July 29, 2024
Canada | English
2024 | 151 Minutes
Director: Felipe Belalcazar
Cast: Away, Snake, Chewy, Rocky, Terry Brown, Tobias Forge,
Danko Jones, Luc Lemay, George Stroumboulopoulos
Roughly four decades ago, a group of four friends from a remote part of Quebec came together to form a band that would become one of the most bizarre yet pioneering sounds in extreme music – and progressive music history. That band is, of course, the mighty Voivod that are still dropping jaws worldwide to this day.
It is only fitting then, that somebody take the initiative to commit their story to film and that is exactly what we have before us. And what better way to celebrate the career so far then to do so at the Fantasia film festival – which also takes place in the same province that birthed the band. Some things were meant to be; because we are all connected.
See Also: Bookworm at Fantasia Fest 2024
The project comes off the back of a successful Kickstarter campaign that saw director Felipe Belalcazar raise just over $32,000 towards the production costs – surpassing the initial goal of the campaign and making this whole thing a reality. (There’s still tee-shirt rewards available, by the way. Check the kickstarter out here).
The film features some key figures in the heavy music world talking about their love for Voivod while trying to explain just how special of a band they truly are. People such as Dan Swano (Edge Of Sanity), Tom G. Warrior (Celtic Frost), Luc Lemay (Gorguts), Danko Jones, Tobias Forge (Ghost), Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth), Ivan Doroschuk (Men Without Hats), Zach Blair (Rise Against) as well as Jason Newstead (Metallica) and Eric Forrest (Quo Vadis) speaking on their time in the band.
Part of me, a sadistic part; hoped that like Lemmy, the documentary film on Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead that premiered at Fantasia Festival in 2010, this film would feature interviews from members of Metallica, so we could again boo the hell out of them like was the case when Lemmy played.
While not without its flaws – camera work where limbs are sliced off for example, We Are Connected strives on its strengths. Here is a story that needs telling about a group of misfit kids from Jonquière, Quebec that found success by doing whatever the hell they wanted – not what every other band was doing and certainly not what the record labels wanted them to do. There’s something profoundly beautiful about that.
One of the really cool parts of We Are Connected is the animated segments by Jaan Silmberg that bring the artwork of Voivod drummer and founding member Away to life. Much of that artwork, as well as Away himself, were on display earlier in the day over at Bbam! Gallery – an art gallery and record shop owned and run by Ralph Alfonso who was at one point in time head of promotions at Attic records, a beat poet and formidable photographer
Years in the making and produced with full access to the band’s archives, Felipe Belalcazar’s illuminating We Are Connected brings the story of a groundbreaking career of forty-plus years to the screen with energy, insight, and a palpable sense of love.
Hearing people from around the world talk about Denis “Piggy” D’Amour with such love, for him as well as his music, is truly amazing. Un p’tit gars de chez nous! From personal stories to breaking down his incredibly weird guitar chords and technique, these were heartwarming moments. Hearing his closest friends and bandmates Away and Snake, talking their friend in his best moments, and on his final moments, was both sad and uplifting and profoundly special. We Are Connected is a film that all music lovers should see.
Despite the film’s running time of two and a half hours, it could have easily been double that. That is the massive impression that Voivod has had not only on music but on Quebec’s society in general. Besides Luc Lemay, there are probably enough local musicians and bands that could have spoken about what Voivod and their music means to them for a further five or six hours – and those in attendance tonight at Fantasia festival would have sat through it all, listened, and loved every moment of it.
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I, myself, am not originally from Montreal or even Quebec but have lived him long enough to feel a certain sense of pride whenever somebody talks about Voivod. Having emerged much of my life in the world of music, especially the heavy and extreme sides of it, Voivod will always hold a special place in my heart. They were the first band I ever saw live and they have undoubtedly shaped me every since.
At one point, I gazed down upon the audience from my perch in the last row of the theatre, and took note of all the people in attendance, many I have known in some way or another for decades, and realized that we were all there for one reason. Over all these years, we were all connected. By our love for music, by our love for Voivod.
