Skip to content
Accessibility
Acadian Cinema
A selection of films from our Moncton Studio and Acadian filmmakers.
-
Tintamarre - On the Trail of Acadians in North AmericaAndré Gladu 2004 1 h 19 minThis feature documentary pays homage to the special character of an enduring people: the Acadians. Two hundred years after Expulsion of the Acadians by the British (1755–1764), Acadian culture is still very much alive. But why do Acadians—whose ancestors founded the first colony in North America—have to keep making a racket to tell the world they're still here? -
The SilenceRenée Blanchar 2021 1 h 48 minWARNING: This film discusses the topic of childhood sexual assault. Viewer discretion is advised.
Why be silent about the most serious matters? Doesn’t silence perpetuate suffering? From the 1950s to the 1980s, Catholic priests sexually abused many young boys in the francophone towns of New Brunswick. These scandals only came to light when the victims were in their fifties, provoking shock and outrage in the media and the public. Why did the affected communities keep silent so long, preferring secrecy to justice and truth? Profiting from their positions of influence to impose a “pious silence” on their parishioners, authority figures built an abusive system that tells us as much about the type of oppression specific to the Acadian population as it does about the blanket denials issued by the Catholic Church. Called to confront the power of this collective silence, veteran filmmaker Renée Blanchar meets with survivors in an attempt to untangle the deeply rooted reasons for this secrecy. With The Silence, she takes us as close as she can to the humanity of these broken men, revealing the forces that, today as in the past, have the power to unite or divide Acadian communities. -
2000 mmGeorges Hannan 2021 7 minReady or not, society is in a process of redefinition. What goes through people’s minds in a situation like a toilet paper shortage? The term COVID-19 stands for something invisible, stoking fears strong enough to cause stock markets to melt like snow in springtime. As filmmaker Georges Hannan’s 91-year-old mother puts it, “I’ve never seen anything like this.” It has prompted him to embark on a gradual reflection over time, in a part of the world like any other: Atlantic Canada. Call it a fishing expedition with camera and microphone, into the unknown.
-
Moments of LifeSamuel-A. Caron & France Gallant 2020 20 minThe phenomenon of perinatal grief has largely gone unrecognized; parents who live through the experience frequently find themselves isolated, with no resources to support them. Co-directed by Samuel-A. Caron and France Gallant, Moments of Life breaks the silence on this sensitive subject. We follow a group of bereaved parents who organize to offer support in their region, driven by a determination to reduce isolation. This film is both a conversation-starter and a source of hope and inspiration.
-
Uniquely ViolaRodolphe Caron 2016 1 h 15 minEighty-five-year-old Viola Léger has been embodying La Sagouine, the famous character from Antonine Maillet’s eponymous 1971 play, for over 40 years. Filmmaker Rodolphe Caron follows the veteran Acadian actress as she prepares for a new series of performances, inviting her to talk about her long and successful career.
-
Bittersweet BluesStéphanie David 2015 24 minThis short documentary links family memories to the evolution of Acadian French. Bittersweet Blues reveals the dilemma that Acadians face: do they adopt normative French in order to be better understood, or proudly continue to use their own language, which reflects the colourful flavour of their own authentic culture?
This film was made as part of the Tremplin program, in collaboration with Radio-Canada. -
CafeteriaFrancine Hébert 2015 24 minThis short documentary looks at how an entire community mobilized to improve the cafeteria menu at a primary school in Cocagne, New Brunswick. Rallying behind this noble cause, residents put their shoulder to the wheel, promoting products from local farmers over those of multinational corporations. Everyone gets involved to make healthy eating a common goal as well as a learning opportunity.
-
Viola Léger, TogetherRodolphe Caron 2013 5 minThis short film pays tribute to Acadian actress Viola Léger. One of the brightest stars in Canada’s artistic firmament, Léger is best known for her role as La Sagouine in the play of the same name by Acadian writer Antonine Maillet. She has performed it more than 2,500 times, winning rave reviews for her authentic and engaging portrayal. In this film, an in-depth interview combined with archival photos and videos captures the passion and vitality of a woman who, at the venerable age of 82, is ever willing to take on the roles still being offered to her.
