Anne-Marie Rocher

Urban Forests

While green spaces have long been neglected in cities, citizen mobilization has for several years helped to rediscover the beneficial effects of urban forests. Exploring various innovative nature restoration projects in Canadian cities, Urban Forests acts as a real antidote to pessimism by showing us that the ecological solution is closer than it seems.

Children of Soldiers

In this documentary shot at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa during a troop deployment to Afghanistan, children and teens talk about the particular circumstances of having soldiers as parents. Directed by Claire Corriveau, Children of Soldiers lifts the veil on a reality shared by thousands of young Canadians, and on the difficulty of finding a balance between loyalty to the troops and staying true to themselves.

Blue Suns

A walk in the woods become a metaphoric journey in Chloé Leriche's short film. As a solitary figure moves through the forest, the texture of stone, the movement of water, all the infinite pageantry of the natural world is captured in its richness and detail. With the help of an orchestrated soundscape and composed cinematography, Blue Suns catches the miracle and mystery of this world as it unfolds.

A Monk's Secret

This short documentary tells the story of a cheese—the famous Oka—and of the monks who make it. The Trappists in Oka, Quebec, began making the cheese around 1890, when a Trappist monk from France taught them the recipe, which dates back to the 11th century. Today, Brother Albéric continues to make the cheese at an abbey in Manitoba according to traditional methods and a secret recipe written in a mysterious notebook.

Guy Rocher, Sociologist as Protagonist

Well-known sociologist and activist Guy Rocher has been involved in many of the major reforms that have shaped Québec society, namely as a member of the Parent Commission and a high-ranking official in the René Lévesque government. He has been both an attentive witness and a key player in the development of modern Québec. In this documentary, Guy Rocher takes a lucid, optimistic look at the Québec he has been observing for nearly five decades.

André Markowicz, the voice of a translator

A translator of Russian origin living in France, André Markowicz undertook the task of retranslating the complete works of Dostoyevsky in 10 years. Considered one of the greatest translators of our time and highly sought after by the most eminent stage directors, he is a controversial figure in the areas of translation and theatre. Markowicz is a pioneer, in that he has introduced the notion of rendering the “voice” of the work, which had never been done before.

Gugging

Gugging offers us a glimpse into the day-to-day lives of the residents of the Gugging House of Artists in Klosterneuburg, Austria, founded by Dr. Leo Navratil. Dr. Navratil’s objective in establishing it was not to socially rehabilitate his patients but rather, to empower them as artists. The Gugging artists’ works are now exhibited at galleries in Europe and the United States and are included in the world’s most important collections of outsider art.