Retracing Their Steps

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