Documentary on Leonardo da Vinci by former Dubai-based artist gets international attention

Dubai, UAE, July 20, 2017:  Canadian University Dubai and Sylvain Tremblay, a Montreal/New York based artist and former lecturer in Art History at the University, recently premiered a documentary titled The Master Project: Leonardo Da Vinci, which follows the life of the renowned Renaissance artist at the Chateau du Close Luce in Amboise, France. 

The documentary follows Tremblay as he explores Leonardo Da Vinci’s life from his birth in Tuscany to his death at the Chateau du Close Luce. The film was shown by the Chateau as part of their 500th anniversary celebrations. In addition, Tremblay also painted a portrait of Da Vinci in the garden of the Chateau du Close Luce following the premiere.

Tremblay was inspired to create the documentary, with director Stephane Chabas, Canadian University Dubai’s Media Specialist and Audio Visual Technician, while working at the University in 2015.

“I was thinking of ways to capture my student’s attention and inspire them and certainly Leonardo Da Vinci is one of the greatest masters that the world has ever seen, so it made sense to start with him because he was a genius in everything he tried, invented and created,” he explains. “The more research I did, the more I thought that these stories would be interesting to the public.”

“As a leading university in the UAE, and a center for creative innovation and leadership, we were happy to produce this documentary with Sylvain,” said CUD’s President and Vice Chancellor Dr. Karim Chelli. “Da Vinci was an inspiring man whose influence is still felt around the world and as educators of the world’s future creative leaders and innovators; we are always keen to find new ways to bring his teachings and learnings to our students, this documentary is one of the ways we are doing this.”

Told from the point of view of Tremblay, the documentary intersperses images of the cities where Da Vinci lived and worked throughout his life with interviews with experts and close ups of his inventions, paintings, sculptures and scientific works. Moreover, the film features footage of Tremblay painting a collage of some of the Da Vinci’s greatest works and influences.

Following the documentary’s premiere at the Chateau du Close Luce the film will also be shown at Canadian University Dubai in September. The painting, which was completed as part of the film, is on display at the University’s Dubai campus.