French Exit is a sort of proof of concept for Elevation Pictures.

“We can make high-quality content through coproduction and the Golden Globe nomination was the echo effect of that. It was the accolade we needed for the stamp of approval there in the global marketplace,” the Toronto-based production and distribution company’s co-president Noah Segal tells Playback Daily.

“Excuse the pun, but it definitely elevated our production division in a different way.”

One of two recent projects to have received awards buzz, the Canada/Ireland coproduction is up for the coveted Golden Globe for Best Actress – Motion Picture – Musical/Comedy for screen legend Michelle Pfeiffer’s role, which will be handed out this Sunday at 8 p.m. Her co-star, Emmy-winner Valerie Mahaffey, has also earned a Best Supporting Female nod from the Independent Spirit Award.

Catching up with Playback Daily ahead of the Golden Globes and the film’s international premiere at Berlinale alongside First Generation Films’ Christina Piovesan, who got involved with Elevation’s push into production in 2016, Segal says he believes coproductions are key to how Canadian producers are going to deal with shifts in the content business landscape and that the structure is a pillar of Elevation Pictures production strategy.

Following the story of a New York socialite who moves to Paris with her son after she spends the last of her husband’s inheritance, Elevation Pictures was pointed towards the project penned by Canadian author and screenwriter Patrick deWitt, based on his book of the same name, and attached to American director Azazel Jacobs by Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in spring 2019.

Calling Piovesan “a coproduction specialist,” Segal, who is also credited as a producer on the feature, says taking on French Exit made sense because they thought Elevation could find a way to build it up, and that “truthfully nobody else could do it outside of Canadians.

“I think deep down this is why we establish coproduction treaties in this country, to be able to make world class content that has a Canadian heart and soul and could only be built by Canadians,” he says.

Further, Piovesan also adds that the two were big fans of deWitt and Jacobs, and that alongside former FGF exec Jennifer Shin, had previously been chasing them for another project. “So when this came around it was so exciting to be able to work with them,” she says.

Produced with Vancouver’s Screen Siren Pictures, London, U.K.’s Rocket Science, Dublin’s Blinder Films and Montreal’s Saalgo Productions, and supported by Telefilm Canada, production mostly took place in Montreal that fall, with one week of shooting in Paris. (Notably, French Exit also marks Elevation’s first production with Screen Siren and Blinder Films.)

Among the challenges the project encountered were: locking in talent and recognizing the potential of the film.

With the former, particularly with French Exit, Segal says the team understood that if the film was going to work for the marketplace, it had to have the right lead. Once that piece came together, all the other talent pieces started falling into place, such as signing Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea).

The latter on the other hand was building a coproduction and ensuring all parties and supporters were in the loop. Although initially challenging, once the ball got rolling, things started to line up, Segal says, further crediting assistance from the Irish Film Commission.

Another challenge was logistics.

“Not just the location, it was getting the financing in place in terms of timing and that sort of thing, which was rigorous and not for the faint of heart. Inevitably, most producers will tell you, when you’re putting together a movie you certainly have a substantial budget, there’s challenges of when the money comes in and how you manage that, and it’s not easy. But we did it literally day-by-day and hour-by-hour; I would not want to relive the last 30 days before production again,” he says with a laugh.

In terms of its coproduction strategy, Segal says the company is open to working with all territories. That said, he notes, Ireland, Germany and New Zealand are very flexible and that English-speaking territories are easier choices when it comes to on-screen talent.

Piovesan also acknowledges that Elevation is really interested in working with great people and that even with shifting factors such as the pandemic, streamers and consumer appetite, there is still an investment in feature film – especially films that can travel globally.

Additionally, touching on this landscape, she says with the influx of streamers, they hope to see new buyers for Canadian content, boosting the Canadian industry in its next phase of growth and that if Bill C-10 is passed it could usher in a “golden age” of Canadian made and owned content.

Up next, on the production side Elevation is involved with Film Forge on writer/director Brandon Cronenberg’s upcoming feature Infinity Pool, a coproduction with Hungary, which sees both Piovesan and Segal serve as producers.

As well, there’s the matter of releasing French Exit in Canada. Elevation Pictures expects to release the title soon, according to a spokesperson.

Thinking back to when Elevation initially made its move into production, Segal says the division had initially also wanted to get into the service production game, however, they realized Elevation’s strength is really working with creative talent and financially executing coproductions. Currently, the bulk of things it’s working on now are in-house.

Additionally, addressing where the company sees itself in the next five years, Segal says he believes its positioning itself to have a studio set-up, meaning its “going to try to be producers, distributors, IP creators and that sort.”

He adds: “As opposed to rushing into it and saying we’re going to do 20 pictures a year, or we’re going to do this or that, it’s more like, we got to get good content period, whatever that comes and whatever shape that’s in.”

As well, although the division is known for its work in the feature scripted space, it is also open to building out its content in other formats such as TV and continuing its relationships with talent. For instance, Elevation is currently involved in a TV series and feature with past collaborator Canadian actor, director, producer and writer Jay Baruchel.

Stressing the importance of “commercially minded coproductions” as being essential to the industry’s future, Segal says: “I think for Elevation’s purposes, we look at French Exit with a ton of pride because we know that we took a ton of risk and fought a lot of battles to get to the finish line. And it wasn’t other folks, it was us.

“We’re going to keep fighting those battles because we know now we can do it and we feel confident that that precedent has been noted by the right folks and this is the first step in the new evolution of the company.”

Alongside Piovesan and Segal, producers on French Exit include Christine Haebler, Trish Dolman, Katie Holly and Olivier Glaas.

Jacobs and deWitt serve as executive producers alongside Elevation co-president Laurie May, Thorsten Schumacher, Lars Sylvest, Vincent Maraval, Ian Cooper, Adrian Love, Mal Ward, Marc Marrie, Matt Aselton, Stuart Manashil and Darrin Navarro.

Image of French Exit courtesy of Elevation Pictures