Nomads on Wheels | Picbois Productions

Nomads on Wheels

Charles-Édouard, Pascal and Marie-Claude embark on a motorcycle journey to reach the Caniapiscau Reservoir, a landmark known for being the furthest from civilization, while still accessible by road in North America. This is an itinerary that very few motorcyclists have accomplished. While trying to “pause” their everyday lives and worries, they will attempt this mechanical, physical, and psychological challenge. With every kilometer travelled, our trio gets closer to the end of the road and learns to live life outside the comfort zone.

TV series

5 X 45 min

Historia

Vivéo

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Original Idea & Content Advisor

Charles-Édouard Carrier

Director

Émilie Gaudet

Production

Marie-Pierre Corriveau & Karine Dubois

Research & Screenwriting

Charles-Édouard Carrier & Catherine David

Genre

Documentary

Country

Canada

Original version

French

Format

Ratio

16:9

Duration

5 X 45 min

Sound

Stereo

Year

2022

Trailer

S01 E01

The great departure

Feverishly, the three motorcyclists meet up in Montreal for the big departure. They leave work, family and everyday life behind them to plunge into the unknown. On the road, they meet Marc Chartrand, initiator of the Sentier Trans-Québec, a new Quebec-wide trail for adventure bikes. Charles-Édouard does his first kilometers on gravel and learns to dance with his bike, while Marie-Claude and Pascal enjoy their first moments away from the city. Barely underway, the trio is already faced with a scheduling conflict.

S01 E02

Off the beaten track

Unpredictable road conditions cast doubt on the feasibility of the day's plan. The objective is to cross the wildlife reserve and Zec Kipawa into Témiscamingue to reach Pascal's hunting camp. Isolated and with no supplies available, Charles-Édouard, Marie-Claude and Pascal take on the changing terrain. After an obligatory night's camping, Charles-Édouard reaches his limit: what's the value of thousands of kilometers on asphalt in a journey dominated by sand and gravel? The camp stop is more painful than expected for Pascal, and Marie-Claude is well placed to understand.

S01 E03

The conquerors' route

The climb north is marked by a stop at the Porte de la Baie-James and a visit to Raymonde's museum, which Pascal christens "La gardienne de l'arche". Accompanying workers from the Selbaie camp to their drilling site, Charles-Édouard measures the immensity of the territory from the air. Marie-Claude is like a fish in water in the ruins of the ghost village of Joutel as she gets back to her agility challenges. The Billy-Diamond road through Cree territory in Eeyou Istchee is full of surprises for motorcyclists right from the start. The journey is well under way, and the encounters multiply as the miles go by.

S01 E04

When the power flows

The stop at Relais 381, the only refuelling point on the 620 km Billy-Diamond route, takes an unexpected turn when Charles-Édouard and Pascal break down with an all-terrain vehicle and Marie-Claude's motorcycle gets stuck in the mud. Will the spirit of camaraderie survive the approaching storm? In Radisson, the trio visit LG2's facilities and gain a better understanding of the scale of the James Bay project for Quebecers in the 1970s, as well as the impact it had on the Cree communities in the north of the province. A few hours before departure for the Transtaiga route, a little mouse appears in Charles-Édouard's luggage.

S01 E05

At the end of the world

With 2254 km on the clock, the final leg of the journey is underway. The group heads for Caniapiscau, the furthest point by road from any city in North America. Despite all the preparation, the riders and production team are surprised by the constraints of the Transtaiga. Renowned for eating up tires and cutting adventurers off from the rest of the world with a single refuelling and communication point for over 700 km, it does them no favours. After more than 20 days on the road, fatigue, stress and road conditions are testing the trio's patience to the limit. Could the approaching end be the beginning of something for Pascal, Marie-Claude and Charles-Édouard?

“I absolutely fell for this series. The spectacular presentation of the Quebec territory, places we’ve never seen, and especially the three protagonists who set off on this adventure […] who are go-getters.”

– Nathalie Petrowski, C’est juste de la TV

Awards and festivals

2022

Finalist – Prix Gémeaux – Meilleure réalisation : Émission ou série documentaire d’observation

2022

Finalist – Prix Gémeaux – Meilleure émission ou série documentaire d’observation

Impact campaign

Nomads on Wheels: A media junket for a documentary series, why not!

How to capture the public’s attention in the sea of content offered to viewers? Picbois has worked closely with its broadcasting partners to redouble its creativity. Here’s an example from our series Nomads on Wheels, broadcast on Historia.

More information

Credits

Original Idea & Content Advisor

Charles-Édouard Carrier

Director

Émilie Gaudet

Production

Marie-Pierre Corriveau & Karine Dubois

Research & Screenwriting

Charles-Édouard Carrier & Catherine David

Editing

Karine Paradis & Julian Morelli