Sudbury filmmaker showcases city's people and possibilities

Mathieu Seguin has a deep appreciation for Sudbury, and he wants to spread a positive message about the city which he says "gave so much to me."

Seguinrecently moved back to Sudbury, after spending three years in Los Angeles, where he attended the American Film Institute.

He now plans to make Sudbury his home base once again, and after arriving back in northern Ontario in early June, he soon set to work on his first project a short video which he calls an "anthem" for Sudbury.

"Sudbury's an awesome place, and we should be proud of where we live," Seguin said.

'Sudbury is amazing'

The video, set to a track composed by Matthew Wiewel, the owner of Deadpan Studios, the video starts with a band in the studio, and then goes back and forth to people working in various industries, including farming and mining.

The video features some of those people spending time with their families showcasing both the business and personal sides of life in Sudbury. That balance is something Seguin said drew him back to the city,

"That's the draw to me, is the appeal of having a great lifestyle but also being able to do the work that you love doing," he said.

Seguin says he's particularly glad to be back in Sudbury after spending months sheltering in place in his small Los Angeles apartment.

"Sudbury is amazing. Especially during pandemic times where you have lots of places to go, you're not cooped up," Seguin said.

Filming during COVID-19

Seguin says filming and creating the video during a pandemic was "challenging, yes, but not impossible."

Crew members wore masks, and shifts were staggered to minimize the number of people working together at once, he says.

And despite the challenges, Seguin says he felt this was a particularly meaningful time to work on a project with an encouraging message.

"We need to show that despite the conditions that there's still positivity in the world. It's how we handle it" just like the entrepreneurs featured in the video, who continue to work and adapt.

He hopes the video will contribute to positive conversations about, and impressions of Sudbury.

"I don't really like what you see when you Google Sudbury," Seguin said.

"It's a rocky city, there's black rocks, the downtown is not the sexiest. And there's, you know it's not like Los Angeles where you have these beautiful trees everywhere, but you do have these amazing people that are doing incredible things."