Period Pieces

Premiering on BBC as a part of their Sunday-Night Theatre program, this 1955 adaptation of Shakespeare's classic play closely follows the original text. The Montagues and Capulets, two families of Renaissance Italy, have hated each other for years, but the son of one family and the daughter of the other fall desperately in love and secretly marry.

After the sudden death of her mother, Aurore Gagnon is abused by her disturbed step-mother as her town remains in the silence followed by her death. Based on a true story.

Focused on an inspiring and touching dialogue between Gilles Vigneault and Fred Pellerin, the documentary tells the story of Quebec by digging deep into an ancestral tradition etched into our cultural DNA: the production of maple syrup.

A gorgeous woman allegedly ruins a neurotic man's youth, leading him to reminisce about his life of chaos and desolation.

At 47, Julien is an eternal misfit with no real job. But now that he has published an autobiography recounting his childhood memories, a complicated relationship with his mother and troubling family secrets, success is knocking on his door. Julien and his mother have cut ties a long time ago and she doesn't know about the book. Living a sad and miserable life in a retirement home, she renews contact with her son to make up for lost time. But is that all there is to it?

Ian, a commercially successful stage director, mounts an avant-garde production of "Othello" for the sole purpose of destroying Tyson, the actor who stole his fiancee Anne from him. Fanatic in his commitment to art, personal integrity and Zen Buddhism, Tyson makes the mistake of accepting the role of Othello in good faith at Anne's urging, only to find himself trapped in Ian's vengeful scheme, an escalating nightmare of absurdly bad theatre that threatens to spin out of control and push them all to the breaking point.

This film documents the yearly cycle of the great blue heron, its migration from Central America and the West Indies to the St. Lawrence River in Québec, and the breeding and rearing of its young. Outstanding footage shot by the filmmaker perched high in a tree affords close-ups of the birds' intricate courtship rituals. A sensitive, beautifully photographed nature film with much to tell us of ecology and wildlife.

Jean and her sister, played by Macha Grenon, have a life long infatuation with the Japanese Pianist who once lived across the street from them during their high school years. The film is set during the family's reunion on Vancouver Island and flashes back and forth over the last 10 years. By coincidence, Yoshi who is now a world famous Pianist is giving a concert in Vancouver and Amy is anxious to see him again but her sister curiously is not at all interested. The girls explore old passions, stalking, sibling rivalry and wrong life choice based on the fantasies of their youth.

Two young brothers are abandoned by their mother during summer of 1948, they run into the forest and survive there for seven years.

Joan Crawford's close-up in Humoresque. Michelangelo's David and Boticelli's "Birth of Venus". Stendhal was overwhelmed by the cultural overstimulation in Florence, which Graziella Magherini described scientifically in 1979 as Stendhal syndrome. Mark Rappaport describes his fascination for the Austrian actor Turhan Bey, who made a career in exotic roles in Hollywood in the 1940s. A very personal essay about the effect of close-ups, the canvas idols of the dream factory and the role of their admirers and fans.

The last vestiges of a family that has gone from cherry season to sorrow... Madame Ranevskaya is a spoiled, aging aristocrat who, upon returning from a trip to Paris, must face the loss of her magnificent Cherry Orchard estate after defaulting on her mortgage. In denial, she continues to live in the past, deluding herself and her family, while the magnificent cherry trees are chopped down by the new owner Lopakhin, her former serf, who has his own agenda.

What if Konstantin Gavrilovich, from Anton Chekkov's famous play, did not commit suicide and was murdered instead? And who did it? Boris Akunin's take on The Seagull unfolds as a comedic murder mystery.

Louis, Éric and Daniel are inseparable. They are young, reckless and live at 100 miles an hour. Quickly, children's games take the path of small, disorganized crime. Their friendship will be put to the test. A tender and offbeat look at the turbulent and intoxicating period of the transition to adulthood, with the city of Quebec and its 1970s and 1980s as a backdrop.

The film follows the life of social reformer and writer Mahatma Jyotiba Phule.

A radio DJ in pursuit of an exclusive interview follows ABBA during their mega-successful tour of Australia.

A peculiar neighbor offers hope to a recent widow who is struggling to raise a teenager who is unpredictable and, sometimes, violent.

Manawan, 1977. A vehicle falls into a river near a Native community. Two Quebecers managed to escape, but five Atikamekws lost their lives. While the police conclude that it was an accident, the victims’ families are left with unanswered questions. A historical, poetic and choral tale, Soleils Atikamekw is inspired by the dreams, impressions and memories of the relatives of the five victims. In an intimate, humanistic approach, the filmmaker involves the families both in front of and behind the camera. Documentary and fiction come together in a deeply moving film about grief, injustice and memory.

This pioneering documentary film depicts the lives of the indigenous Inuit people of Canada's northern Quebec region. Although the production contains some fictional elements, it vividly shows how its resourceful subjects survive in such a harsh climate, revealing how they construct their igloo homes and find food by hunting and fishing. The film also captures the beautiful, if unforgiving, frozen landscape of the Great White North, far removed from conventional civilization.

Canada Mania

From Italian set designer to Brazilian stage director, Gianni Ratto, born in Italy in 1916 and based in Brazil since 1954, retraces the geographical path of his life, accompanied by his daughter, passing through Genoa, Milan, Florence, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro, visiting places and people who marked his journey. At each encounter, Gianni speaks of his work and reveals the ideas of someone who not only executes but also thinks about theater from a humanist perspective.