Hugues Fortin was born and raised in Lac St-Jean, where he learned to drive a combine on the family farm. At the time he even cut down a few trees using a variety of mechanical devices and without apparent remorse. In 1990 he went into exile in Montreal and became an actor. He has performed at the TNM, the Espace Libre, the Rideau Vert, the Théâtre de Quat’Sous and in a number of city basements. He has also written and directed for the theatre. In 2000, he co-directed with Nathalie Cloutier the fiction documentary Meaculpa, a film by Maude Pelletier. Empreintes is his first solo effort.