Québec Contemporary Cinema
Quebec has always had a privileged relationship with documentary cinema, a tremendous melting pot of its artistic, social and political modernity. Nearly 60 years after the birth of direct cinema, juggling continuity and inventiveness, the local filmmakers are still pursuing a rich dialogue with their society. Here, you will find an anthology of contemporary films made by notorious documentary filmmakers or belonging to a new generation. Through a bright diversity of styles and viewpoints, these filmmakers all share a boundless creativity and an uninhibited freedom that question, challenge, reconcile and help to better understand today’s Quebec and the rest of the world
Visual identity created by Moïa Jobin-Paré
The THROUGH OUR LENS page lists all the Quebec films available on Tënk. It allows you to dive into an exploration of Quebec documentary cinema and discover an anthology of films made by both renowned and emerging documentary filmmakers. Through a dazzling diversity of forms and perspectives, these filmmakers have in common an overflowing creativity and an uninhibited freedom that questions, confronts, reconciles and helps us better understand Quebec and the world.
To perform a more detailed search on Quebec films, use our search engine !
Also discover fascinating interviews with local filmmakers in our Fragments section :
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Claude Gosselin, témoignage à bâtons rompus
Claude Gosselin, témoignage à bâtons rompus
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This documentary traces the history of _Les Cent jours d’art contemporain de Montréal_ (1985–1996) and _La_ _Biennale de Montréal_ (1998–2011), two landmark events in Quebec’s art scene. Their founder and executive director, Claude Gosselin, looks back on the origins of these initiatives, which stood out for their unconventional choice of venues. With an international scope, these events gave m...
What Ignites Me, Extinguishes Me
What Ignites Me, Extinguishes Me
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An industrial psychedelic self-portrait, created with original footage shot in deserted factories on the south side of Chicago, manipulated extensively through optical printing.
Paroles d'oiseaux à Toro Muerto
Paroles d'oiseaux à Toro Muerto
New product!Subscription access
This video links man's prehistoric traces in nature to the myth of the destruction of humanity. The birds speak about the frailty of the balance between culture and nature. Primitive figures which evoke Peruvian history emerge from Chantal duPont's paintings and take part in actual situations. In his flight, the eagle releases aman, only to eventually become his prisoner. From within a blaze wh...
The 100th Day
Subscription access
Hungarian-born Canadian artist Istvan Kantor has spent half a century creating a singular and radical body of work in which performance, actionism, and body art challenge the audience’s sensory conventions. In 1993, he took part in the exhibition _Les Cent jours d’art contemporain de Montréal_, presenting a dual installation that was completely demolished on the hundredth day in a violent and c...
Cozic
Subscription access
Portrait of the Canadian artist duo Cozic, composed of Monic Brassard and Yvon Cozic. United in life and creation, the couple works with industrial materials in vibrant colors to create ecological and playful artworks. From the carefree hippie years of the 1960s to major public art commissions, their work reflects the evolution of our relationship with nature and the industrial world. Today, fr...
Un soleil entre deux nuages
Subscription access
This documentary gives a voice to children living with cystic fibrosis or leukemia. With the words of children but the wisdom of old souls, they face a heartbreaking reality, fighting every day against illness and for life itself. Through this film, director Marquise Lepage pays tribute to their courage and resilience.
Une bien belle ville
Subscription access
A documentary about housing issues in Montreal and the large-scale demolitions that took place in working-class neighbourhoods, particularly on Saint-Jacques and Saint-Norbert streets.
The Big Sweep
Subscription access
_The Big Sweep_ is a caustic and humorous challenge to the traditional male and female roles and stereotypes inculcated by our upbringing. The film illustrates two opposing worlds: that of the “eternal masculine” and that of the “eternal feminine” through the behaviors, concerns, work and aspirations of women and men, and through the games, projects and dreams of children.
The Ones Who Stay
Four young Cuban artists choose to stay in Cuba during what has now become the island's largest migration crisis. _The One Who Stay_ is an intimate portrait of those who stay behind, loosing loved ones and shaping the identity of a generation at risk of fading away.
Barbaracadabra
Sixty years after playing a cult role, Barbara—recovering from a debilitating injury—is torn between her desire to direct her first film and her fear of failure. With only Renaud, her friend in his thirties, to help her, they attempt the impossible, defying time and doubt. Creation, like healing, requires courage and patience. _Barbaracadabra_ is a magic trick unfolding in real time: chaotic, u...
