National Post's Holy Post Blog profiles God's Doorkeeper

Salt + Light Media

Thursday, December 23, 2010

One of the great stories this year not only for the Canadian Church but for the Church as a whole, is the canonization of Brother André. For us at Salt + Light Television, the story is very dear to us. As most of you know, a very dedicated team of people here invested a lot of time and energy into producing a documentary on the miracle worker of Montreal titled God's Doorkeeper: St. André of Montreal. One person on that very dedicated team is Marc Boudignon, a very talented, and faith filled editor here at Salt + Light Television. Charles Lewis, of the National Post, recently chatted with him about the film. See the interview below, posted yesterday on the Holy Post blog:

The making of the film "God’s Doorkeeper: St. André of Montreal"

Salt + Light Television just released a documentary called God’s Doorkeeper: St. André of Montreal. The film is a mix of archival footage, interviews and reenactments. The story of St. André Bessette would be fascinating in its own right. But as senior editor Marc Boudignon explained, it was seeing how people today carry on St. Andre’s work of hospitality that really lifted the story and gave it its power. Mr. Boudignon joined Salt + Light five years ago after a career in the world of advertising. He spoke recently about the making of the film.

Q. What are the challenges of making a film about religion and especially one about a Catholic saint?

A. The best films touch on Catholic themes but aren’t necessarily overtly Catholic. The piousness should not be at the forefront. You can’t be heavy handed. If you’re telling your audience what to believe and the characters are one dimensional it’s not going to work. The whole point of making a film about André was to make him relevant to today’s audience.

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