Jean-Philippe Dion will take a look at the career of Gaétan Girouard, who was the first co-host of I alongside Jocelyne Cazin as well as a leading journalist at TVA.
The 60-minute documentary “Gaétan Girouard: Shock Wave” will air on TVA next January, coinciding with his death on January 14, 1999, which stunned all of Quebec. Mr Girouard took his own life at the age of 33 and left the country to mourn his partner Nathalie Préfontaine and their daughters Justine and Marie-Claude.
Jean-Philippe Dion, who has just won a Gémeaux prize for his show “La vérité nature”, will try to understand why Gaétan Girouard – whom he describes as a “seemingly indestructible man” but who silently harbored a need within him – which seemed insurmountable to him” – committed suicide in full splendor. Some have mentioned that the lawsuits against him as well as the JE show could be involved in this sad disappearance.
The co-hosts of “JE” Jocelyne Cazin and Gaétan Girouard on May 24, 1997. PHOTO CLAUDE RIVEST / LE JOURNAL DE MONTREAL
“Gaétan Girouard was a role model for me. His passion and style influenced my career and made me want to make documentaries. Having been involved in mental health for several years, I wanted to understand whether things have evolved in 25 years and, above all, find possible solutions to counteract this scourge of suicide,” said Jean-Philippe. Dion in a press release.
Maude Sabbagh’s documentary, produced by Productions Déferlantes in collaboration with Quebecor Content, is based on archive images and includes, among others, interviews with Jocelyne Cazin, Pierre Bruneau and Alain Gravel, her journalist colleagues, as well as with his partner and their daughters.
“TVA felt it was important to mark the sad anniversary of the loss of its star presenter with this humane documentary, which we believe will be useful as mental health is, more than ever, a high-profile issue in the news. This important content seeks to provide targeted solutions to guide people struggling with dark thoughts to resources they can embrace,” said Nathalie Fabien, TVA Group’s Senior Director of Channels and Programming.
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