Plus haut que les flammes

Plus haut que les flammes (Higher Than Flames Will Go) is a moving adaptation of Louise Dupré’s 2011 Governor General’s Award-winning book of poetry Plus haut que les flammes, recited in its entirety by actor Violette Chauveau, and filmed at various locations, including Auschwitz, Canada, Louisiana, Nicaragua, and Ukraine.
The poem, like the film, begins with the phrase “Ton poème a surgi de l’enfer” (Your poem rises up from hell). Shaken by a trip to Auschwitz and Birkenau, a woman tries to continue to live and care for a child. Because beyond the worst horrors created by humanity, there is childhood, for and through which time marches on. There are also those who watch over these small beings, working each day to keep them alive, clean, and safe. Weaving connections between different stories, realities, and landscapes, the filmmaker offers an anchor point for reflecting on the outcome and ensuring that those who will inherit the world are raised as high as possible, “higher than flames will go.”

Based on Louise Dupré's poem.

Monique LeBlanc

Direction & Screenplay

Director, actress, screenwriter, writer and producer Monique LeBlanc is a leading figure in the film industry in Eastern Canada, working in both documentary and fiction. Higher Than Flames Will Go is her third feature doc and fourth collaboration with the NFB.