#FIRSTLOOK: “LAC-MÉGANTIC: THIS IS NOT AN ACCIDENT” TO PREMEIRE AT CANNESERIES AND HOT DOCS

Internationally renowned and leading Canadian production company Trio Orange in collaboration with Quebecor Content today announced Academy Award-nominated director Philippe Falardeau (Monsieur Lazhar, My Salinger Year, The Summers of the Raspberries) will present his new 4-part documentary series Lac-Mégantic: This is not an Accident at CANNESERIES 2023 as its world premiere, followed by its North American premiere at Hot Docs 2023 as part of the Deep Dive category. Directed and co-written by Falardeau with co-writer Nancy Guerin (Left Behind America, A Sister’s Song, Pink Ribbons Inc. ) and produced by Annie Sirois (Can you Hear Me?, Last Summer of the Raspberries, David Saint-Jacques Space Mission, Escobar Told By His Sons), Falardeau investigates one of the worst oil train tragedies in history; a foreseeable catastrophe ignited by corporate and political negligence. For more information on festival screenings please visit CANNESERIES and Hot Docs websites.

Almost ten years ago, on July 6, 2013, a devastating tragedy occurred in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, when a runaway train derailed in the heart of this idyllic town. Within seconds, six million liters of Bakken oil explode, killing everyone in its path, incinerating downtown.

At the heart of this series are the survivors who share their most intimate stories of lost loved ones and the string of injustices they’ve faced since that summer night. Yet, the steps needed to prevent another Lac-Mégantic tragedy are still not in place.

“It was extremely important to me to give a voice and a face to the people of Lac-Mégantic who not only suffered a massive tragedy but have been reliving the trauma over the past ten years as the powers-that-be continue to make negligent decisions that affect their everyday lives,” said Philippe Falardeau, director and writer. “Unfortunately Lac-Mégantic is not an isolated event. Even though this tragedy shocked the world and prompted widespread calls for greater safety measures, current events show that little has been done to avoid these types of transportation disasters. Our series is a call to action to bring much needed attention and change in honour of all of those who lost their lives.”

Following its festival premieres, the French language version of Lac-Mégantic: This is not an Accident begins streaming May 2 on VRAI, with other broadcast announcements to follow. The series is Executive Produced by Carlos Soldevila and created with the support of SODEC Quebec, Quebecor Fund, Rogers Documentary Fund, Canada Media Fund.

Episode 1: Itinerary of a Moving Bomb

The citizens of Lac-Megantic share their harrowing accounts from that fateful night. The episode then flashes back to June 30, 2013, where a perfect storm brews as the ill-fated train leaves the Bakken oil fields of North Dakota. Six days later it is perched on a hill that overlooks the small lakeside town. Down on Main Street, the drinks flow as the crowd dances the night away, blissfully unaware that a runaway train just cleared four rail crossings and is closing in on Lac-Mégantic.

Episode 2: Pure Souls

As downtown burns, citizens search for the missing. The scope of the destruction is evident, but the cause will take time to figure out. Officials from all over descend on Mégantic but no one takes responsibility for what’s happened. Grieving families wait days, even weeks, to learn the fate of their loved ones. We meet the people who were close to the explosions. This proximity has a durable impact. For some, their lives have been turned upside down. But for others, it becomes a defining moment.

Episode 3: The Worst Is Yet To Come

Out on the tracks, locals take safety into their own hands as they patrol the rail lines that circle Mégantic. The rebuilding process rips the town apart as citizens are left to clean up the mess that they did not create. A criminal trial gets underway where three low-level train employees face life in prison. The larger picture begins to emerge. It points to a negligent corporate culture and a system that fails to go after the higher echelons even as their decisions cause great irreversible harm.

Episode 4: This Was No Accident

High up in the Canadian Rockies, tragedy strikes again, killing three railmen. Surging from this disaster lies another grieving community searching for answers. In Lac-Mégantic, plans for a bypass divide the town even further. The new route will split the family farm of Conrad and Yolande Boulanger whose grandson died in the Mégantic tragedy. Adding insult to injury, the new rails will accommodate longer and heavier trains arriving in record numbers, with cargo far more dangerous than crude oil.