Potential is one of those words that gets used a lot these days. Local documentary maker Cédrik Bertrand decided to explore what the potential is of his hometown of Hawkesbury.
Potentiellement, Hawkesbury (Potentially, Hawkesbury) is an entertaining, humourous, yet engaging look at what the economic and social potential is or could be for the town.
The five-part series aired on Fibe TV1 for Bell customers in April 2024, eight months after Bell asked Hawkesbury-based Escouade Multimédia, where Bertrand works, to create local content for their channel.
“The five-episode bilingual series was very well-received by the broadcaster and the public alike, but I must admit that I would love nothing more than to see its reach expand,” Bertrand said.
He described the series as a much-needed love letter to his hometown.
“It’s the kind of place that sparks conversation easily,” Bertrand said.
The series looks at Hawkesbury’s historic economic foundations, with the lumber and paper industry, and its glory years as a centre of manufacturing associated with the glass and textile industries. Bertrand explores how most of the major manufacturers closed in the 1980s and 1990s, but how the sense of identity was affected before that, when the Le Chenail neighbourhood and other parts of town fronting the Ottawa River were flooded when the Carillon hydroelectric dam was completed.
The series, although less confrontational and ideological, is reminiscent of Michael Moore’s 1989 film Roger and Me, in which Moore reveals the economic hardships experienced in his hometown of Flint Michigan due to the decline of the automotive industry, and the city’s struggle to reinvent itself economically. The difference with Potentiellement, Hawkesbury is that Bertrand let the guests he interviewed shape the story.
“What I wanted is for people to tell me what they think and drive the narrative forward,” he explained.
Those guests include members of town council, business leaders, historians, and new residents of the town. Each gives their perspective on what Hawkesbury is, and what it could be in the future. Recurring topics include economic development, public services, recreation, health, francophone identity, and the underutilized waterfront.
Bertrand hopes the extensive discussion of Hawkesbury’s potential in the series will result in less conversation and more action.
“My goal was to tackle the layers of Hawkesbury’s potential in an entertaining way to get people to never speak of it again.”
“Let’s get together and do something about all of this potential.”
Bertrand said he wanted to highlight how good of a place Hawkesbury is and motivate people who want to do something to make it better.
He is also very thankful for the high amount of support Bell’s producers gave to the project, and with what he calls a “seamless” amount of bilingualism in the production that best reflects the community.
“I wanted something that sounds like us in French and English,” Bertrand said.
“It was my way of proving that bilingualism is cool when done right.”
Bertrand is thankful for his colleagues at Escouade Multimédia for making the production successful. He is hopeful that Potentiellement, Hawkesbury finds a wider audience beyond its Bell Five TV run. He added that the series was a great experience professionally.
