Documentary filmmaker and photographer, Joannie Lafrenière loves human beings. Holding degrees in journalism and photography, Joannie has contributed to several recognized publications and has had the chance to be part of many different inspiring independent projects. Her documentary projects have been shown in major festivals across Canada and abroad.

She uses the codes and aesthetics of pop culture playfully, along with the power of kitsch, to avoid the trap of caricature. Her work is informed by an anthropological approach, and she uses the camera as an excuse to establish relationships with people who tickle her curiosity: she then highlights them through portraits in which humanity, fantasy, color and humor are central.

I immediately had a crush on Gabor Szilasi, who photographs what seems ordinary, like an archivist of our collective memory. I had the privilege of discovering his work during a retrospective exhibit entitled The Eloquence of Everyday (2009), back when I was a photography student. This exhibit had a major impact on me and strengthened my desire to work as a photographer.

Following this epiphany, I had an enduring admiration for his work. As I watched him interacting with the photographer community at the Rencontres internationales de la photographie en Gaspésie (where we met for the first time during the summer of 2015), I was won over by Gabor, the man behind the lens. We talked a lot, and I was thrilled to realize that his images were a reflection of his personality, i.e. that of a humanist who is always eager to discover other people and to respectfully depict them, without judgment and, often, with a touch of his signature sense of humour.

When we met, Gabor was 87, and I remember being struck by his liveliness and his positive outlook. It became obvious to me that a film should be made about him. I enthusiastically took on this task, to showcase his work, of course, but also the man behind the camera, in all his depth, complexity, fragility, resilience, beauty and greatness. I wanted to offer Gabor the same kind of sensible memory he has left to all of us in Quebec through his humanist photography work.