From the Heart to the Core
Montreal Heart Institute
MAKERS — The Architects of Quebec’s Economy
A documentary film collection that brings Quebec’s economic history to life
- CLIENT Makers
- Industry Types Arts & Culture
Finance & Insurance
Community Organizations & Foundations - Video Types Brand Documentary
Context
Too many Quebecers still know little about their own economic history. Yet behind every major company, network and institution lies a human journey — and stories that transformed a society.
The 2 Square Films team created MAKERS, a Quebec economic history documentary collection, with a dual purpose: to strengthen economic and financial literacy, and to nurture an entrepreneurial culture by offering role models to a new generation.
The collection speaks to audiences curious about the roots of Quebec’s economy, and to entrepreneurs, business leaders and institutions who will recognize in these journeys a part of their own story.
Strategy
MAKERS is conceived as a collection of standalone feature documentaries built on a coherent editorial architecture.
Each film tells the life of a major figure in Quebec’s economic history — and, together, the films form a larger narrative: the story of Quebec’s economic power, from its origins to its contemporary transformations.
Our approach: tell the past in the present tense. Each film combines restored archives, historical scenes brought to life by actors in period costume, and exclusive interviews led by Bernard Derome — a living witness to fifty years of Quebec news — with families, historians, business associates and experts.
Results
The collection opens with two feature documentaries: Rodolphe Forget, Precursor of Quebec Inc. (45 min 50 s and 59 min) and J.-Louis Lévesque, from Finance to the Racetrack (59 min and 72 min).
The first film was broadcast on Télé-Québec, on television and online, from June 2022 to June 2026, and was an official selection at the Festival international du film d’histoire de Montréal (FIFHM) in 2022. Both films are now available on Savoir Média — web, app and broadcast — from September 2026 to September 2028.
Presented at premieres in Montreal, Charlevoix and New Brunswick, the films drew wide attention from both the public and the national and regional press.
MAKERS is only beginning. With one new film planned each year, the collection is set to become a reference in Quebec documentary filmmaking.
Two films, and a collection in the making
Each film in the MAKERS collection explores how one builder shaped Quebec's economy — and the world we live in today.
Rodolphe Forget, Precursor of Quebec Inc.
At the turn of the 20th century, Rodolphe Forget merged industrial empires and laid the groundwork for what would become Hydro-Québec. The film brings together 14 exclusive interviews and historical scenes recreated on real locations, with a cast of 13 actors in period costume led by Benoît Finley.
The film is available free and ad-free on Savoir Média, Quebec’s educational broadcaster, on the web, on television and through its app.
J.-Louis Lévesque, from Finance to the Racetrack
From the Great Depression to the 1970s, this son of the Gaspé built a financial empire, from Crédit Interprovincial to Lévesque Beaubien. The film combines 17 exclusive interviews with historical scenes shot in a virtual studio, blending virtual sets and physical period elements, with Mathieu Dufresne in the title role.
The film is available free and ad-free on Savoir Média, Quebec’s educational broadcaster, on the web, on television and through its app.
Bringing the past to life
Period scenes, on-location shoots, exclusive interviews and restored archives: the craft behind the MAKERS collection.
A financial tour de force
In a recreated 1950s banker’s office, Mathieu Dufresne as J.-Louis Lévesque pulls off a financial tour de force to fund the purchase of L’Industrielle, a Quebec City insurance company. The scene was shot in a virtual studio, blending virtual sets with physical period elements.
On set with historian Denyse Baillargeon
Our crew prepares an interview in which Bernard Derome speaks with Denyse Baillargeon, historian and professor emerita at the Université de Montréal, who places J.-Louis Lévesque’s career in the broader context of Quebec society — notably the role of religious communities, his first major clients.
Madame Francoeur arrives at the office
Madame Francoeur was stenographer and trusted confidante to Rodolphe Forget and his uncle Louis-Joseph Forget for many years. Her memoirs, published in 1928, offer a rare glimpse into daily life at the L.J. Forget & Co. brokerage house at the turn of the century, and inspired several of the film’s historical scenes.
Bernard Derome in conversation at the Mount Royal Club
At the historic Mount Royal Club in Montreal, Bernard Derome interviews Lise Casgrain, great-granddaughter of Rodolphe Forget, who brings a family perspective to the story of her ancestor.
What is MAKERS?
MAKERS (BÂTISSEURS in French) is a documentary collection produced by 2 Square Films about the great figures of Quebec’s economic history — financiers and entrepreneurs who built companies, networks and institutions that still shape Quebec today.
Where can the films be watched?
Both films are available on Savoir Média (web, app and broadcast) from September 2026 to September 2028. Rodolphe Forget, Precursor of Quebec Inc. was previously broadcast on Télé-Québec.
Who makes the films?
The collection is written and directed by Marie-Hélène Grenier and produced by Stéphane Landry at 2 Square Films, a Montreal creative agency and video production company. Interviews are conducted by Bernard Derome. Each production relies on a seasoned research team, university consultants specialized in economic history, and a dedicated post-production team for visual effects, archive restoration and the animation of period photographs.
Can a company or foundation take part in the next film?
Yes. We are always looking for the next subjects of the collection — a company, a family or an institution whose story deserves to be told — and for partners who share our conviction: telling yesterday’s success stories to inspire tomorrow’s entrepreneurs and, more broadly, helping build economic and financial literacy in Quebec.
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Old Montreal
85, Saint-Paul West Sreet
Montreal, QC
H2Y 3V4
(514) 525-1024
Plateau Mont-Royal
5255, Garnier Sreet
Montreal, Qc
H2J 3T3
(514) 525-1024
Executive Producers
- Marie-Hélène Grenier
- mhgrenier@2squarefilms.com
- Stéphane Landry
- stephanelandry@2squarefilms.com