A must-see summer event for documentary cinema fans in Montréal, this edition, available online, will feature 12 feature documentaries on TV5 platforms (website and applications for mobile and connected televisions) and will broadcast its competition of 24 short films, hosted on the platform of La Fabrique Culture. The films presented will always be followed by live discussions with filmmakers and experts on the issues discussed, in order to open spaces for dialogue and to lead the debate even further, all on the Facebook page of Cinema Under the Stars,
Cinema Under the Stars invites the public to settle on their balcony or in their backyard and send us the pictures of their homemade outdoor cinema!
PREVIEW OF THE PROGRAMMING
The festival will be launched live on the Cinema Under the Stars Facebook page on Tuesday, July 28, 2020 at 7:00 p.m., with the broadcast of the first documentary of this edition, Welcome to Sodom, which will be followed by a panel discussion on waste management and programmed obsolescence, with the presence of Amélie Côté, specialist in waste management. This opening film will be the first available on TV5 platforms at the end of the Facebook event.
From July 28 to August 20, a new documentary per week will be available, while from August 31 to September 24, two documentaries will be added weekly on the channel’s platforms. All feature films will be available for free for 72 hours in the digital world of TV5, after which a discussion will take place which includes the public. One week will be reserved for the short film competition from August 24 to 30, on the site of La Fabrique culture.
Always focused on national and international topics, the programming of Cinema Under the Stars will once again address the major issues of today: colonialism and racism, the environment, feminism, social struggles and class struggles, democracy, neoliberalism, artificial intelligence and privacy.
To kick things off, the documentary Welcome to Sodom (July 28) tackles the ecological issue with a film about a city-depot in the heart of Ghana, where the main economic activity was built around the world’s largest illegal e-waste dump. The film confronts us with the social, ecological and human consequences of the multiplication of our electronic objects and the management of their obsolescence.
Julien Élie’s Quebec documentary Soleils noir (August 3-6), recently named at the Quebec Cinema Gala, paints an alarming portrait of Mexico, immersed in a climate of impunity installed by criminal groups and the authorities in place, through intimate testimonies and ambitious journalistic work.
A shift in tone with the poignant exploratory and intimate documentary, Le Château by Denys Desjardins (August 10-13) which addresses a facet of memory through the disarming and very personal portrait of a mother who has to face the vagaries of age. A film about old age and about our elders, at a time when health news reminds us of their vulnerability, but above all brings us back to their humanity behind the statistics.
Alexe Poukine, for her part, in her film Sans Frapper (August 17-20) addresses with modesty and accuracy the delicate and intimate issue of rape and consent through Ada’s narrative. While we are currently experiencing a second wave of public denunciations, the film allows us to intelligently dissect the issue of consent and confront us in our most tenacious prejudices.
Le monde selon Amazon by Thomas Lafarge and Adrien Pinon (September 7-10) makes a startling dive into the world of this giant of sales and the web that governs many aspects of our lives and the way we consume. The documentary tells the story of Amazon’s strategy, its ambitions and its ramifications in the economy and tries to answer the big question: what future is Amazon preparing us for?
Fredrik Gertten’s documentary Push (August 31 to September 3) will plunge financial speculation and gentrification problems into the ruthless real estate world in major cities, including Montreal, which is not spared. These two films allow us to paint a picture of the disproportionate power of large corporations in front of increasingly destitute public authorities.
Elaine Brière’s La trahison d’Haïti (September 14-17) reveals how Canada, once seen by Haitians as a constructive partner, conspired with the United States and France to overthrow the democratically elected government. La trahison d’Haïti is a staggering accusation of Canadian leaders’ complicity in the international oppression of this nation that has suffered since it claimed independence.
Finally, the key themes of racism and colonialism will be at the heart of our final week of programming (September 21-24), represented by two Canadian films directed by Aboriginal women, nîpawistamâsowin: Nous nous lèverons from Tasha Hubbard and Jordan River Anderson, le messager by Alanis Obomsawin, both of which deal with systemic racism against First Nations in Canada in the justice system. We will Rise exposes racism against indigenous people through the assassination of Colten Boushie, the young Cree of the Red Pheasant Nation, and his high-profile trial. A detailed examination of a system built on centuries of colonial rule joins a moving portrait and an urgent call to action.
Jordan River Anderson, le messager, deals with a legal struggle for equitable access to public services for Aboriginal children through the infamous Jordan River Anderson case. Based on archival records and numerous interviews, the filmmaker immortalizes Jordan’s life and the legal battle that has made it difficult to establish a fairer policy for First Nations children, fighting for the most basic human right. With this dual programming, we want to both highlight the flaws in the Canadian justice system and highlight the victories that have resulted from the fierce struggles of Aboriginal peoples to defend their rights.
Programming will be expanded in the coming weeks, check our website for more details throughout the summer: cinemasouslesetoiles.org
LIVE DISCUSSIONS AND PANELS ON FACEBOOK
Discussions are planned on Facebook Live at the end of the 72-hour broadcast period for each film. Funambules Media was keen to reproduce the atmosphere of Cinema Under the Stars by transposing its socio-political debates,usually in a public space, today on the internet! The collective nature of political discussions remains paramount, especially in a context of social confinement, and that is why the films will be followed either by live discussions with filmmakers, by online panels with specialists or by interview questions and answers with filmmakers and experts.
SHORT FILM COMPETITION
Funambules Media is hosting its short film competition for the 6th year, consisting of a solid selection of documentary works, both local and international. This year, an entire week will be devoted to the screening of short films, from Monday, August 24 to Sunday, August 30, during which the public will be able to discover 24 short films carefully selected by our programming team. The competition is presented by La Fabrique cultural de Télé-Québec, which will host the online competition.
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