From musical theater to the director’s chair, French-Canadian/American filmmaker Sergine Dumais has built a career that bridges art forms, languages, and cultures. An actress turned director, Dumais has quickly established herself as a bold storyteller whose work resonates across borders.
Her latest short film, Escape Artist, represents a milestone: her first project in her native French. The film premiered at Dances With Films 2025, a festival known for spotlighting bold new voices. Shot in Montreal at the emblematic TOHU circus venue with an entirely local crew, the film embodies Dumais’s desire to honor her roots while connecting with global audiences.
“For my second film, I wanted to go all in,” she says. “It was a fabulous full circle moment for me. It’s an incredible honor to represent Canada and Quebec at international film festivals. I’m proud to share the talent and heart of our team and to bring a little French-Canadian joie de vivre to the world.”
At its core, Escape Artist is about avoidance; the ways people sidestep uncomfortable conversations in relationships and the heartbreak that can follow. For Dumais, it’s not just about entertaining audiences but about sparking dialogue.
“We’ve all been heartbroken by somebody who avoided conflict, commitment, or intimacy or, worse, we’ve done the heartbreaking ourselves,” she reflects. “That, to me, is the magic of movies. You can explore any human experience, and if it works, an audience is entertained, engaged, and suddenly we’re connecting.”
That commitment to connection guided her casting choices as well. Working with legendary French-Canadian performer Bruno Pelletier was a dream come true. His on-screen chemistry with actress Émilie Josset brought the story to life and has already earned the duo two awards for Best Onscreen Duo.
With a career spanning theater, voiceover, and film, Dumais credits her diverse background with shaping her directing style. “Working with actors, bringing characters to life, creating performances audiences can connect with, that’s my favorite part of the process,” she says. Collaboration, too, is at the heart of her work. “I love when ideas can only come together once every collaborator is in the room.”
As a French-Canadian working internationally, Dumais finds her heritage infuses her perspective with both pride and universality. “Living in another country, and in a second language, is a tremendous privilege because you get to experience all the cultural differences like a newborn,” she explains. “And when you go back home, you see your own culture with fresh eyes.”
Her Canadian identity still shines through in her humor: “At the end of the day, I’m French Canadian wherever I am in the world. I like ketchup flavored potato chips, and I don’t want to argue about it. But what I do want to do is make movies that touch on things we all crave.”
Beyond filmmaking, Dumais is also shaping the next generation of artists as a faculty member at AMDA Los Angeles, the same school where she once trained. “Teaching is my most fulfilling and important role,” she says. “Young aspiring artists are some of the bravest people in the world. They inspire me and ‘force’ me to practice what I preach.”
With Escape Artist continuing its festival run, including a screening at the Lady Filmmakers Film Festival in Beverly Hills this September, Dumais shows no signs of slowing down. Whether through her films, her teaching, or her collaborations, she continues to craft stories that resonate far beyond borders.
Escape Artist will be screening at the Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills on September 28th at 9:15 pm as part of the Lady Filmmakers Film Festival. If you’re in the area, it’s a perfect opportunity to experience Sergine Dumais’s latest work on the big screen. And if you do attend, be sure to say hello!
Watch her first film, Wichita, on Amazon Prime.