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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Eastern Anthems
Duration: 2h34
Subscription access
An unfinished film is passed along from one friend to another. The dialogue between them is a journey crossed by the swarming of the Great Eastern Brood X (periodical cicadas that prophetically emerge every 17 years in the United States), invoking a reflection of a post-pandemic present and our shared futures. A road movie composed of a chorus of voices (both human and non-human), the warnings ...
Rojek
Duration: 4h14
Subscription access
_Rojek_ encounters incarcerated members of the Islamic State from all over the world, as well as their wives detained in prison-camps, who are sharing a common dream: establishing a caliphate. Confronted with the fundamentalist beliefs of the jihadists, the film attempts to trace the beginning, the rise and fall of the Islamic State (ISIS) through their personal stories. These conversations are...
Sept-Îles ’72 : Archives du monde ordinaire
Sept-Îles ’72 : Archives du monde ordinaire
New product!Duration: 1h39
Subscription access
Following the arrest of the leaders of the Inter-Union Common Front (Front commun intersyndical) during the general strike of spring 1972 in Quebec, workers and activists in Sept-Îles spontaneously occupied the city. Through the testimonies of a handful of activist friends and archival footage, this film recounts the reasons behind the uprising, the sequence of events during the occupation—whic...
R. Roussil, From the Ground Up
R. Roussil, From the Ground Up
New product!Duration: 2h34
Subscription access
Robert Roussil, a leading figure in Quebec sculpture, left a profound mark on art history with his bold creations and his unwavering commitment to freedom of expression. Yet since his passing in 2013, his legacy seems to be fading into oblivion. _R. Roussil, From the Ground Up_ seeks to rekindle the memory of this visionary artist by delving into his work and philosophy. Built around a rich ass...
Now, Please Think About Yesterday
Now, Please Think About Yesterday
Duration: 44 minutesSubscription access
How are the questions about happiness designed and used as key tools to evaluate the quality of our life? The desire to shift how we read and interpret our socio-economic moment and the space we inhabit in light of emotional and behavioural parameters is evident at the political level. The Gallup World Poll, one of the foremost companies specializing in public opinion polls, is the source of th...
Misleading Innocence (Tracing What a Bridge Can Do)
Misleading Innocence (Tracing What a Bridge Can Do)
Duration: 1h40Subscription access
This film, conceived by Francesco Garutti and directed by Shahab Mihandoust, explores the controversial story of the planning and politics of a series of overpasses that span the parkways of Long Island, New York. These bridges were commissioned in the 1920s and 1930s by the public administrator Robert Moses. The story suggests that the bridges were designed to prevent the passage of buses, the...
Untitled (The Things Around Us)
Untitled (The Things Around Us)
Duration: 1h00Subscription access
The video assembly _Untitled (The Things Around Us)_ presents a heterogeneous scenario of constituent elements—environments, conditions, objects, and figures—that play a distinct role in the conceptual processes and design methods of the Brussels-based architecture and urbanism agency 51N4E and the research agency Rural Urban Framework (RUF). Formulated as a catalogue of “things,” in the philos...
To Build Law
Subscription access
_To Build Law_ follows Berlin-based architectural studio bplus.xyz (b+) as they establish a policy lab, HouseEurope!, to propose industry reforms and shift cultural norms. The film closely observes the b+ team during various phases of conceptualization and development of a European Citizens’ Initiative meant to incentivize renovation over demolition and new construction. Through this bottom-up ...
Manicouagan
A driven but intimate work, this film recounts the history of Manicouagan (North Shore, Quebec) a legendary territory shaped by the impact of an asteroid 215 million years ago. From the St. Lawrence River to north of the 51st parallel, the legendary Route 389 brings us to the heart of this meteor crater to meet some extraordinary individuals (astrophysicists, geologists, truck-stop manager, hik...
