At the Nation Forum in Montreal, Wil Aime revealed the bold plan that put Disney, Pathé and their rivals in the same theatre to land his film WHO.
Picture a movie theatre in France. In the seats: Disney, Pathé and a handful of their biggest competitors, all invited to the same screening. On screen: 30 minutes of a film nobody has seen yet. At the end, a single question, asked gangster style: who's taking it? On October 23, at the Nation Forum in Montreal, Wil Aime told the story of the plan that got his first feature film, WHO, onto the big screen and Disney+. And he had one piece of advice for the room: don't try this at home.
- October 23, 2026: Wil Aime takes the stage at the Nation Forum, at PHI in Montreal.
- The topic: how he convinced Disney and Pathé to distribute WHO, his self-financed psychological thriller.
- His move: rent an entire theatre, invite every competitor and show them 30 minutes of the film.
- His secret weapon: a “bible” of printed tweets from fans asking for a Wil Aime film.
- The result: WHO in theatres with Pathé, then on Disney+.
A wish list that seemed impossible
When shooting wrapped, Wil Aime and his team wrote down the distributors they dreamed of. At the top: Disney and Pathé, the French film distributor. The team's first reaction was to cross them off: no, that's impossible. A creator from the web, a self-financed thriller, no studio behind him. On paper, the door was closed.
One theatre, every competitor, 30 minutes
Instead of knocking on doors one at a time, the team flipped the script. They rented an entire movie theatre and invited several competing distributors on the same date. The request was simple: give us 30 minutes. In the room were Disney, Pathé and many others.
They showed 30 minutes of the film, kept the rest of the script secret and moved forward step by step. Then came the final question, straight out of WHO, a film about nine criminals forced to unmask a traitor: who's taking it?
A bible of printed tweets
The key element, according to Wil Aime, was not on screen. The team printed every tweet saying “we want a Wil Aime film” or “we want a Wil Aime series”. The pile was endless: a real bible of tweets.
The message to the distributors was clear: the demand already exists, the public is asking for it, and it is their role to make room for new creators and new kinds of writing. And as he put it, they found people with a very beautiful vision.
From “impossible” to the big screen
The two names that had been crossed off the list ended up on the poster. WHO was released in theatres by Pathé with special screenings on May 28 and 29, 2026, then landed on Disney+ on May 30. Read the full story of that release in our article on WHO and Disney+, and the behind the scenes in our article on the documentary L'Envers du Détail.
What is the Nation Forum?
Presented by Fondation Dynastie, the Nation Forum is an annual event in Montreal that brings together artists, creators and entrepreneurs from Black communities around cultural entrepreneurship. The foundation works for fairer representation of Black communities in arts, culture and media. This year, the Forum was held on October 23 and 24 at PHI, presented by SODEC.
Between the panels, the Forum also made room for artistic interludes, to discover and celebrate the talents who make the local scene vibrate.
Who is Wil Aime?
Born in 1995 and originally from Guadeloupe, Wil Aime made his name with videos built around riddles, where every detail counts and the twist changes everything. Before the camera, there was theatre, from age 11, and a master's degree in mathematics and probability. His videos have racked up hundreds of millions of views, and L'art de la tromperie alone passed 60 million. In 2026, he wrote, directed and produced WHO, his first feature film. He is part of the One Way roster.
Wil Aime at the Nation Forum: your questions
When was Wil Aime at the Nation Forum?+
On October 23, 2026, at PHI in Montreal, during the Nation Forum held on October 23 and 24.
How did Wil Aime convince Disney?+
He rented a theatre, invited Disney, Pathé and their competitors on the same date, showed them 30 minutes of WHO and presented a bible of printed tweets proving the demand.
What is the Nation Forum?+
An annual event by Fondation Dynastie in Montreal that brings together artists, creators and entrepreneurs from Black communities around cultural entrepreneurship. Learn more at nation-forum.com.
Where can I watch WHO?+
WHO has been available on Disney+ since May 30, 2026, after special theatrical screenings with Pathé.
A theatre, thirty minutes of film and a pile of tweets. Wil Aime turned “impossible” into a question every competitor wanted to answer first. Just remember his advice: maybe don't try it at home. And thank you again to the Nation Forum for the evening.