The Apollo of Gaza
In 2013, an ancient statue of Apollo was found in the waters off Gaza—before disappearing under mysterious circumstances. Is it the work of forgers, or a gift from the gods to a Palestinian people desperately in need of hope? Soon the rumours start to swirl, while behind the scenes local and international players start jostling—some driven by historical preservation and others by purely commerc...
A Losing Game
_A Losing Game_ follows three people who ran for office in Quebec’s October 2022 provincial election. The one thing they had in common? They were all sure to lose. Through their individual campaigns, the film pulls back the curtain on our electoral system and the many ways in which it is dysfunctional: the additional barriers faced by women and racialized people, deficiencies in the voting proc...
À hauteur d'homme
_À hauteur d'homme (At the Height of a Man)_ is a cinematic chronicle of the final weeks of Bernard Landry’s administration. Strategy meetings, closed-door sessions, cabinet meetings… This documentary offers an intimate glimpse into the world of Quebec’s 28th premier and unprecedented access to his final election campaign. A contemporary allegory of the exercise of power, directed by Jean-Claud...
September 11th, 1973 - The Last Stand of Salvador Allende
September 11th, 1973 - The Last Stand of Salvador Allende
Subscription accessOn September 11, 1973, Chilean armed forces bombed La Moneda Palace. Inside, President Salvador Allende continued to resist alongside some thirty supporters. Toward the end of the afternoon, his body was carried out of the building which was still ablaze... A few of the people who had accompanied Allende during his final hours survived. Through their testimonies, interspersed with archival foo...
Une nef... et ses sorcières
For a year, thirteen authors and actresses teamed up to stage \_La nef des sorcières\_, played at the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde in Montréal in 1976. In addition to excerpts from the six monologues on the situations and contradictions experienced by the women, the film presents the comments of the participants in this adventure.
Un toit, un droit
Is it normal for a family to find itself homeless on July 1st? Is it normal for immigrants to be evicted from their apartments? Camera in hand, the Collectif (...) Parenthèses went to meet tenants and landlords in Quebec and Europe to answer this vital question: shouldn't housing be a right for every citizen?
Surfing on Grace
David follows, over the course of five years, his brother Louis – a slalom skateboarding champion –through his evolution as an athlete. With an introspective approach, he tries to find common features in both their paths and stumbles upon the concept of grace. It thus forces Louis to ponder upon philosophical questions, while David finds himself trapped in the reflective process he started. The...
Snowbirds
_Snowbirds_ is a mid-length documentary that reaches out to golden age Canadians living in Florida during the winter season. This is the growing trend of an entire generation migrating to the tropics, seeking a leisure society that can entertain them. With tenderness and humor, this sociological documentary goes to the heart of their daily lives by painting a human portrait of this typically Ca...
Skies are Not Just Blue
Yara, A. and brothers Monib & Tariq claim their identities as Muslims from diverse backgrounds by negotiating a space in the LGBTQ+ community and reflecting on their personal beliefs and experiences.
Claude Gosselin, témoignage à bâtons rompus
Claude Gosselin, témoignage à bâtons rompus
New product!Subscription access
This documentary traces the history of _Les Cent jours d’art contemporain de Montréal_ (1985–1996) and _La_ _Biennale de Montréal_ (1998–2011), two landmark events in Quebec’s art scene. Their founder and executive director, Claude Gosselin, looks back on the origins of these initiatives, which stood out for their unconventional choice of venues. With an international scope, these events gave m...
What Ignites Me, Extinguishes Me
What Ignites Me, Extinguishes Me
New product!Subscription access
An industrial psychedelic self-portrait, created with original footage shot in deserted factories on the south side of Chicago, manipulated extensively through optical printing.
Paroles d'oiseaux à Toro Muerto
Paroles d'oiseaux à Toro Muerto
New product!Subscription access
This video links man's prehistoric traces in nature to the myth of the destruction of humanity. The birds speak about the frailty of the balance between culture and nature. Primitive figures which evoke Peruvian history emerge from Chantal duPont's paintings and take part in actual situations. In his flight, the eagle releases aman, only to eventually become his prisoner. From within a blaze wh...
The 100th Day
Subscription access
Hungarian-born Canadian artist Istvan Kantor has spent half a century creating a singular and radical body of work in which performance, actionism, and body art challenge the audience’s sensory conventions. In 1993, he took part in the exhibition _Les Cent jours d’art contemporain de Montréal_, presenting a dual installation that was completely demolished on the hundredth day in a violent and c...
Cozic
Subscription access
Portrait of the Canadian artist duo Cozic, composed of Monic Brassard and Yvon Cozic. United in life and creation, the couple works with industrial materials in vibrant colors to create ecological and playful artworks. From the carefree hippie years of the 1960s to major public art commissions, their work reflects the evolution of our relationship with nature and the industrial world. Today, fr...
