Canadian auteur Denis Côté has consciously avoided big-budget films or mainstream Hollywood throughout his career, partly because he was prevented from doing so by a progressive kidney disease.

But now his health problems are increasingly fading into the background after a kidney transplant in August 2023 thanks to a donor friend.

“It is an absolute miracle and I am forever grateful to my donor, who is also completely healthy,” says Côté The Hollywood Reporter.

What you also see in the rearview mirror are scenes from Côté’s latest short film, Days before Nicky’s deathwhich contains long scenes in which Nicky, a young woman, backs up or drives on the highways of Quebec in French-speaking Canada, as the film was shot entirely from a car over two days.

Days before Nicky’s death will have its world premiere on Thursday afternoon at the Locarno Film Festival, where Côté’s 2010 feature film also premiered. Curling And Skin so soft, a 2017 publication about bodybuilders that combines documentary and fictional elements.

Before his recent appearance in Locarno, after seven of his films were screened at the Swiss festival, Côté spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about experimental filmmaking in French-speaking Canada and the benefits of making films with reduced crews and budgets.

Where did the idea for Days before Nicky’s death come from?

Not that it hasn’t been done before, but I’ve always had the fantasy of shooting an entire movie in a car. The United States of America by James Benning and Bette Gordon is also a reference. But mainly I wanted to make a film that is a title. What I mean by that is that once you read the title, you are somehow contaminated and you go into active/waiting mode. Even if nothing much happens on screen, the experience itself creates tension.

When you direct films, you are, like the audience, an observer, as you offer little to no narrative. So are you still the iconic Quebec auteur?

The term “auteur” may sound a little derogatory coming from some people in the industry. Let’s just say that I like to make the films I want to make. If that limits me a little, I can live with that.

In this short film you work mostly with one actor. Does that mean the film was mostly scripted and rehearsed with Erin Margurite Carter, or did you allow her to improvise?

We wanted to do a no-budget experiment. The lead actress, Erin Margurite Carter, is the girlfriend of cinematographer Vincent Biron. There were only three of us in a car, coming back from a festival in Quebec. Everything you see in the film was planned. We even had to find someone with a gun somewhere on the street. So let’s say it was “scripted”. Most of the film was shot in five hours on the first day. We took a break to get some sleep and continued working for three more hours the next day.

Is this short film in the format of the films you are known for: small budget, small cast and small crew?

It will always be very important for me to do these smaller films. I like to approach filmmaking like an artist approaches painting. You have to constantly work on refining your signature and your vision of the world. Some days you take a small step, the next day it’s more ambitious. You never know what it’s worth, but it keeps you going and alive. Most people in the film business envision ambitious and high-budget projects and bet on their future success. It’s very demanding and very stressful. I do smaller projects. Even my high-budget films are not that high-profile. I’m perfectly comfortable with that.

To keep the budget low, there appears to have been little makeup, costumes or additional costs. The shoot looks pretty stripped down. One cameraman, natural light, no soundtrack...

Indeed. No additional sound other than what came directly from the cameras. The final sound is completely recreated in post-production.

Sometimes it snows in the short film. Sometimes the highways or the city are dry, the snow has melted. Consistency was important to you? Or did you not want to focus too much on production values ​​and just make a film?

Consistency is not important in this film, but you could also say that Nicky was faced with different weather conditions in the days leading up to her death.

I remember Vic + Flo saw a bear (Cots 2013 (drama that premiered in competition in Berlin) two released prisoners live in a forest. And Curling (his drama, which premiered in Locarno in 2010) begins on a highway lashed by snowstorms. Should we assume that bad things happen to the characters in your film in the Quebec countryside, including gruesome deaths?

I’m a very urban person. The city could be called my safe place, so it’s harder for me to get inspiration from it. The countryside is more of a mysterious and unknown environment for me. I can turn it into something mythical, invent crazy stories, darker secrets and the usual narrative stuff. Things I know nothing about excite me more.

In a previous interview you spoke about health problems – you suffered from progressive kidney disease that required dialysis. I read that you had a kidney transplant with a friend. Have these chronic health problems improved?

Yes, fortunately! It happened on August 29, 2023. Since then, there have been many weekly and bi-weekly hospital appointments in my life, but things are calming down now. I attended the Berlinale in February. I am now in Poland and will be in Locarno soon. I am happy to report that my new kidney has been working well for the last 11 months without any major problems. I remember filming Mademoiselle Kenopsia in September 2022 and it was very tough, with 15 percent kidney function. Well, even though it is a very small project, it was really exciting to shoot Days before Nicky’s death with a healthy mind and body. It’s an absolute miracle and I am eternally grateful to my donor, who is also perfectly healthy. Looking back, it’s pretty amazing that I was able to make all these films with a chronic illness. Let’s see what energy and inspiration I’ll have for future projects.

When your health improves, can we expect Denis Côté to work with bigger budgets, perhaps even as a commercial producer? Hollywood lives in hope.

I’m 50. I’ve made a name for myself in the auteur category and people keep saying that I make “festival films”. I’m happy with that and I’m free. Hollywood isn’t a big favorite for me.

Do you like Locarno and why?

I have premiered seven feature films in Locarno and now this short film. I have experienced six different artistic directors who have tried to keep Locarno as it is: a truly safe haven for auteur filmmakers like me and many others. The festival has always maintained a strong signature and is held in a beautiful location. Locarno has a special place in my heart and in my career.