Orbits
Subscription access
Marie-Christine, who lost her sight some years ago, explores life in a particularly sensory way—through her fingertips. Through her personal experience, she arouses her son’s curiosity and sense of wonder about the beauty of the universe. Drawing from a constellation of highly textured analogue images and a rich tapestry of sound, _Orbits_ journeys into the sensorial depths of Marie-Christine’s...
Debouttes!
Subscription access
_Debouttes!_ is an audio documentary recounting an important and forgotten part of Québec’s history. In 1971, members of the Front de libération des femmes du Québec (FLF) carried out a bold action to denounce the sexist justice system and its Jury Act, which stipulated that only wealthy men could serve on juries in Quebec. Shouting “Discrimination!” and “Justice is bullshit!”, seven women stor...
Marie-Paule is moving
Subscription access
An intimate portrait of a grandson's grandmother who leaves her home to go and live in a nursing home.
The Rose Family
Subscription access
In October 1970, members of the Front de libération du Québec kidnapped minister Pierre Laporte, unleashing an unprecedented crisis in Quebec. Fifty years later, Félix Rose tries to understand what led his father and uncle to commit these acts. The result of ten years of research, _The Rose Family_ brings to life moments and figures that were previously known only through a few photographs, and...
I Love Everything
Free access
At the age of eight, José invites us to discover his village, Nutashkuan, and everything he loves about it.
Here and There
At the beginning of the summer of their 16th year, Adam, Ana, and Dahlia turn to their families and friends to question their cultural heritage. Through intimate conversations, _Here and There_ juxtaposes the different influences and realities that shape the development of the cultural identities of second and third-generation immigrants.
Leveret Road
Jeanne, 10, a neuroatypical with a passion for skateboarding and snowboarding, has been diagnosed with dysorthographia, ADHD, dyscalculia and a developmental coordination disorder. She faces a decline in her academic performance and must learn to maintain her confidence and focus on her strengths.
Where the Grass is greener
This trip on the edge of surrealism transports the audience through the various corners of the suburbs in order to find where the grass is greener. An unsettling exploration of a seemingly peaceful place that takes a look beyond the white picket fence.
Eastern Anthems
Duration: 2h34
Subscription access
An unfinished film is passed along from one friend to another. The dialogue between them is a journey crossed by the swarming of the Great Eastern Brood X (periodical cicadas that prophetically emerge every 17 years in the United States), invoking a reflection of a post-pandemic present and our shared futures. A road movie composed of a chorus of voices (both human and non-human), the warnings ...
Rojek
Duration: 4h14
Subscription access
_Rojek_ encounters incarcerated members of the Islamic State from all over the world, as well as their wives detained in prison-camps, who are sharing a common dream: establishing a caliphate. Confronted with the fundamentalist beliefs of the jihadists, the film attempts to trace the beginning, the rise and fall of the Islamic State (ISIS) through their personal stories. These conversations are...
Sept-Îles ’72 : Archives du monde ordinaire
Sept-Îles ’72 : Archives du monde ordinaire
New product!Duration: 1h39
Subscription access
Following the arrest of the leaders of the Inter-Union Common Front (Front commun intersyndical) during the general strike of spring 1972 in Quebec, workers and activists in Sept-Îles spontaneously occupied the city. Through the testimonies of a handful of activist friends and archival footage, this film recounts the reasons behind the uprising, the sequence of events during the occupation—whic...
R. Roussil, From the Ground Up
R. Roussil, From the Ground Up
New product!Duration: 2h34
Subscription access
Robert Roussil, a leading figure in Quebec sculpture, left a profound mark on art history with his bold creations and his unwavering commitment to freedom of expression. Yet since his passing in 2013, his legacy seems to be fading into oblivion. _R. Roussil, From the Ground Up_ seeks to rekindle the memory of this visionary artist by delving into his work and philosophy. Built around a rich ass...
Now, Please Think About Yesterday
Now, Please Think About Yesterday
Duration: 44 minutesSubscription access
How are the questions about happiness designed and used as key tools to evaluate the quality of our life? The desire to shift how we read and interpret our socio-economic moment and the space we inhabit in light of emotional and behavioural parameters is evident at the political level. The Gallup World Poll, one of the foremost companies specializing in public opinion polls, is the source of th...
