Robert Fortier
Directing
Biography
Canadian filmmaker Robert Fortier is known for "Harmonium in California," "The Mad Canadian," "The Devil at Your Heels," and "Murder Remembered - Norfolk County 1950"
Known For

Devil at Your Heels, traces the trials of stuntman Ken Carter who attempts a death-defying aerial jump in a car. Not content with a normal jump, Ken Carter attempts a jump from Canada to the USA. This feature-length documentary shines a light on the intense preparation that led to Carter’s first attempt to jump a car across a mile-wide stretch of the St. Lawrence River – a 5-year period during which the dare-devil raised a million dollars, erected a 10-storey take-off ramp and built a rocket-powered car. Winner of the Canadian Screen Award for Best Feature Length Documentary at the 4th Genie Awards in 1983.
The Devil at Your Heels

Through concerts and interviews, folk-progressive group Harmonium takes Quebec culture to California. This documentary full of colour and sound, filmed in California in 1978, recounts the ups and downs of the journey of the Quebec musical group Harmonium, who came to feel the pulse of Americans and see if culture, their culture, can succeed in crossing borders.
Harmonium in California

A young engineer returns to the home of his parents and computer whiz brother after his promising career abruptly falls apart. A troubled teen struggles to overcome peer pressure and his own criminal impulses when his latest arrest derails the life of his single mother. An intensely jealous boyfriend's spying and scolding ways rapidly escalate to full-blown stalking. Keanu & Co. presents three specials originally directed for the NFB’s Family Crisis Series in 1985 and 1986, restored for the home video market as a single anthology film.
Keanu & Co.

A man videotapes a confession of a long-held secret to his family.
A Single Regret

In 1976, Canadian stuntman Ken Carter declared his intention to jump a mile over the St. Lawrence Seaway in a rocket powered car. In 2008, Canadian musician Mark Haney declared his intention to pay tribute to Ken Carter in the form of a concept album for solo double bass. In 2011, Canadian filmmaker John Bolton declared his intention to make a "musical docudrama" about both men. Aim for the Roses is a one-of-a-kind film, about a one-of-a-kind album, about a one-of-a-kind stunt, all three of which could only happen in Canada.
Aim for the Roses

A young engineer returns to the home of his parents and computer whiz brother after his promising career abruptly falls apart.
Out of a Job

A troubled teen on the verge of suspension from school must learn to resist the allure of street crime.
One Step Away

The recounting of a deadly Canadian bank robbery in the 1950's and the resulting massive man hunt for the killer.
Murder Remembered - Norfolk County 1950.

A tense, tight close-up of stunt man Ken Carter's role on the stock-car racing track. Risking life and limb to rocket a car from a ramp over a parked line of cars takes more than the will to make a living. What else is involved is shown by the film as the camera looks and listens while the stunt man readies for his act and then makes his wild ride.
The Mad Canadian
Family Crisis Series short directed by John N. Smith
A Gift for Kate
A hymn to love and life, this film without commentary establishes through images a striking parallel between the serenity that times of peace bring to men and the anguish caused by the disasters and horrors of war. Archival footage, in black and white, was used to illustrate the moments of combat while an extremely agile camera captured in color the rural setting in which a young couple of lovers frolic. Hymne à l'amour et à la vie, ce film sans commentaire établit par l'image un saisissant parallèle entre la sérénité qu'apportent aux hommes les temps de paix et l'angoisse qu'engendrent les désastres et les horreurs de la guerre. Des métrages d'archives, en noir et blanc, ont été utilisés pour illustrer les moments de combat tandis qu'une caméra extrêmement agile a capté en couleurs le décor champêtre dans lequel s'ébat un jeune couple d'amoureux.
End of a Summer Day

An intensely jealous boyfriend's spying and scolding ways rapidly escalate to full blown stalking.
Running Scared

A profile of Canadian pro cyclist Steve Bauer produced by the National Film Board of Canada