Online cinema
La vidéo, à part et… Entière: Helen Doyle
Martine Asselin
Third in a series of 13 television programs hosted by Marie-Michèle Cron, art historian and media arts critic. A look back at the beginnings of Vidéo Femmes with Helen Doyle, director and co-founder. Excerpts from Chaperons rouges; Les mots / maux du silence; and Les tatouages de la mémoire.
Les Hockey Moms
Anne-Marie Ngô
The story of this web series revolves around five women, five mothers, all completely different from one another. They all meet every Saturday morning in the stands of an arena for the children’s practice. This comfortable routine will be disrupted with the arrival of the coronavirus. Season 1: Hockey Moms in a Pandemic. When life was “normal”… It’s time for resolutions at the start of the year. A distant rumor of a pandemic is brewing, but the Moms are in denial. Season 2: Hockey Moms at Soccer. Under the guidance of the hockey coach, in order to keep the kids active during the summer, the Hockey Moms find themselves reluctantly in the stands of a soccer field. Insects, pollen, and the heat are all reasons that push the four friends to question their life choices. Season 2: Hockey Moms at Soccer. Under the guidance of the hockey coach, the Hockey Moms find themselves reluctantly in the stands of a soccer field. Insects, pollen, and heat are all reasons that lead the four friends to question their life choices.
Lucy Grizzli Sophie
Anne Émond
Sophie, hunted and traumatized, is looking for an escape. She books a room in a B&B hundreds of miles from where she lives. Upon arrival, she’s welcomed by Martin, who lives on the premises with his aunt Louise. Over the course of a few well-watered evenings, the man and the visitor form a disturbing bond… And what if Sophie’s presence in this remote hamlet wasn’t quite by chance?
Simple comme Sylvain
Monia Chokri
Sophia, 40, a chronic migraine sufferer and philosophy professor at a university for seniors, has been living with Xavier, a political science professor, for ten years. They have a comfortable life, and their relationship is quite stable despite their inactive sex life. They don’t complain about it, but something is obviously off. Otherwise, they enjoy a rich, happy social life with their friends and respective in-laws. Sophia’s existence is turned upside down when she meets Sylvain, an entrepreneur from the Laurentians whose lifestyle is the opposite of hers. As winter begins, she’ll leave everything behind for their burning passion, maybe the last one she’ll experience in her life.
Libres de choisir
Julie Boisvert
Élise Ekker-Lambert
Right to Choose plunges deep into the reality of front-line workers protecting the right to abortion. From Montreal to Gatineau to Fredericton, the documentary follows the work of doctors and nurses in clinics, as well as an expert who observes the rise of the anti-abortion movement by going out into the field. Their stories are accompanied by powerful testimonials from women who have experienced abortion, breaking the silence and isolation.
Après nous
Élise Ekker-Lambert
Following the lives of five young Quebecers committed to climate justice and determined to change the course of history, After us gives voice to a generation that refuses to succumb to despair and challenges inaction as time is running out.
Au pays des cratères
Élise Ekker-Lambert
Gaël Poirier, an expatriate from Témiscamingue, is concerned about the mining boom linked to the energy transition plan, one of Quebec’s largest industrial projects. In Abitibi-Témiscamingue, as in several other regions of the province, open-pit mines will soon exploit critical and strategic minerals, essential resources for the battery industry. What will the impacts be on the territory and its residents? Is this the best plan for the transition? Episode 1 | Return to the Source Episode 2 | Anishnabe-aki Episode 3 | The Crack Episode 4 | Transition Episode 5 | What If There Is No Moon
Billy
Lawrence Côté-Collins
Filmmaker Lawrence Côté-Collins finds her attacker in prison. She wants to understand, forgive, and support a suffering man. Billy is schizophrenic and his worst attack left two people dead. Their epistolary prison friendship sheds light on the truth about this mental illness which was neither diagnosed nor treated. Together, they tell their stories and reconstruct themselves through intimate correspondence and unpublished video archives.
Synthèse III: Le cas Catherine Daviau
Maude Petel-Légaré
On Thursday, December 11, 2008, Catherine Daviau was raped and murdered in her home in Montreal’s quiet Rosemont neighborhood in Montreal. Before fleeing, the murderer attempted to burn her body. Neighbors were alerted by the fire raging in the ground-floor apartment. Thirteen years later, her murderer is still at large. Episode 1 | The Case of Catherine Daviau Episode 2 | The Rosemont Neighborhood Episode 3 | Who is Catherine? Episode 4 | The Aggressor Episode 5 | Composite Portrait and Forgotten History Episode 6 | Catherine Daviau: All Women
Le pain perdu
Abeille Tard
A voiceover describes the artifacts left behind by a family member who died of wounds during the First World War. His diary, a slice of bread still wrapped in paper…
Déconstruire
Lucile Parry-Canet
Deconstructing is a short film that introduces us to a new, more sustainable way of (re)enhancing the value of the materials that make up our buildings. Unlike demolition, deconstruction requires planning… But it opens the way to a world of possibilities: reuse, a circular economy, and reduced environmental impacts. This film aims to sow the seeds of the idea—and, above all, the desire—to change our habits. Because giving materials a second life also means building differently.
Résonance
Lucile Parry-Canet
A territory unfolds. Three bodies, three moments, three environments. How long is a moment? Where does the sea meet the sky? When does a body touch space? Résonance, a poetic investigation of the space that lives between us.