Misleading Innocence (Tracing What a Bridge Can Do)
Misleading Innocence (Tracing What a Bridge Can Do)
Duration: 1h40Subscription access
This film, conceived by Francesco Garutti and directed by Shahab Mihandoust, explores the controversial story of the planning and politics of a series of overpasses that span the parkways of Long Island, New York. These bridges were commissioned in the 1920s and 1930s by the public administrator Robert Moses. The story suggests that the bridges were designed to prevent the passage of buses, the...
Untitled (The Things Around Us)
Untitled (The Things Around Us)
Duration: 1h00Subscription access
The video assembly _Untitled (The Things Around Us)_ presents a heterogeneous scenario of constituent elements—environments, conditions, objects, and figures—that play a distinct role in the conceptual processes and design methods of the Brussels-based architecture and urbanism agency 51N4E and the research agency Rural Urban Framework (RUF). Formulated as a catalogue of “things,” in the philos...
To Build Law
Subscription access
_To Build Law_ follows Berlin-based architectural studio bplus.xyz (b+) as they establish a policy lab, HouseEurope!, to propose industry reforms and shift cultural norms. The film closely observes the b+ team during various phases of conceptualization and development of a European Citizens’ Initiative meant to incentivize renovation over demolition and new construction. Through this bottom-up ...
Manicouagan
A driven but intimate work, this film recounts the history of Manicouagan (North Shore, Quebec) a legendary territory shaped by the impact of an asteroid 215 million years ago. From the St. Lawrence River to north of the 51st parallel, the legendary Route 389 brings us to the heart of this meteor crater to meet some extraordinary individuals (astrophysicists, geologists, truck-stop manager, hik...
Orbits
Subscription access
Marie-Christine, who lost her sight some years ago, explores life in a particularly sensory way—through her fingertips. Through her personal experience, she arouses her son’s curiosity and sense of wonder about the beauty of the universe. Drawing from a constellation of highly textured analogue images and a rich tapestry of sound, _Orbits_ journeys into the sensorial depths of Marie-Christine’s...
Debouttes!
Subscription access
_Debouttes!_ is an audio documentary recounting an important and forgotten part of Québec’s history. In 1971, members of the Front de libération des femmes du Québec (FLF) carried out a bold action to denounce the sexist justice system and its Jury Act, which stipulated that only wealthy men could serve on juries in Quebec. Shouting “Discrimination!” and “Justice is bullshit!”, seven women stor...
Marie-Paule is moving
Subscription access
An intimate portrait of a grandson's grandmother who leaves her home to go and live in a nursing home.
The Rose Family
Subscription access
In October 1970, members of the Front de libération du Québec kidnapped minister Pierre Laporte, unleashing an unprecedented crisis in Quebec. Fifty years later, Félix Rose tries to understand what led his father and uncle to commit these acts. The result of ten years of research, _The Rose Family_ brings to life moments and figures that were previously known only through a few photographs, and...
I Love Everything
Free access
At the age of eight, José invites us to discover his village, Nutashkuan, and everything he loves about it.
Here and There
At the beginning of the summer of their 16th year, Adam, Ana, and Dahlia turn to their families and friends to question their cultural heritage. Through intimate conversations, _Here and There_ juxtaposes the different influences and realities that shape the development of the cultural identities of second and third-generation immigrants.
Leveret Road
Jeanne, 10, a neuroatypical with a passion for skateboarding and snowboarding, has been diagnosed with dysorthographia, ADHD, dyscalculia and a developmental coordination disorder. She faces a decline in her academic performance and must learn to maintain her confidence and focus on her strengths.
Where the Grass is greener
This trip on the edge of surrealism transports the audience through the various corners of the suburbs in order to find where the grass is greener. An unsettling exploration of a seemingly peaceful place that takes a look beyond the white picket fence.
