A dying man in Quebec was allowed to see Dune: Part Two several weeks early thanks to a local charity and director Denis Villeneuve.
As reported by Global News, the middle-aged patient — whose identity and illness have remained private — was in a palliative care facility in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean in northern Quebec in early January and told his caretakers that he was a cinephile and wanted to see Dune: Part Two before passing away.
This led them to contact, Josée Gagnon, founder of the Quebec charity L’Avant which aims to help people realize their dying wishes. At her husband’s suggestion, Gagnon posted on Facebook to share her patient’s story in hopes of reaching Villeneuve. Eventually, word reached Quebec filmmaker Sébastien Pilote (Le Démantèlement), who was able to get her in contact with Villeneuve’s team.
Initially, Tanya Lapointe, the Quebec producer of Dune: Part Two and wife of Villeneuve, had suggested flying the man out to Los Angeles or even bringing him to the February 28th Montreal premiere. However, Gagnon noted that he was too ill to travel, so the only solution would be to bring the movie to him.
So, Villeneuve’s team arranged to have his assistant fly to Quebec with his laptop on January 16th so the patient could watch the film. After signing a non-disclosure agreement, the patient and a caregiver of his choice were allowed to watch the film.
“It was this really big deal,” Gagnon told Global News. “I was told even the President of the United States wasn’t able to see it before its release.”
She noted that due to the Dune: Part Two‘s meaty nearly three-hour runtime, the man didn’t have the strength to watch the entire film, but “adored” what he was able to see. Sadly, he passed away a few days later.
“’It’s for him, it’s for that man that we make films,'” Gagnon said Villeneuve and his team told her.
Dune: Part Two is now playing in theatres worldwide.
Image credit: Warner Bros.
Source: Global News, Josée Gagnon
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