Camfranglais

Born in Montreal to Haitian parents, Mylène Augustin has always had a strong interest in oral storytelling, a traditional form of expression that is deeply rooted in all Caribbean and African cultures. Fluent in four languages, she also has a passion for linguistic studies. In 2001, Mylène graduated from Concordia University in Spanish Literature and Society and has completed a postgraduate degree in Marketing at McGill University in 2005. After working for several years as a French copywriter and Web content editor, she enrolled in a ten-month intensive program in interactive media at the Institut National de l’Image et du Son (INIS) in 2013.

Mylène was first exposed to documentary film production at the National Film Board of Canada, thanks to a three-month internship she completed in 2014 at the English Program Quebec and Atlantic studio. Since then, she collaborated with the NFB as an associate producer on Gun Runners, a feature film written and directed by Anjali Nayar which premiered at the Hot Docs Festival in May 2016, and was selected among the top 20 audience favourites. Mylène was also an associate producer on Shaman, a first animation short by Inuk director Echo Henoche, and also worked in assisting veteran director Alanis Obomsawin on her latest films We Can’t Make the Same Mistake Twice and Our People Will Be Healed.

Camfranglais, a futuristic docufiction film written in collaboration with Feven Ghebremariam also marks Mylène’s debut as a film director.

(Image by Jean-Guy Thibodeau © 2011. Courtesy of L’inis.)

Born in Saudi Arabia to Eritrean parents, Feven Ghebremariam immigrated to Montreal in 1988. Her interest in media and the arts led her to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies at the University of Windsor. She gained first-hand film experience in a documentary class where she co-directed Dry Your Eyes Rwanda, a film focusing on the resilience of Rwandan genocide survivors living in the small city of Windsor, Ontario. This memorable experience inspires Feven until this day to provide a platform for immigrant voices.

In 2012, she directed Coming Home to Boon, a Super 8mm documentary portrait which premiered at the Festival du Nouveau Cinema in 2013. In the same year, Feven enrolled in a six-month intensive program in documentary directing at Institut National de l’Image et du Son (INIS). This led her to direct The Other Side of Her Path, a short film featuring a young Moroccan student and her venture into the liberating world of improvised music. In 2014, Feven co-directed Jeunes ailleurs, vieilles ici, an academic documentary commissioned by UQÀM’s Research Chair on Aging and Diversity. More recently, Feven co-write and co-directed a futuristic docufiction entitled Camfranglais with Mylène Augustin.

(Image via Main Film.)