You would have to travel far and wide to find someone that genuinely loves movies more than Jeremy Bouchard.
One of his favorite phrases comes from CS Lewis, the writer of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe; that is, that we read to know that we’re not alone. Jeremy goes further, adding that he believes that films are the literature of our time. He believes that we watch movies for many reasons, and for him, it is a powerful way for his feelings to be validated and reinforced as a human being.
In fact, in his view, there is no other medium with the scope and range movies have since they reinforce the idea that we are not alone in our feelings. Moreover, films can’t be made by one person. In making films, creative people become a film family of sorts. Jeremy hopes to find his own film family through the film community in New Brunswick, and more specifically, Moncton, his hometown.
Choosing his favorite genre of films or even specific films is not an easy task for Jeremy as he loves many different ones. Currently, he is watching a lot of Douglas Sirk, a German filmmaker, on the Criterion Channel. Jeremy describes his style of films as “expressionist melodramas” from the 1950s.
Jeremy is naturally drawn to older international films as they tend to be less formulaic. They incorporate an element of surprise into an unfamiliar world where the storytelling itself is appealing. In addition, he wants to watch movies that make him feel things, like Film Noire, a style that came about in the 1930s and 1940s in Hollywood dealing with the greedy underbelly of society. One of his favorite Film Noire movies is Orsen Wells’ Touch of Evil. Jeremy describes the film’s cinematography as amazing.
Growing up with five brothers in Moncton, Jeremy, and his brothers would watch movies and then deconstruct them, building sets from wood, acting out the stories, and performing for their parents. The idea that they could make films never occurred to him back then, as it was a different time when film equipment was not readily available or accessible. He believes that growing up in current times would probably have resulted in him getting into filmmaking at a much younger age because of his passion for movies.
Instead, Jeremy’s creative outlet was writing and directing school plays, beginning in grade 6 with his play, The King’s Scepter, followed by several more over subsequent years, all well received at school festivals around the province.
After high school, he studied theatre specializing in playwriting at Concordia University in Montreal. During his time there, he continued to write and direct for theatre. This form of artistry in front of a live audience was both validating and energizing for him in that it gave him the fuel he needed to keep going.
After finishing university, while still living in Montreal, his newly written feature screenplay, Black Eyed Dog, was picked up and co-produced by producers in NB and Quebec. Jeremy looks back fondly at that time in filmmaking. There were many opportunities in New Brunswick for filmmakers, including an office in the New Brunswick government devoted solely to film, and tax credits made it ripe for producers.
Jeremy found this experience to be very positive. Around the same time, he toured with his one-person play, The Idiot Boy, at fringe festivals from Halifax to Vancouver, describing this experience in equally glowing terms.
Fresh off the making of his first feature play, Jeremy spent the next ten years employed as a professional screenwriter and story editor, something he looks back on with mixed emotions. He wrote ten feature screenplays over that decade with heartbreaking results. While the gigs paid the bills, it was painful to see his scripts undergo significant changes making them unrecognizable to him, or they would disappear and never get made.
Jeremy’s preference was always to direct his screenplays, explaining that while writing is hard work, directing is fun. However, opportunities were never there to do that. He is pleased that, at least now, the options for these screenplays have expired and returned to him.
While a tough decision, Jeremy quit the screenwriting profession altogether, and it became somewhat of an emotional scar. He compares it to the break-up of a relationship and something one never gets over. Unsure what to do next, he moved to Korea for four years, where he taught English as a second language, and although he continued to write, he did it for himself.
Jeremy has since written, directed, and produced two short films; his first, The Contrarian, set in Saint John, New Brunswick, is a comedy about what it means to be a grown-up. His second, a thriller called Trophy, played at festivals around Singapore. Given the lack of funding opportunities, Jeremy financed both short films himself. He says he hasn’t done more, in part, because of costs, but also because he tends to hold himself back at times.
Around 2019, Jeremy and his partner returned to Moncton, where he has most of his family nearby. He has been employed in Communications for the Multicultural Association of New Brunswick since November 2021.
Through his experiences in Korea and with his current employment, he became familiar with a story that inspired him to write his latest short screenplay. His story, Two Angels, sheds light on Canada’s refugee and asylum-seeking process. The reason why a person may apply are many, including sexual orientation, but for any of these reasons, one must be able to prove it. Two Angels explores how one proves sexual orientation, something invisible, a feeling. He hopes to direct and produce the short this Spring in Moncton and is looking for film crew in the area to help him.
A member of the NB Film Co-op for more than a year, Jeremy is inspired by the American actor, writer, and director John Cassavetes. Cassavetes and his actress wife brought together people from all backgrounds into their home to create independent films that he would finance from his work on big studio projects. This film family idea is exciting to Jeremy and is a dream he would like to emulate. His mantra is that everyone has something to contribute.
If you are like-minded and would like to get involved in the making of Two Angels, contact Jeremy by email at jeremyjohnbouchard@gmail.com.