The documentary Wibaux Wanted tells the incredible story of Pierre Wibaux, a Roubaix native who emigrated to the United States in 1883, through the letters he wrote to his brother. As well as recounting the fate of his ancestor, director Loïc Wibaux invites us to discover a whole part of the history of the USA and its pioneers. Gini Lorin, the program's international distributor at Script Line, tells us how the project succeeded in crossing the Atlantic to gain a place on the American channel PBS, and has no intention of stopping there.
Unifrance: In this documentary, Loïc Wibaux recounts the extraordinary story of his ancestor, a cowboy in the Great American West. It's a true family story...
Gini Lorin: The idea for the film stemmed from the curiosity of the director's 10-year-old son, who had heard of a cowboy in the family. Wibaux Wanted is the director's promise to his son to trace and film the story of their ancestor, Pierre Wibaux. He began researching and came across 350 letters written by Pierre Wibaux to his brother in Roubaix, northern France. These letters have exceptional calligraphy.
These letters tell the story of his life, his settling in, his difficulties, his doubts, and his questions. They constitute a goldmine of information and the framework for the project, a framework constructed with producer Chloé Guilbert at Artisans du Film. We follow in the footsteps of an entrepreneur who would today be called a serial entrepreneur, since in addition to being one of the largest cattle farmers in the United States, he bought a gold mine (the Clover Leaf Gold Mine in South Dakota) and opened a bank in Miles City, in a building known as the Wibaux Building.
Pierre Wibaux signed dollar banknotes, which is quite exceptional for a Frenchman. But this story is more than just a family legend: it's a Frenchman's success story rarely equaled in the United States. It's also an example of a major French industrial family investing in the United States.
The film is also a road movie that recounts the history and traditions of an entire region of the United States...
Loïc Wibaux: It's a journey in the footsteps of this ancestor, a pioneer of the American West who boarded the Servia in Liverpool on April 21, 1883. There's a road movie aspect, with great American landscapes, the discovery of places where Pierre Wibaux lived, the museum in which his effigy appears, and the statue erected in his honor. The film also shows what it was like to be a cattle rancher, with cowboy traditions still very much alive today. He was instrumental in changing the name of the town of Mingusville to Wibaux, in eastern Montana. The county is also called Wibaux. The name Roubaix was given to Lawrence County in the Middle-West (South Dakota) in honor of Pierre Wibaux, and which was the site of the ruins of the Clover Leaf mine he bought in 1899. He was one of the largest cattle ranger in the United States, with 65,000 cattle.
GL: He chose this destiny and pursued it deliberately, despite some very difficult times: his first winter decimated a large part of his herds, he suffered reverses of fortune, death threats, and cattle thefts. After the enthusiasm of the early days, doubts and homesickness sometimes followed.
All the elementss seem to be in place to appeal to the American public?
LW: It's a regional film, shot in Montana. The cowboy myth is the foundation of the American dream and has spread throughout the world. This film takes a different approach from Hollywood: here, we're dealing with reality, and the story is told from the inside. The communities that exist today in these regions were established at the time of the conquest of the West, and Americans are eager to learn about the history of the pioneers, as they are very attached to their European roots. Pierre Wibaux had become friends with Roosevelt. They were neighbors, arriving at the same time and at the same age. Roosevelt is one of the figures on Mount Rushmore and one of America's favorite presidents.
There's a real historical dimension: the film will be used for educational purposes, with a heritage aspect. There's also an interview with Mike Archdale, a history teacher with a passion for the history of pioneers like Pierre Wibaux.
For the same reasons, the film also has all the elements to appeal to a wide French and European audience. It provides a better understanding of the descendants of these pioneers, whom we know so little about in France. Sales in the United States should attract the attention of new distributors in France. It's an invitation to travel.
Gini, how did you decide to join this project for international distribution, and what attracted you to this documentary?
