Rob Munday

A touching tale of unexpected parenthood, Daniel Daigle’s 14-minute short film He’s Mine (C’est mon kid) examines the question: what would you do if today you learnt you were a father? A subtle film featuring rounded characters, director Daigle’s first short keeps production simple and lets its emotive storyline hook its audience with its engaging nature.

Taking elements of his own life and using them to mould his story, Daigle’s film may not be autobiographical, but its clear thoughts about his current position in life and where the future may take him, were playing on his mind when developing his story.

“Although He’s Mine is a fictional story, it’s still a very personal film where I put a lot of myself in it”, the director explains. “I truly believe building a family is one of the best things to look forward to. But I also believe you have to feel ready because it’s a life-long journey and you have to put everything you’ve got into it”.

This isn’t a film about preparing for a life-changing moment, this a film about the unpredictable challenges life can throw at you and how you deal with them. Though the situation Daigle’s protagonist finds himself in is extreme, the relatable message emanating from his film is surely that nothing can truly prepare you for parenthood. Whether you’ve been building up to that moment all of your life, or find it thrust upon you, looking after a child will be the hardest (and of course most rewarding) thing you do in you life.

A self-financed production (which the director describes as “literally no budget”), He’s Mine was shot with a Black Magic Cinema Camera (4K) in three days with a minimal crew. As his first production it seems as if the director learnt a lot through making his film. “Although the end result is a much grittier film than expected, the experience and knowledge I’ve gained will be invaluable for my future films”, Daigle reveals. “Knowing there is always a way to discover and improve with every new project, now that’s the beauty of filmmaking, and something to be excited about”.

Now in post-production on his second short film Night-time Garage (Garage de soir), whilst also developing his third…and writing his first feature, we look forward to seeing how to Daigle’s raw filmmaking approach develops over his career