Although Julien Hurteau set out to create a fictional town located along the American border for his new television series, Prescott, the director from Saint-Anicet filmed several scenes not far from home in Huntingdon.
“People will obviously recognize the downtown area, the water tower with the name ‘Prescott’ added to it, and the surrounding area,” Hurteau explained. To preserve the anonymity of the imaginary town, he also incorporated footage shot in Saint-Dominique, in Sorel-Tracy, and in the east-Montreal neighbourhood of Tétreaultville.
Hurteau was particularly keen to film in his home region. “I’ve always associated this part of the country with vacations and summer. Even though the region is less well-known or less popular than Saint-Sauveur or Mont-Tremblant, I wanted to showcase the beauty of the MRC du Haut-Saint-Laurent,” he said. “Prescott will likely run for several seasons, so I am happy to be able to continue introducing people to this place,” he added.
The series tells the story of Valérie Trudeau, the owner of the Prescott Motel, who discovers a body on her property. “It is a family drama with a crime twist set near the U.S. border. The motel serves as a gathering place for the village prison. Several people have their eyes on the area for arms trafficking,” Hurteau explained.
For now, filming for a second season has not been confirmed. “TVA will announce it eventually,” he said, while openly addressing the issue of funding for television productions. “Often, we get the green light very close to the first day of filming, which complicates things enormously since all the episodes are not written yet. It would be nice if the situation improved, but we make do with this reality. It is difficult to work in this context, but I’m not looking for an easy job,” he added.
Hurteau admits that Prescott has been a challenge. “There were not many shooting days; I won’t say how many, but it was definitely below average. I think the producers and broadcasters were expecting a large-scale series, and they liked the story,” he said. “We did not want to make excuses by saying we lacked resources. So, I adopted a documentary-style approach that allowed us to shoot more quickly. We could make mistakes, and they worked within the story.”
Some critics have criticized Prescott for its particularly dark, even gloomy atmosphere. Hurteau takes these comments in stride. “I take them as a compliment because there is a tremendous amount of work behind that atmosphere, and it is not easy to achieve,” he explained. “Often, these comments come from people who have only watched the first two episodes. By the time you get to the tenth episode, it is easier to understand the direction I wanted to take: to show the human side of the characters, the bright moments, and even the humour in the series, all while conveying the ever-present sense of danger,” he noted.
The director readily acknowledges that his visual style is edgy, raw, and very realistic. “You have to go all out. Those who love it, really love it, and those who hate it, really hate it.”
Although he studied at the Conservatoire d’art dramatique, Hurteau now considers himself to be more of a director than an actor. “I feel like I can contribute more to the world this way,” he said.
The possibilities are numberless for the young creator, who has several projects already under his belt. He particularly values his close collaboration with TVA, where his artistic freedom is well-respected. In fact, the network recently entrusted him with directing Même pas morte, an adaptation of Geneviève Rioux’s 2024 novel.
Prescott is available on the Illico+ platfom; however, the series could also air on TVA starting next January, while no official confirmation has been announced just yet.