Director Mélanie Charbonneau’s sophomore feature Out Standing has commenced production on location in Montreal and Hamilton, Ont.

The military drama is based on the memoir Out Standing In The Field by Sandra Perron, known as Canada’s first female infantry officer. It is adapted for the screen by Charbonneau and Martine Pagé. Filming is scheduled to run through May.

Out Standing is produced by Longueuil, Que.’s GPA Films and Toronto’s January Films. Producers are Marcel Giroux of GPA Films and Julia Rosenberg of January Films.

The film follows Perron’s career in Canada’s Armed Forces and the subsequent investigation into possible abuses within the military.

The cast includes Nina Kiri (The Handmaid’s Tale; pictured), Vincent Leclerc (The Revenant), Antoine Pilon (Matthias & Maxime), Adrian Walters (Star Trek: Discovery), Stephen Kalyn (Essex County), Noah Parker (30 vies), Anthony Therrien (Falcon Lake) and Nicolas Fontaine (Victoire).

Out Standing is produced with the participation of Telefilm Canada, SODEC, Ontario Creates, the Canada Media Fund, Crave and CBC Films. It will be distributed by Sphere Films in Canada and is slated for a 2025 release.

“From the moment I read Sandra Perron’s memoir, I knew I had to make it into a film,” said Charbonneau in a statement. “Sandra fiercely pushed into uncharted territory so that those who followed could go even further.”

Image courtesy of Sphere Films