so much local talent from Winnipeg on this project, and especially to be able to tell a story centered around women in their 60s, bringing voices and perspectives that don’t often get the spotlight today.” I’m thrilled. There are so many Denises in Jeremy’s and my life who helped raise us, and we are so grateful for their important role in our lives and society. This film feels like an opportunity to finally give them the recognition they deserve.”
Janelle Wookey and Jeremy Wookey will be featured on Series Mania’s Canadian Featured Producers program this year.