Unempty Space (間)
Lucile Parry-Canet
間 | Unempty Space shows how sensitivity can fill someone’s feeling of emptiness inside and help them connect with what is larger than themselves. This topic is particularly important currently as many people question what is meaningful in a world where they have lost faith in the system and where climate change is an international emergency. In the 5-minute film, we see my brother lost in a winter landscape. As he observes and connects with his surroundings, the seemingly empty grey space no longer represents a negative void but something full and profound. This notion can relate to the Japanese concept ‘Ma’ which translates to “space between”.‘Ma’ is a sense of place in relation to the whole (1). It says emptiness, but it is an emptiness where there is an abundance of energy. This is depicted by its character ‘間’ which refers to the sun in between gates (2). The literal translation “space between” is not a static gap, it is rather the distance that exists between objects as well as between time. It is said to be “the silent pause…
Au nom de la mère et du fils
Maryse Legagneur
In the Name of the Mother and the Son paints a portrait of life in the Montreal neighbourhood of Saint-Michel for two youths of Haitian origin, whom we follow in their quest for hope and freedom. Not unlike their parents, who had to start from scratch on arriving in Canada, James and Le Voyou both yearn to take wing, each in his own way. The film is a cri de coeur to the women of Haiti whom we follow in their quest for hope and freedom.
Entends ma voix
Maryse Legagneur
Beyond the under-representation of minorities in mass media, the debate on equality now focuses on the very content of works. Among those accused of cultural appropriation, the show SLĀV, by Robert Lepage and Betty Bonifassi, sparked considerable controversy in Canada. Members of Afro-descendant communities denounced the lack of Black creators and actors in the show, which was ultimately pulled after only three performances. In the tumult of this controversy, all parties spoke, sometimes even shouted, but no one truly understood each other. In an effort to advance this social debate, the protagonists on both sides agreed to speak to journalist Véronique Lauzon and documentary filmmakers Maryse Legagneur and Arnaud Bouquet. They held out their microphones to both the SLĀV artists and those who were shocked by their creation. Through this documentary, the main stakeholders agreed to re-establish dialogue and speak openly, in the hope, perhaps, of reaching an understanding.
Solo
Sophie Dupuis
Solo tells the story of Simon, a rising star on the Montreal drag scene. It’s love at first sight when he meets Olivier, the new recruit to the bar-show where he performs. While Simon thinks he’s in for an electrifying love affair, a toxic and destructive dynamic develops between them. At the same time, Simon’s mother Claire, a famous opera singer, returns home to work after a 15-year absence. Fascinated by this woman, whom he hardly knows but idealizes, Simon persists in trying to create a bond with her. Weakened by the failure of these two impossible loves, Simon has no choice but to realize that he deserves better.
Partir pour la famille?
Hélène Bourgault
A feminist perspective on the history of contraceptive methods and women’s access to free and unrestricted abortion in Quebec. Fictional scenes retrace three women’s paths toward abortion. The history of contraceptive methods is then linked to capitalism’s labor needs. Excerpts from a women’s group discussion alternate with a demonstration of legal means of contraception and the suction abortion method. The women’s reflections and the voiceover commentary converge: contraception is the result of male research, but it is assumed by women and is more or less adequate. Under these conditions, abortion can become a necessity and, if practiced illegally, can lead to mutilation. For these women, the first step to liberation is awareness.
D’hier à demain – Les héritiers du Camp Bellefeuille
Dasha Vymetalova
“The magic is a strong and inexplicable impression that nature, art, or passions can create”. Located in the Pabos-Mills (Chandler) region of Gaspésie, Camp Bellefeuille has left a lasting impact on multiple generations of Gaspésiens and Gaspésiennes during its nearly 50 years of existence. Through this series, Les héritiers du Camp Bellefeuille (The heirs of Camp Bellefeuille), we introduce ten protagonists—former campers—as well as the camp’s founder, Martin Arsenault, and other professionals in the field who were profoundly influenced by their time at the camp.
Femmes en mouvement
Dasha Vymetalova
The documentary series Femmes en mouvement (Women in movement) explores themes related to the position of women in Gaspésian society, highlighting the evolution of women’s living conditions across different generations. The idea is to showcase the advantages and disadvantages experienced by various generations while also emphasizing the challenges women face in the community today. Each episode focuses on a theme that examines how women have shaped their destinies over time.
Les jours
Geneviève Dulude-De Celles
Doctoral student and part-time professor, Marie-Philip loves cats and Harry Potter. But a week before her 29th birthday, the young woman learned that she had breast cancer. For a year, without false modesty, we accompanied her through each stage while she confided with moving honesty. An ode to the life, courage and resilience of all those who fight daily against illness.
Quand santé mentale rime avec code postal
Gabrielle Thouin
Gabrielle Thouin was shocked to learn that her father had been denied mental health care several years ago. The reason: his place of residence. Gabrielle was stunned to learn that even today, people are still denied access to care because they don’t live in the right place. With her head full of questions, she learns how and why access to mental health services is regulated by postal code.
Poème fantôme
Laurence Olivier
Phantom Poem eludes both sight and sound. Super 8 footage of a haunted island merges with an astral soundtrack to echo its verses, revealing a striking dissonance: while our world seems to shrink with each passing day, the silent universe continues to expand.
Premiers jours
Clorinda Warny
An animated film created from pastel drawings, Premiers Jours (First Days) traces the complete cycle of life, from birth to adulthood, in four seasons, and through the evolution of landscapes that become human bodies.