"A behind-the-scenes peep of the sweet adventure": Canada releases its first book, Crème Caramel

Four years ago, production company Canada released Crème Caramel on the global video channel, Nowness. It’s safe to say it was a hit. The project was part of a larger series in which Nowness asked several directors to create six audio-visual pieces that conveyed their personal opinions on beauty, namely beauty of the body.

The body they chose could be male or female, one or many, the only stipulation being that each director had to take a specific detail and enhance it. Canada shot its contribution in a flat in Barcelona in March of 2014, deciding to focus on a compendium of details: “the sock band mark on the ankles after taking them off, the gloss of the lips,” for example. The video features a disembodied female voiceover describing their passion for the on-screen star. It’s only towards the end of the short that the revelation that the voice belongs to a crème caramel dessert occurs.

Throughout the film, the main character flips through a book containing a series of line drawings; some finished, some not. If, like us, you were a huge fan of the film at the time, you’ll be as pleased as we were to hear that the book is now real. With the same name as the original video, the publication features photos taken by Francesc Pascual i Torrens during the shoot, illustrations by Lope Serrano which also feature in the film, and was designed by Folch Studio.

A behind the scenes of Crème Caramel’’ is the first in a line of books that Canada is planning on releasing as part of its new publishing arm, Canada Books. “We’ve always thought of Canada as an open idea,” it explains of its production company, directorial duo and music label, “in the case of books, we like them and we need them. We’ve learned from books and we’ve expanded our imagination through books as well.”

This first edition is an extension of an actual prop that appeared in the popular video. After Francesc produced his own book containing the images from the shoot, Canada decided it was about time it did too. By also including the illustrations, A behind the scenes of Crème Caramel turns what was a narrative device into something tangible, enriching the entire project. Its cover is split in half using the brown and orange tones of a crème caramel, in what will become a recurring theme with all Canada Books: a neutral sleeve and an upper section more related to the context of the book.

“We’ve always thought it’s good to communicate the human factor, to show part of your process,” Canada tells It’s Nice That, “but to also be grateful to everyone who has been involved in the making. The publication therefore also becomes a homage to the huge team behind the original project. Moving forward, Canada Books will focus on anything and everything that the company admires. “Artists, writers, journalists, architects, singers, athletes, cooks or gardeners,” it remarks, “we don’t really care who they are, but what they do.”