Produced by the NFB in co-operation with the National Arts Centre and the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Foundation on the occasion of the 2013 Governor General's Performing Arts Awards. -
My RadioKarine Godin 2013 19 minAcadians have been enamoured of their community radio station, CJSE, for 16 years now. The station is well rooted in the community and has become a unique observer of its day-to-day reality, evolution, culture and struggles, providing listeners with an image that corresponds to their ever-changing identity. This documentary was made as part of the 2012 Tremplin competition and produced with the collaboration of Radio-Canada. In French with English subtitles.
-
For the CauseRodolphe Caron 2011 52 minThis feature documentary tells the story of the Notre-Dame-du-Sacré-Cœur Congregation which was formed in 1924 when 53 French-speaking nuns separated from their unilingual English community, forming a new religious community that immediately began to campaign for the preservation of Acadian language, faith and culture. Convinced that education was essential for Acadian women, in 1943 the Congregation founded Collège Notre-Dame d’Acadie, where young women were able to study in French for the first time in New Brunswick.
-
InfusionAmélie Gosselin 2010 17 minIn Acadie, the only “real” tea is King Cole, blended in New Brunswick for the past 100 years. Traditionally drunk with a spot of Carnation condensed milk, it recalls simpler days when people would take the time to stop and smell… the tea.
Infusion is a playful look at this tradition, its many symbols, and the memories it stirs. Some say a cup of tea promotes frank discussion and helps clear up misunderstandings; others swear they can read the future in the leaves left at the bottom. Perhaps there really is something magical about tea… -
Inhabiting DanceJulien Cadieux 2009 25 minThis short documentary is a portrait of Sylvie Mazerolle, a young woman for whom dance is as vital and fundamental as breathing. Tracking her process, the film also takes a look at dance in her home province of New Brunswick. In French with English subtitles.
-
Antonine Maillet - The Possibilities Are EndlessGinette Pellerin 2009 52 minMade famous in 1971 by the success of La Sagouine and achieving international celebrity after winning the Prix Goncourt for Pélagie-la-Charrette in 1979, Antonine Maillet has been the mouthpiece of the Acadian people throughout the world for fifty years. This documentary takes us from Bouctouche to Montreal by way of Moncton to discover a great writer who has rarely spoken of herself with such candour and generosity. An unforgettable autobiographical document.
-
Turning TidesMathieu D'Astous 2007 24 minIn this documentary short, summer trippers line up for the famous local fried clams and whole families dig for the white mollusc in the tangy air of the sandbars. But as the clams dwindle, so do these tableaux from Maritime culture. For commercial fishermen it's the end of a livelihood; for others, it's the death of a tradition. Can this really be the end of a resource that used to be as plentiful as the air we breathe? In French with English subtitles.
-
A Sunday at 105Daniel Léger 2007 13 minA 105-year-old Acadian agrees to be filmed one Sunday as she goes about her daily routine and ruminates on life. Filmed by her great-grandson, Aldéa Pellerin-Cormier comments wisely on politics, sex and religion. From getting ready in the morning to drinking her nightcap before bed, every moment is punctuated with a witticism or existential thought. Respectful of the old woman's privacy, Daniel Léger's first documentary looks at wisdom, serenity and enjoyment of life. In French with English subtitles.
-
Reema, There and BackPaul Émile d'Entremont 2006 52 minFilmmaker Paul Émile d'Entremont's documentary presents Reema, a lively and sensitive young girl confronted with difficult questions about her identity. After spending the first 16 years of her life with her Canadian mother, Reema re-connects with her Iraqi father by spending 2 months with him in Jordan. On returning home to Nova Scotia, she realizes she will always have a double identity, and that it is both a burden and a treasure.
