Retracing Their Steps


Poster image Retracing Their Steps

By opening forgotten boxes in the Montreal Gay Archive Center, fragments of history from the LGBTQIA2S+ community are rediscovered. Among them are Michael and René, the first couple to marry in Canada, Linda and Catherine, two owners of the lesbian bar Le Kiev, and Kimura, multidisciplinary artist of diverse origins. The portraits of these diverse characters bear witness to the diversity of Montreal's queer communities.



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Director

Manuel Orhy Piron

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This quest for memory begins with a calm breath that belongs to the activists, archivists, and documentarians. It carries the vitality of a movement that transcends eras.

In a form of commitment through beauty, Retracing Their Steps takes a tender and admiring look at the pioneers of the LGBTQIA2S+ community in Montreal. These luminous portraits are a celebration of plural identities, an invitation to follow in the footsteps of those who paved the way for a more inclusive society.

The materiality of the archive — whether vinyl, textile, or film — acts as a foundation for memory. Through a smooth formal approach, the film moves fluidly between time periods. The flow of memories, set to a restrained jazz score and punctuated by the sound of photo scanners, carries us from the street to the church steps, by way of the dance floor and the artist’s studio — places reclaimed in support of a cause that is both personal and collective.

Within the archive boxes lie events immortalized by artists and preserved by archivists, now given new life through this documentary. For an archive holds no value if it remains buried in boxes. To come alive, it must be brought back into the open, the spotlight cast upon these overlooked pockets of history — continuing the essential work of memory transmission.


 

Guillaume Massie-Hamel
Filmmaker and École des médias · UQAM Alumna


  • Français

    Français

    21 mn

    Language: Français
  • English

    English

    21 mn

    Language: English
    Subtitles: English
  • Année 2024
  • Pays Quebec
  • Durée 21
  • Producteur Jean-Christophe Boulianne, L'École des médias de l'UQAM
  • Langue French
  • Sous-titres English
  • Résumé court The encounter of various donors to a queer archive center reveals the colors and history of Montreal's LGBTQIA2S+ community.
  • Ordre 1

This quest for memory begins with a calm breath that belongs to the activists, archivists, and documentarians. It carries the vitality of a movement that transcends eras.

In a form of commitment through beauty, Retracing Their Steps takes a tender and admiring look at the pioneers of the LGBTQIA2S+ community in Montreal. These luminous portraits are a celebration of plural identities, an invitation to follow in the footsteps of those who paved the way for a more inclusive society.

The materiality of the archive — whether vinyl, textile, or film — acts as a foundation for memory. Through a smooth formal approach, the film moves fluidly between time periods. The flow of memories, set to a restrained jazz score and punctuated by the sound of photo scanners, carries us from the street to the church steps, by way of the dance floor and the artist’s studio — places reclaimed in support of a cause that is both personal and collective.

Within the archive boxes lie events immortalized by artists and preserved by archivists, now given new life through this documentary. For an archive holds no value if it remains buried in boxes. To come alive, it must be brought back into the open, the spotlight cast upon these overlooked pockets of history — continuing the essential work of memory transmission.


 

Guillaume Massie-Hamel
Filmmaker and École des médias · UQAM Alumna


  • Français

    Français


    Duration: 21 minutes
    Language: Français
    21 mn
  • English

    English


    Duration: 21 minutes
    Language: English
    Subtitles: English
    21 mn
  • Année 2024
  • Pays Quebec
  • Durée 21
  • Producteur Jean-Christophe Boulianne, L'École des médias de l'UQAM
  • Langue French
  • Sous-titres English
  • Résumé court The encounter of various donors to a queer archive center reveals the colors and history of Montreal's LGBTQIA2S+ community.
  • Ordre 1

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