GL: My interest was captured from the very first seconds of the trailer by the music and images that evoke the Great American West, which I was lucky enough to discover a few years ago. The film immediately draws the viewer into an unexpected story, set against a backdrop of mythical landscapes. There's an emotion that emanates from this universal quest for family roots, tracing the traces of the past. Then there's a fascination with the central character, who truly embodies the American dream. No longer a concept, the film gives us the opportunity to follow this journey as closely as possible. It's a magnificent example of an entrepreneurial success story. Writing letters to his brother enabled him to confide in us about the other side of the story: behind this life far from his family sometimes lies nostalgia for home. With thoughts of their father. And then there's the journey of an entire adult life, with a final letter that takes stock of the whole experience. Each spectator will find an invitation to reflect, according to his, her, or their own story. It's also fascinating to follow how the character built his legend, his sense of communication, to leave indelible traces of his passage.
There was an obvious international scope and all the cards in hand to sell the film outside France. Shooting wasn't yet complete when I arrived, and there was one last part that was finalized in the spring of 2022 in Montana.
You convinced PBS and managed to bring the film to American screens, which is a rare feat. How did this happen?
GL: PBS is indeed an exacting network. I had an American version of the trailer to sell. I believed in the quality of the film, so I persevered through every stage of the sale. We had to add an English voice-over to the French interviews, and Loïc Wibaux found the perfect cast. The producer and I were worried that the accent would be too British, but my buyer immediately approved of the direction and quality of the voice. The heritage aspect was also a big plus. The director's strong desire to see this sale through was an additional motivation.
LW: And it's not over yet!
The first broadcast on PBS took place on September 9. Have you had any initial feedback? What is your strategy for the future?
GL: PBS rolled out a major campaign 10 days before the first broadcast. Linear broadcasting began on September 4 on PBS - HD, the main channel aimed at a wide audience. From September 9, broadcasting was extended to PBS - WORLD, a channel aimed at an adult audience that offers investigative and documentary programming, including biographies. The 32-page September 2023 broadcast catalog features Wibaux Wanted at the top of the cover, showing just how popular the film is. PBS was the perfect channel for a first international broadcast. Canada and Australia have also been canvassed, with initial interest from Canada. A meeting with PBS New York is scheduled for MIPCOM.
What are Script Line's future projects?
GL: After this first agreement with PBS, Script Line will propose a new project to the American network. Director Loïc Wibaux is keen to focus on the natives of the continent, the Lakota Amerindians, to get another view of the same era. The film will again be produced by Chloé Guilbert at Artisans du Film.
Script Line has also approached PBS Thirteen for another Occitania-produced documentary, currently in pre-production, which will be shot largely in New York and already has a French regional broadcaster. It has also positioned itself for an 80 x 3 minute documentary to be shot on several continents, Le tour du monde en 80 minorités (Around the World in 80 Minorities), with a duo of directors from the Occitania region.
Script Line is active in environmental issues, distributing several documentaries on the subject. Objectif 2050, produced by PVS Company and directed by Marc Augey, will soon be broadcast on TV Monaco. The film warns of global warming in the Alps through the eyes of two mountain guides.
The impact of environemental issues is very much present in the editorial line-up, with a very recent premium acquisition, in certain territories, on a powerful subject focusing on the ocean, with breathtaking images. And a collection focusing on local NGOs with a pilot filmed in Tanzania by Laureline Amanieux and Bekaï Hebib, L’Escouade du cœur en Tanzanie - a magnificent initiative by Heart Squad, the NGO founded by Bekaï Hebib to support women in particular, who are working to preserve the planet and all those who inhabit it.
In terms of documentary production, the company is working with director Romain Vaudaux on a 52-minute film entitled TEMPO!, an artistic creation between choreographers and disabled people. On the fiction production side, several series are in development. True crime, espionage, geopolitics, societal, and historical subjects - all these themes are central to the editorial approach, with meetings planned at MIPCOM. A meeting is also scheduled in Cannes with a Chinese producer for a format adaptation. It's an addictive thriller about amnesia, identity theft, and manipulation.
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