Swimming in the third act

Maya Lussier-Séguin, BFA (film studies) 10, is making waves throughout the documentary film world. Her new film Swim for Life (original French title, Troisième Nage) is about four competitive swimmers, each in their 80s or older.

Just this year, Swim for Life was broadcast on the French public television network France Télévision in over 17 regions. It was screened at international festivals in San Francisco, Calif., and Paris.

Lussier-Séguin recounts her experiences during the last three years working on this project.

Moving to Paris and getting established as a young filmmaker in a new environment must have been very difficult, especially fresh out of school. How did you manage?

Maya Lussier-Séguin: “Difficult isn’t strong enough a word to describe what a nightmare it was! Without any contacts, any networks and no real work experience, nobody wanted to give me a chance.

After three months of looking I finally met someone who told me the best way to get started in this industry was to find an internship. I called the Office Franco-Québécois de la Jeunesse, and they told me that if I found a company willing to accept me as an intern, they could actually finance part of my internship.

Another four months passed and I still hadn’t received any call-backs. I was really close to giving up; I couldn’t stay in France doing nothing.

I remember it was early February. One of my friends in Montreal called and directed me to a producer who might be able to give me some help. The next day I received a call. I started my internship the week after.

That moment was such a pivotal point in my life because two more weeks of looking without any results would have led me on a totally different path.”

When did you decide to do a film on these veteran swimmers?