It seems the Swiss may have a touch of Trudeaumania.
In a somewhat unusual sale, Swiss pubcaster Radio Television Suisse has picked up the feature length documentary God Save Justin Trudeau (or How the MP for Papineau Became Prime Minister of Canada) from Montreal prodco Productions de la Ruelle.
The doc does not yet have a Canadian broadcaster or theatrical distributor attached. The sale came about a week after the Canadian prime minister gave a keynote address at the Davos World Economic Forum in Switzerland. While it’s difficult to draw a direct connection between Trudeau’s Davos appearance and the RTS pick up, his style of politicking does appeal with European audiences, said Eric Ruel, EVP of Productions de la Ruelle and producer on the doc.
”Everywhere Mr. Trudeau sets foot, people are amazed at his abilities to connect with the public. They want to know more about him and how he got there. This is how they get to the film,” Ruel told Playback Daily.
“The Swiss are intrigued by Trudeau’s way of doing politics. Europeans sure know about politics as a spectacle, but Mr. Trudeau seems to bring it to another level and this is what the movie is all about,” he added. When the film screened at the Vision du reel in Nyon, Switzerland in April 2015, organizers had to add two more screenings to meet demand, Ruel said.
God Save Justin Trudeau is currently slated for a mid-March release on multiple RTS platforms. Prior to the broadcast pickup, the doc screened at the Cinema Rex in Vevey, Switzerland and Cinema Star in Strasbourg, France. The producers are also currently taking God Save Justin Trudeau on a university screening tour in Canada. School screenings since October include York University, UQAM Montreal University and Edouard-Mont-Petit College. The doc is set to screen at Mount Royal University in Calgary later this month.
God Save Trudeau is currently up for four Gemeaux awards, including best documentary and best cinematography.