Documentaries
MY MOTIVATIONS
Immersing myself, camera and heart in places far from cities, is what truly defines my documentaries. Each film is an exploration of hostile territories, communities, the transformations of nature, and our own limitations. It's a breath of raw nature, a suspended moment where time slows down, making us feel more alive. In these filmed narratives, I seek to capture what binds humanity to nature: moments of doubt, bursts of energy, and moments of silence. Through expeditions, encounters, retreating glaciers, and rivers that have flowed for millennia, I wish to give voice to those who inhabit these places, to those whom these places transform. Welcome to this documentary space.
2021 / NJORD
Plunged into the icy abyss of the polar winter, two explorers, Caroline Côté and Vincent Colliard, embark on a completely self-supported crossing of the Svalbard archipelago, north of Europe.
For more than 63 days, they traveled over 1,000 kilometers across the ice, while the icy wind, the permanent night, the reduced visibility and the constant threat of polar bears stood as obstacles.
The film reveals both the extreme preparations, daily life on the expedition, every step, every breath, and above all the physical, mental, and emotional commitment required to survive and accomplish such a feat.
Beyond the challenge of the adventure, this documentary narrative also questions our relationship with nature, the fragility of the polar regions, and the personal and shared quest for meaning and authenticity.
Directed by: Arnaud Bouquet, Caroline Cote / Screenplay by: Vincent Colliard, Arnaud Bouquet, Caroline Cote / Edited by: / Produced by: Toast Ian Quenneville
2024 / LA GRANDE TRAVERSÉE
Directed with Dominic Faucher, this film pays tribute to determination, body diversity, and pushing personal limits, offering a fresh perspective on women's adventures.
In June 2023, Anabelle Guay embarked on an extraordinary journey across Quebec: over 1,350 km, divided into three stages: 800 km of bikepacking, 300 km of hiking, and then 250 km of ocean rowing.
For 68 days, she braved the heat, winds, and storms at sea. Beyond the physical exertion, this crossing became an inner journey, an act of resilience and inclusion: Anabelle challenges norms and invites everyone to believe that adventure is not reserved for a particular body type.
“Some adventures change a life forever and go far beyond a sporting achievement,” one might say of this journey. It is at once a land of discovery, magnificent landscapes, memorable encounters and a space for sharing experiences; how to push further when nature tests you, how to believe in yourself when the path seems endless.
Direction: Dominic Faucher, Caroline Cote / Scénario: Dominic Faucher, Anabelle Guay / Montage: Ulysse Guay, Dominic Faucher / Production: Vanlife Studio
2021 / THE LAST GLACIER
Co-directed by Arnaud Bouquet, this six-episode documentary series retraces the north-south winter expedition to Svalbard with Vincent Colliard. How to summarize such an adventure of more than 1200 km? Quite simply, it is a love story between two people stuck in a tent at minus -30 degrees for 63 days. Across the 6 episodes of 22 minutes each, we follow the two adventurers through this first winter crossing, punctuated by flashbacks to their meeting and their preparation.
In addition to the challenges of the expedition (cold, wind, poor visibility, the presence of bears, etc.), it was also necessary to film in these difficult conditions. Beyond the personal trip, we wanted to highlight the fragility of the polar regions. We're not scientists, but it was important to talk about the crucial role of ice sheets.
Directed by: Arnaud Bouquet, Caroline Cote / Screenplay: Vincent Colliard / Edited by: Catherine Bureau, Caroline Cote / Produced by: Toast Studio; Ian Quenneville, Dany Michaud, Simon Cliche, Mégane Petit
2021 / PASSAGES
With Florence Pelletier (co-director), we followed five women from diverse backgrounds and walks of life in Quebec on an expedition of approximately 160 km, a route used by Inuit hunters for millennia, in the heart of Kuururjuaq Park in Nunavik. Rather than a simple adventure film, this story is introspective: nature is a mirror, the effort reveals. The journey becomes a quest for meaning for each of the participants and evokes sisterhood and their relationship to the land. The contrast between the urban world and this vast wilderness creates a space for reflection and self-discovery. This crossing will not only be the occasion for a unique encounter between women in an isolated territory, but it will also become a path to self-discovery and a journey to connect with their roots in extreme circumstances.