Un soleil entre deux nuages
Subscription access
This documentary gives a voice to children living with cystic fibrosis or leukemia. With the words of children but the wisdom of old souls, they face a heartbreaking reality, fighting every day against illness and for life itself. Through this film, director Marquise Lepage pays tribute to their courage and resilience.
Une bien belle ville
Subscription access
A documentary about housing issues in Montreal and the large-scale demolitions that took place in working-class neighbourhoods, particularly on Saint-Jacques and Saint-Norbert streets.
The Big Sweep
Subscription access
_The Big Sweep_ is a caustic and humorous challenge to the traditional male and female roles and stereotypes inculcated by our upbringing. The film illustrates two opposing worlds: that of the “eternal masculine” and that of the “eternal feminine” through the behaviors, concerns, work and aspirations of women and men, and through the games, projects and dreams of children.
The Ones Who Stay
Four young Cuban artists choose to stay in Cuba during what has now become the island's largest migration crisis. _The One Who Stay_ is an intimate portrait of those who stay behind, loosing loved ones and shaping the identity of a generation at risk of fading away.
Barbaracadabra
Sixty years after playing a cult role, Barbara—recovering from a debilitating injury—is torn between her desire to direct her first film and her fear of failure. With only Renaud, her friend in his thirties, to help her, they attempt the impossible, defying time and doubt. Creation, like healing, requires courage and patience. _Barbaracadabra_ is a magic trick unfolding in real time: chaotic, u...
The Apollo of Gaza
In 2013, an ancient statue of Apollo was found in the waters off Gaza—before disappearing under mysterious circumstances. Is it the work of forgers, or a gift from the gods to a Palestinian people desperately in need of hope? Soon the rumours start to swirl, while behind the scenes local and international players start jostling—some driven by historical preservation and others by purely commerc...
A Losing Game
_A Losing Game_ follows three people who ran for office in Quebec’s October 2022 provincial election. The one thing they had in common? They were all sure to lose. Through their individual campaigns, the film pulls back the curtain on our electoral system and the many ways in which it is dysfunctional: the additional barriers faced by women and racialized people, deficiencies in the voting proc...
À hauteur d'homme
_À hauteur d'homme (At the Height of a Man)_ is a cinematic chronicle of the final weeks of Bernard Landry’s administration. Strategy meetings, closed-door sessions, cabinet meetings… This documentary offers an intimate glimpse into the world of Quebec’s 28th premier and unprecedented access to his final election campaign. A contemporary allegory of the exercise of power, directed by Jean-Claud...
September 11th, 1973 - The Last Stand of Salvador Allende
September 11th, 1973 - The Last Stand of Salvador Allende
Subscription accessOn September 11, 1973, Chilean armed forces bombed La Moneda Palace. Inside, President Salvador Allende continued to resist alongside some thirty supporters. Toward the end of the afternoon, his body was carried out of the building which was still ablaze... A few of the people who had accompanied Allende during his final hours survived. Through their testimonies, interspersed with archival foo...
Une nef... et ses sorcières
For a year, thirteen authors and actresses teamed up to stage \_La nef des sorcières\_, played at the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde in Montréal in 1976. In addition to excerpts from the six monologues on the situations and contradictions experienced by the women, the film presents the comments of the participants in this adventure.
Un toit, un droit
Is it normal for a family to find itself homeless on July 1st? Is it normal for immigrants to be evicted from their apartments? Camera in hand, the Collectif (...) Parenthèses went to meet tenants and landlords in Quebec and Europe to answer this vital question: shouldn't housing be a right for every citizen?
Surfing on Grace
David follows, over the course of five years, his brother Louis – a slalom skateboarding champion –through his evolution as an athlete. With an introspective approach, he tries to find common features in both their paths and stumbles upon the concept of grace. It thus forces Louis to ponder upon philosophical questions, while David finds himself trapped in the reflective process he started. The...
Snowbirds
_Snowbirds_ is a mid-length documentary that reaches out to golden age Canadians living in Florida during the winter season. This is the growing trend of an entire generation migrating to the tropics, seeking a leisure society that can entertain them. With tenderness and humor, this sociological documentary goes to the heart of their daily lives by painting a human portrait of this typically Ca...
Skies are Not Just Blue
Yara, A. and brothers Monib & Tariq claim their identities as Muslims from diverse backgrounds by negotiating a space in the LGBTQ+ community and reflecting on their personal beliefs and experiences.