-
We Are What We EatAube Giroux 2004 24 minSet to beautiful, pastoral images, We Are What We Eat introduces us to people bringing together their love of good food and passion for environmental protection. We meet wheat and strawberry producers, along with a wine grower and a chef — each doing things at their own pace, while resisting the demands of agribusiness.
-
Pimp My Boat2005 5 minTraditional Acadian lobster trapping meets global-village pop culture in this amusing parody of the popular MTV reality show "Pimp my Ride." Join host Bubs and his gang on Bell-Côte wharf as they set out to renovate and modify old fisherman Albény's trusty boat.
-
Something in the AirSylvie Dauphinais 2001 24 minA 2001 documentary about the dangers of pesticides used by potato farmers in Prince Edward Island. Filmmaker Sylvie Dauphinais made this documentary to issue a wake-up call about an environmental crisis that put the ill, the elderly and the young at great risk. Includes some subtitles.
-
On the Road with La MouettePhilippe d' Hauterive & François Aubry 2001 52 minThis feature documentary follows Le Théâtre de La Mouette, a travelling puppet theatre company comprised of a husband, his wife and their 3 teenage sons. The family has crossed Canada from east to west, and north to the Yukon, taking their amusing play (with a serious ecological message) to remote towns and villages. This film traces their 7th trip in 10 years, this time to the Maritimes and Newfoundland.
-
AutomaniaRobert Awad 1994 5 minThis short animated film takes an amusing look at city dwellers' obsessive dependence on the automobile. Just as he does every morning, a man is preparing to jump into his car and head off to work when the remote control gizmo refuses to cooperate. The key won't unlock the door! Some helpful passersby suggest several solutions, but our stubborn hero turns a deaf ear. Will he get to work on time?
-
Jack Kerouac's Road - A Franco-American OdysseyHerménégilde Chiasson 1989 54 minPart documentary, part drama, this film presents the life and work of Jack Kerouac, an American writer with Québec roots who became one of the most important spokesmen for his generation. Intercut with archival footage, photographs and interviews, this film takes apart the heroic myth and even returns to the childhood of the author whose life and work contributed greatly to the cultural, sexual and social revolution of the 1960s.
-
The National ScreamRobert Awad & David Verrall 1980 27 minThis lively satire uses animation and a pseudo-documentary style to depict Canada's search for a national identity. The National Scream explains, amongst other elements of Canadiana, how and why the beaver became the country's symbol.
-
The GossipsPhil Comeau 1978 57 minThis feature fiction film describes Acadia from a new and humorous angle. In a small village in the Acadian region of Nova Scotia, a couple living out of wedlock and a broad-minded priest scandalize the village gossips. They suspect that a treacherous act is about to be committed. Suspense builds, stoked by the clacking tongues of a trio of suspicious housewives.
-
The Bronswik AffairRobert Awad & André Leduc 1978 23 minThis funny yet serious short film demonstrates the effectiveness of advertising and the marketing machine. Its comic appeal lies in the characters and the absurd situations they find themselves in, but it also shines a harsh light on our tendency towards needless consumerism prompted by a steady flow of commercials.
-
A Sun Like Nowhere ElseLéonard Forest 1972 47 minAcadians are French-speaking Maritimers. In this film the people speak for themselves--about their feelings toward governments wanting to relocate and urbanize them, about present-day "tragedies" in their communities, and about their hopes for a productive future.
-
Walls of MemoryLéonard Forest 1964 27 minA wealth of archival images offers a glimpse into Québec City’s social history in this tribute to French Canada’s first classical college, the Seminary of Québec.
-
In Search of InnocenceLéonard Forest 1964 27 minA questioning filmmaker from Québec finds out how Vancouver's poets and painters look at life and art. Among the people seen are sculptor Donald Jarvis, painters Jack Shadbolt, Joy Long and Margaret Peterson, and printmaker Sing Lim.
