At 60 years old, Johnny Libertella has lived his entire life in the Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie district. Like his parents before him, he lives just above his business on Plaza St-Hubert. This introvert has chosen to devote himself body and soul to his business. For more than three decades, he has stood religiously behind the counter of his boutique specializing in cowboy boots and only ventures outside the Plaza to see his only daughter every Sunday. This seemingly gloomy way of life nevertheless symbolizes happiness in Johnny's eyes: the freedom to lead an existence imbued with wisdom and humility where he can open up to the world in the comfort of his shop. His passion for sales is his way of opening up to life.
The Taj Mahal and shots of Jalandhar nestle between footage from Canada and Africa.
Montreal’s Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district, 1991. Eleven-year-old Delphis is a hoodlum in the making. Raised in an unstable, cash-strapped home environment, he runs away from school, engages in petty theft and sleeps under the stars. He chooses his emblem, the lightning bolt, and his nom de guerre: L’Ouragan (the Hurricane)! Just as he’s about to be nabbed by the cops, he’s rescued by a gang of punks who live in a commune. Ten years after the release of his cult short, Ara Ball brings Delphis and his misfit rebels back to the big screen. This hurricane has lost none of its impetus: spurred on by a killer soundtrack, it blows like a fierce call to resistance.
Montreal — one of the few remaining affordable cities in North America — is now in the midst of an unprecedented housing crisis. An intimate portrait of socio-political resistance, this multilayered film explores the human impact of real estate speculation on the cities of tomorrow.
Video Tour Montreal presents the summarized visit of the great city of Montréal all the way from district life to major touristic attractions such as St-Joseph Oratory, Mount-Royal, Old Montreal, Notre-Dame Church, Underground City, Downtown, Botanical Garden and Olympic Stadium. Video-Tour Montreal as excellent souvenir of the sights and sounds of exciting Montreal.
My Thu, an immigrant of Vietnamese origin who had to flee her country during the war, faces an eviction order from her Montreal apartment. In the midst of a battle against gentrification, she needs her daughter's help.
Directed by Ariane Louis-Seize, this tribute film was created as a gift for Lorraine Pintal, director of Montreal’s Théâtre du Nouveau Monde. Featuring some of the most memorable characters and performers of Pintal’s career, the film’s succession of surreal scenes from different dramatic worlds introduces viewers to the exceptional woman of theatre, stage director, and friend whom they consider to be the “ghost light” of Quebec theatre.
Young Chinese-Canadian Susan Yee gives a tour of Montreal.
This short documentary shows the reactions of European immigrants as they land in Halifax at the beginning of the 1960s. From the port, we follow them on a snowy journey by train to Montreal.
A documentary collage of sex worker activist interventions created from footage captured by HIV/AIDS activist at the Fifth International AIDS Conference in Montreal in 1989.
This short film introduces us to the "automatistes," followers of an abstract art form that developed in Montreal. The movement, initiated by Paul-Émile Borduas, is explained by the artists themselves when narrator Bruce Ruddick drops in at their cooperative studio. The film also captures painter Paterson Ewen at his home and joins the crowd at L'Échouerie, the artists' rendezvous spot. Dr. Robert Hubbard, chief curator of the National Gallery of Canada, comments on non-objective art in general and automatism in particular.
This feature documentary studies the different faces of Montreal’s Greek community in 1969. Instead of giving voice to the businessmen and well-integrated few, the film highlights the cultural and economic problems encountered by new immigrants and their families.
Ladies of good families and social standing come to have their afternoon tea with their daughters who will someday follow in the same tradition. A charming portrait of a time that is slowly disappearing.