Experiencing Interruptions?
Password

The Gardener

The Gardener is a documentary reflecting on the meaning of gardening and its impact on our lives.

Shortly before his passing at the age of 86, influential gardener and horticulturalist Frank Cabot recounts his personal quest for perfection at Les Quatre Vents, his twenty-acre English style garden and summer estate that was opened to a film crew for the first time ever in 2009.

Nestled amongst the rolling hills of the Charlevoix County in Quebec, Les Quatre Vents has become one of the world’s foremost private gardens. Created over three generations, it is an enchanted place of beauty and surprise, a horticultural masterpiece of the 21st century.

Through the words of Cabot and his family, and with the participation of gardening experts and writers, the film looks back at this remarkable man's personal story and the artistic philosophy that gave birth to one of the greatest gardens in the world.

  • Sebastien Chabot
    Director
  • Sebastien Chabot
    Writer
  • Sebastien Chabot
    Producer
  • Julie Dalbec
    Producer
  • Michael Slack
    Producer
  • Frank Cabot
    Key Cast
  • Anne P. Cabot
    Key Cast
  • Colin Cabot
    Key Cast
  • Jean Des Gagniers
    Key Cast
  • Adrienne Clarkson
    Key Cast
  • Tim Richardson
    Key Cast
  • Raynald Bergeron
    Key Cast
  • Father Louis Genest
    Key Cast
  • Penelope Hobhouse
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    History, Art, Horticulture
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 27 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    February 1, 2016
  • Production Budget:
    100,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    4K
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Quebec city film festival
    Quebec city
    Canada
    September 17, 2016
    World premier
    Audience Award for Best Canadian Feature Film
  • Planet in focus
    Toronto
    Canada
    October 21, 2016
    Toronto premiere
  • Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois et francophone de Vancouver
    Vancouver
    Canada
    February 11, 2017
    Vancouver premiere
  • Cape Cod International Film Festival
    Cape Cod
    United States
    May 13, 2017
    US premiere
    Official selection
Distribution Information
  • Films d'Aujourd'hui
    Country: Canada
    Rights: Theatrical
Director Biography - Sebastien Chabot

Director with a sensitive and creative approach, in 1995 after doing his first university short film, The Hourglass, he developed a keen interest about the art of filmmaking. After his studies, he worked for over 13 years as a television director and screenwriter. He has directed more than a dozen television series totalling over 120 hours of programming. The series that he made also won three Gemini Awards and have been nominated for the Rose d'Or prizes in Switzerland.

He completed in 2016 a feature documentary called The Gardener that he produced, wrote and directed. This film focuses on the gardens at Les Quatre-Vents in La Malbaie and their creator, the American philanthropist Frank Cabot. The Gardener won the Audience Award at Film Festival of Quebec City and it was presented to the festival Planet in Focus in Toronto.

Add Director Biography