Directed and Written by: Caroline Coté & Florence Pelletier / Director of Photography: Samuel Trudelle / Editing: Louis Chevalier-Dagenais / Sound: Vincent Desrochers / Sound Mixing: Nicolas Dallaire / Sound Design: Ilyaa Ghafouri / Art Direction: Julien Hébert / Production: Les Films Denali / Distribution: Spira
2019 / BALANCE
Following a trail runner on the edge of his ambitions: that's the challenge this documentary takes on. At the heart of the 2018 Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, the camera focuses on Mathieu Blanchard, an extraordinary athlete and a man in search of balance.
Having come from a background in scuba diving and since drawn to long-distance running, Mathieu navigates between two worlds: the deep sea where everything accelerates, where one holds their breath, and the mountain peaks where the effort lasts for hours and demands extreme patience. The film explores this duality, examining his ability to find the right balance between speed and breath, tension and silence.
More than a performance, it's an inner journey: how to stay centered when the clock dictates the pace? How to accept doubt when the race becomes a mirror of our vulnerabilities? This documentary invites us to cross the peaks of endurance, but above all to contemplate what it means to "be in balance," in body, mind, and nature.
I was able to film Mathieu over several months: training, doubts, triumphs, rebuilding. A visual journey where the mountain becomes a field of observation, and the ultra-trail, a metaphor for our own quest.
Directed by: Caroline Cote / Written by: Mathieu Blanchard, Caroline Côté / Edited by: Caroline Cote / Produced by: Caroline Cote
2017 / QAMANIQ
"Qamaniq" in Inuktitut "the point where the river widens" tells the story of three women who crossed Kuururjuaq Park in five days, running and walking through a wild territory, immersing themselves with Inuit communities.
This film carries a dual message: self-exploration in a demanding natural environment, and the importance of giving voice to women in rarely seen settings. My motivation: to give a voice to girls in environments different from my own.
Directed by: Caroline Cote, Florence Pelletier / Written by: Caroline Cote, Florence Pelletier / Edited by: Caroline Cote, Florence Pelletier
2016 / PULL OF THE NORTH
In May 2016, a team of four adventurers (Ian Finch, Martin Trahan, Jay Kolsch) embarked on a crossing from the source of the Yukon River (Canada) to its mouth in the Bering Sea (Alaska).
Over nearly 3,200 km and several months, this rowing journey through a wild territory reveals not only the formidable chain of elements of water, forest, and current, but also the deep link between the indigenous peoples of the river, their landmarks, and a nature that has surrounded them for millennia.
The film explores the question: what does it mean to be a "river people"? How do the rhythm of the water, the vast open spaces, and the relationship with ancestors shape an identity? Faced with the arduous journey across the river, the adventure transforms into a reflection on humanity, nature, and what it means to "keep moving forward." A visual and emotional narrative that aligns with the spirit of my documentaries: adventure as a gateway to a dialogue between humankind and the world.
Directed by: Caroline Cote / Written by: Ian Finch / Edited by: Caroline Cote / Produced by: Caroline Cote
2017 / REACHING THE CREST
An intimate and powerful conversation with Monique Richard, a Quebec mountaineer, about the physical, mental, and existential challenges of high-altitude mountaineering. Through her ascents, her encounters with solitude, danger, and nature's untamed power, this short documentary explores what it means to "venture higher," but also to "bear witness to oneself in the face of immensity."
The film follows Monique through her doubts, choices, and self-questioning. It's a perspective, a story of struggle suspended between the summit and the void, between life and the next step.
Directed by Caroline Côté and Florence Pelletier, this short film invites reflection on fragility as well as strength, on personal quest as well as on untamed nature.
Directed by: Caroline Cote, Florence Pelletier / Written by: Caroline Côté, Florence Pelletier / Edited by: Florence Pelletier
