Gilles Villeneuve, the late Canadian race car legend, shows his daring, aggressive style both on and off the Formula 1 track in the trailer for the Villeneuve: Rise of a Legend biopic set to world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.
Directed by Yan Lanouette Turgeon, the film stars Remi Goulet as the F1 car legend and charts his ascent to the dizzying heights of elite car racing, well before Villeneuve’s tragic death at Zolder in 1982. The iconic race car driver rose from poor and rural roots in Quebec, where he snowmobiled his way across Canada and eventually, due to an obsession for speed and checkered flags, reached the ranks of the international racing scene.
The film trailer, with Rosalie Bonenfant playing Villeneuve’s wife, doesn’t shy away from portraying the impact of his fame and fortune as an elite race driver on his family. After Villeneuve’s wife scolds him for deciding on his own to sell their home to bankroll his entry into top-flight acing, his father (played by Patrice Robitaille) warns his blank-faced son at another point in the trailer: “You have a family. You’re not alone anymore.”
Of course, Villeneuve brought that same single-minded and aggressive focus to the F1 race track to become one of the sport’s most respected daredevils in his red Ferrari. Written by Daniel Roby and Guillaume Lonergan, Villeneuve: The Rise of a Legend is produced by Christian Larouche, associated producer Tim Ringuette and co-producer Marc Cote. Christian Simoneau, Melanie Villeneuve and Fabrice Barrilliet executive produce.
“It is a privilege to launch the film at the Toronto International Film Festival and present it to an international audience. Gilles Villeneuve is an iconic Quebec figure whose legacy continues to resonate around the world,” Larouche and Ringuette said in a statement.
Le Pacte is handling international sales on the film set to close TIFF on Sept. 19.
