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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The Ones Who Stay
Subscription access
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
Subscription access
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
Subscription access
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
Subscription access
_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
Subscription access
_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
New product!Subscription access
On 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
Subscription access
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
Subscription access
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
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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
Subscription access
_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
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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.
Rumba Rules, New Genealogies
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Immersing itself in the daily life of one of the great orchestras of the current generation, this film proposes an incursion into the arcanes of a monumental genre of African music. Ya Mayi, Lumumba, Xéna La Guerrière, Pitchou Travolta, Alfred Solo, Soleil Patron and many others: nearly thirty artists feed the creative life of the Brigade Sarbati Orchestra. By entering the group and the city of...
Playeros : Beach Workers
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We dream of going to the beach; Nelson dreams of escaping it. We want to go on vacation; Nelson wants only to work. While we sleep, he is awake. By day, he walks among us. Yet, Nelson goes unnoticed...
OrHoDa
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Along the Amur River, mountains abound with mysterious lively treasures. The gifts of the sky were only visible to those who honor the powers that flow through the vast taiga. To find what human desires, ritual offerings to the mountain’s guardian spirits must be properly performed. But most importantly, one must face the gods with a serene, translucent heart. An animated reinterpretation of an...
Okurimono
Subscription access
Noriko Oi, a Japanese Canadian who has lived in Montreal for more than 20 years, is preparing to return to Nagasaki, her hometown, to help her siblings clear out the family home that will soon be sold. Within the walls of this old house lie fragments of the Oi family’s history. Noriko decides to reconstruct the past of her mother, Mitsuko, an atomic bomb survivor, in the hope of coming to terms...
NDDJ (Notre-Dame-du-Jambon)
Subscription access
Karan and Rohan, two biracial brothers raised in an alternative, unique, and marginal environment, creatively find ways to pass the time. Like many kids, a trip to buy candy often feels like the perfect escape from boredom. This short film is an ode to the power of reality and fiction, the love between two brothers, and the beauty of the Quebec countryside.
The Last Villains - Mad Dog & The Butcher
The Last Villains - Mad Dog & The Butcher
New product!Subscription access
Les derniers vilains, c’est l’histoire fantastique et parfois loufoque des lutteurs de la famille Vachon telle que veut bien se la rappeler son unique survivant : Paul « The Butcher » Vachon. Les récits du vieil homme sont mis en parallèle avec son présent inusité, alors qu’à 80 ans, avec sa femme Dee, il vagabonde toujours de foire en festival pour vendre les livres qu’il a écrits et faire rev...
The Ones Who Stay
Subscription access
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
Subscription access
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
Subscription access
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
Subscription access
_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
Subscription access
_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
New product!Subscription access
On 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
Subscription access
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
Subscription access
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
Subscription access
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
Subscription access
_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
Subscription access
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.
Rumba Rules, New Genealogies
Subscription access
Immersing itself in the daily life of one of the great orchestras of the current generation, this film proposes an incursion into the arcanes of a monumental genre of African music. Ya Mayi, Lumumba, Xéna La Guerrière, Pitchou Travolta, Alfred Solo, Soleil Patron and many others: nearly thirty artists feed the creative life of the Brigade Sarbati Orchestra. By entering the group and the city of...
Playeros : Beach Workers
Subscription access
We dream of going to the beach; Nelson dreams of escaping it. We want to go on vacation; Nelson wants only to work. While we sleep, he is awake. By day, he walks among us. Yet, Nelson goes unnoticed...
OrHoDa
Subscription access
Along the Amur River, mountains abound with mysterious lively treasures. The gifts of the sky were only visible to those who honor the powers that flow through the vast taiga. To find what human desires, ritual offerings to the mountain’s guardian spirits must be properly performed. But most importantly, one must face the gods with a serene, translucent heart. An animated reinterpretation of an...
Okurimono
Subscription access
Noriko Oi, a Japanese Canadian who has lived in Montreal for more than 20 years, is preparing to return to Nagasaki, her hometown, to help her siblings clear out the family home that will soon be sold. Within the walls of this old house lie fragments of the Oi family’s history. Noriko decides to reconstruct the past of her mother, Mitsuko, an atomic bomb survivor, in the hope of coming to terms...
NDDJ (Notre-Dame-du-Jambon)
Subscription access
Karan and Rohan, two biracial brothers raised in an alternative, unique, and marginal environment, creatively find ways to pass the time. Like many kids, a trip to buy candy often feels like the perfect escape from boredom. This short film is an ode to the power of reality and fiction, the love between two brothers, and the beauty of the Quebec countryside.
The Last Villains - Mad Dog & The Butcher
The Last Villains - Mad Dog & The Butcher
New product!Subscription access
Les derniers vilains, c’est l’histoire fantastique et parfois loufoque des lutteurs de la famille Vachon telle que veut bien se la rappeler son unique survivant : Paul « The Butcher » Vachon. Les récits du vieil homme sont mis en parallèle avec son présent inusité, alors qu’à 80 ans, avec sa femme Dee, il vagabonde toujours de foire en festival pour vendre les livres qu’il a écrits et faire rev...
