Mathieu is a brilliant neurosurgeon whose perfect life is falling apart.
Impending divorce, job loss, substance abuse, and a mid-life crisis are all factors that can cause him to go off the rails. In addition, the sudden death of his father forces him to return home to Anishinaabe territory, a place he has tried to avoid since his youth.
Nevertheless, Mathieu agrees to go and deposit his father’s ashes in the heart of their ancestral territory and wishes to find himself at the same time.
The break away from the city promises to be a nice getaway until Mathieu realizes that he is now the prey of an evil creature known as the Wendigo. Mathieu’s pilgrimage quickly becomes an unimaginable nightmare that will change him forever. Like it or not, our vices always catch up with us eventually.
THE DIRECTOR
Jason Brennan is a member of the First Nations community of Kitigan Zibi. Born to an Algonquin father and a Quebecers mother, Jason was fortunate to see the best of both worlds and heritages. His journey into the world of television production began in 2002 holding different production positions in Ottawa and Montreal. In 2004, he began directing and writing for Hockey Goals, a series featured on the Aboriginal People Television Network.
In 2006, Jason founded Nish Media, a production company that would focus on showing positive stories and positive programming about Indigenous Peoples. In the first few years, Nish Media would produce such television series as La piqure, The Journey, Pursuing the flame and Mouki for the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network. In addition, Nish Media has collaborated with reputable Canadian broadcasters such as CBC, TV5, RDI, Historia, Canal D. |
In 2012, Hit The Ice began its first season with Jason as writer, director and producer. The television series continues to draw audiences and just saw its 7th season go into production in 2018. Nish Media has been nominated for various awards and distinctions such as multiple Banff World Media Rockie Awards, a Prix Gémeaux, A Gemini Award and Golden Sheaf Award at Yorkton as well as a Best Sports Program nomination at the World Sports Television and film Festival in Milan. In 2011, Nish Media won a Prix Gémeaux for the film Last Call Indian.
In 2015, Nish Media produced and released its first feature film in Quebec theatres. The film “LE DEP”, written and directed by Sonia Bonspille Boileau, was made possible due to Telefilm Canada’s micro-budget program. The small film which was shot over a period of ten days and for a budget of 225,000$ was selected in some of the world’s top film festivals such as the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, the Vancouver Film Festival, the Raindance Film Festival where it is selected as a best first feature nominee and the American Indian Film Festival where it was selected as one of the nominees for best feature film. Nish Media and Jason produced last year a new feature film entitled Rustic Oracle, which was presented at the VIFF festival and won a few awards (Leo Awards, WIDC…). Recently, Jason decided to go back to directing with a new feature film: L’Inhumain. The movie is the first French-speaking indigenous genre film.
In 2015, Nish Media produced and released its first feature film in Quebec theatres. The film “LE DEP”, written and directed by Sonia Bonspille Boileau, was made possible due to Telefilm Canada’s micro-budget program. The small film which was shot over a period of ten days and for a budget of 225,000$ was selected in some of the world’s top film festivals such as the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, the Vancouver Film Festival, the Raindance Film Festival where it is selected as a best first feature nominee and the American Indian Film Festival where it was selected as one of the nominees for best feature film. Nish Media and Jason produced last year a new feature film entitled Rustic Oracle, which was presented at the VIFF festival and won a few awards (Leo Awards, WIDC…). Recently, Jason decided to go back to directing with a new feature film: L’Inhumain. The movie is the first French-speaking indigenous genre film.
Director Statement
As a member of the Algonquin Nation (Kitigan-Zibi Anishinabeg), and having one Native and one non-Native parent, I have had the opportunity to experience the best of both cultures. My upbringing continues to inspire me and is the source of many of my work. With ” L’Inhumain “, my hope is to bring forward an indigenous genre film from a perspective that is off the beaten path. Specifically, I aspire to present a contemporary story of the Wendigo in a current context and from an Indigenous perspective. In “Inhuman” Dr. Mathieu Côté, a wealthy Indigenous surgeon, becomes the prey of the Wendigo. Following a series of bad decisions and questionable life choices, he must try and fight of the creature and his inner vices. Having made the decision to leave his community for personal reasons, he has unfortunately lost his way and forgotten some of his family values. His lost of culture and an adaptation to a more “urban” lifestyle has pushed him in a direction where overconsumption and excess take hold. The rôle of Mathieu is played by well know Quebec singer and actor Samuel Tremblay (Samian), who was also the lead in François Girard film “Hochelaga”. Like Mathieu, Samian has had an unusual career and a similar story to the main character, and a return to his roots was necessary. I think that Samian’s involvement will allow us to reach the general public but also to have the support, interest and pride of First Nation communities. Since its inception, Nish Media has always prioritized an Indigenous workforce and sought to develop this undiscovered talent. The same can be said for the production of ” L’Inhumain” which was partly filmed in Anishinaabeg Territory. “L’Inhumain” will be the third feature film produced by Nish Media and it is a dream for us to tell the story. As it presents a new wave of Indigenous cinema that strays from the beaten path.