A Dog's Life

For around ten years, natural disasters have been occurring more frequently, causing widespread destruction; yet industrialized countries still refuse to implement or persist in doubting the actions they must take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and fail to revise their policies for economic growth. Decisions taken high up directly affect the way of life of thousands of people, in Canada and elsewhere. In 2003, the United Nations indicated that for the first time in history, environmental refugees (25 million) outnumbered those fleeing from war or political persecution (23 million). And their numbers keep on increasing.

In the spring of 2016, for the first time in 54 years, Ariane Mnouchkine entrusts her troupe, the Théâtre du Soleil, to another director. Robert Lepage then embarks on the creation of Kanata, a work that imagines the meeting of Europeans with First Nations people in Canada over two centuries. Lepage au Soleil: The origin of Kanata shows how, the 36 comedians from 11 different countries, discover in their own stories astonishing resonance with those of the natives. How, inspired by the cosmopolitanism of comedians, Robert Lepage tries to get them to talk about their own stories through those of the natives. The documentary plunges into the heart of a theatrical creation in search of universality turned upside down by a media scandal even before its premiere.

This documentary invites you on a historical-poetic journey through this legendary little square which, for over a century, was a meeting place for bohemians and outsiders, artists from elsewhere and the most fervent independence supporters.

The documentary Little Big Girls by director Hélène Choquette sheds light on the phenomenon of early-onset puberty. Today, it isn’t unusual to see the earliest signs of puberty in girls younger than the age of 9, though this was not the case a few decades ago. The result, inevitably, is a disconnect between the girls’ physical and emotional maturity. Far from being a marginal issue, early-onset puberty is fast becoming a worldwide public health concern. A number of causes are suspected: Could obesity and exposure to environmental contaminants, for instance, be to blame? While the causes may still be misunderstood, the physical, psychological and psychosocial repercussions on young girls going through this change so early are all too visible. Little Big Girls alerts us to the need to adapt, as a society, so as to minimize the impact of this phenomenon on our children.