Screening and discussion with documentarians: Ève Lamont, Patricio Henriquez, Carole Poliquin, and members of the Lucioles

The resurgence of alternative movements and citizen participation is fueling a renewed interest in documentary film. To try to understand this phenomenon and the various politics behind it, Docu-Mondays presents an evening of screenings and discussion titled “Activist Film: Whose Truth?” Experienced documentarians Ève Lamont, Patricio Henriquez and Carole Poliquin will be on hand, along with members of the collective Les Lucioles, to discuss clips from their films and explain how they approach the making of a documentary. It took place March 21 at the NFB Cinema.

Some documentary filmmakers, like other artists, feel compelled to join the debate on public issues, revealing aspects of our world that certain people—especially in the halls of power—might prefer to keep hidden or present more favourably. Documentary’s job is to draw on reality and to recreate, as truthfully as possible, the kinds of human and social relationships that determine how that reality works. The documentarian often takes a position on the other side of the official story or the news story that claims to be objective.

Activist documentary, as an alternative to mass media and culture, takes a different position, preferring the voices of ordinary people, of those marginalized and excluded from the mainstream, and the political opponents and energetic critics of the system. Its position is a critical one because it refuses one-sided thinking, received ideas, and the established order.

Yet by holding itself up as the defender of truth, is documentary itself not imposing its own mindset? An ideology of defiance and a simplistic vision that glosses over complexities and provides more answers than inquiries? What is the artistic value of activist documentary, seen in this light? What are the means it uses to get its message across? How do we define an ethical position for the activist, and when does activism cross the line into militancy, or even propaganda?

Ève Lamont has been showing us the human face of resistance struggles and defending alternative movements for more than 15 years. With films like Squat!, she has built a reputation as a radical, utopian, profoundly anti-establishment filmmaker. Carole Poliquin, who comes from television news, takes on the ownership class which, in the name of productivity and progress, is dismantling communities around the world. Her most powerful films include Le Bien commun: l’assaut final and L’äge de la performance. Patricio Henriquez (11 septembre 1973, le dernier combat d’Allende and Moscou, les orphelins de Lénine) has been travelling for more than 25 years, denouncing misery, injustice and oppression wherever he finds it. Members of Les Lucioles, an independent collective set up in 2002, will also join us to present an explosive compilation of short works.

Docu-Mondays is a screening and discussion series designed to encourage reflection on the creative process in documentary cinema. It is organized by the Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (RIDM) in partnership with the National Film Board of Canada