Si j'avais un chapeau

Montreal, Quebec. An apartment building facing the highway. Three rough childhoods collide. Melissa, Eddy and Karine live in the same building and from a young age, they have to deal with an environment that crushes grown-ups. In order to improve traffic, we tell them that their home is set to be demolished in the following months.

A documentary portrait of aspiring actors from the Conservatoire d’art dramatique de Montréal. Over an extended period, Bachir Bensaddek followed ten students subjected to a rigorous workload and drawn into the endless cycle of auditions. We watch them live their lives as they struggle to carve out a difficult path in a world where solidarity exists alongside competition, and where the playful joy of theatre collides with the urgent need to build a career.

As the country explodes under racial tensions after the assassination of Martin Luther King, writer Romain Gary, humanist and animal lover, and his wife, star Jean Seberg, civil rights activist, welcome an abandoned dog into their home, trained to jump at the mouths of blacks: a White Dog.

A coming-of-age saga set in the slums of Montreal as a young teenage boy comes to grips with the temptations of the street while hopelessly aspiring to become a professional wrestler.

A Canadian doctor finds her sympathies sorely tested while working in the conflict ravaged Palestinian territories.

Catherine is a teenager going through adolescence just as her parents are getting a divorce. Her social life is no better as bullies and boys add to the pressure of growing up in the chaotic '90s.

In Jordan, in the heart of the Middle East, Iraqi, Palestinian and Lebanese refugees are working on the filming of "Incendies", an adaptation of Wajdi Mouawad's play. Whether extras or onlookers, these exiles once experienced scenes very similar to the ones depicted in Denis Villeneuve's movie. "Remembering the Ashes: Incendies Through Their Eyes" explores their views on the vicious war and cycle of violence being recreated before their eyes, and by their own efforts.

The story of Pauline Julien, a singing icon and independence activist, across several decades of Québec history.

A man and a woman love each other, like for the last time. Until the next. In just a few minutes and even lesser words, we are confronted with a short story which repeats itself three times a year, during seven hours.

On August 26th, 2010, fourteen filmmakers followed multiple stories in the Montreal neighbourhood of St-Henri. The result is a touching, funny and fascinating day-in-the-life of this eclectic community.

The unique journey of three reserved and endearing teens as they test their limits, discover the meaning of strong connections and live and learn in synch with the natural rhythms of the land and its animals.