645 Wellington
A stone's throw from downtown Montreal, quirky artists, blue-collar workers and unconventional families are being forced to leave their old neighbourhood as high-tech firms move in. Like in so many other cities, the tech companies arrive with the promise of a rosy future--but it's one built on demolitions, evictions and the conversion of low-rent property to high-priced condos. This is a portrait of one building and its residents--people like Constanzo 'Fartman' Manna, an eccentric shipper and packer who's headed for Chile to marry the love of his life and bring her back to Montreal; artist Luc Bourbonnais, who is fighting …
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A stone's throw from downtown Montreal, quirky artists, blue-collar workers and unconventional families are being forced to leave their old neighbourhood as high-tech firms move in. Like in so many other cities, the tech companies arrive with the promise of a rosy future--but it's one built on demolitions, evictions and the conversion of low-rent property to high-priced condos.
This is a portrait of one building and its residents--people like Constanzo 'Fartman' Manna, an eccentric shipper and packer who's headed for Chile to marry the love of his life and bring her back to Montreal; artist Luc Bourbonnais, who is fighting desperately to hold on to the loft that inspires so much of his art; and Cuban émigré Rolando Zambrano, who ran a neighbourhood snack bar for nearly 30 years.
Shot over a period of six months and set to a pulsing Latin and rock soundtrack, 645 Wellington not only opens a window onto the lives of the building's residents but brings the building itself to life. We come to know the dark hallways, the corners and the doorways. We get
to know them well. Just as they are about to change, forever.
645 Wellington was produced as part of the
Reel Diversity Competition for emerging filmmakers of colour. Reel Diversity is a National Film Board of Canada initiative in partnership with CBC Newsworld.
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directorKaveh Nabatian
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editorMaxime Chalifoux
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cinematographerAli Reggab
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additional photographyAllan EdgarCostanzo MannaAlex MargineanuKaveh NabatianPeter PonsÈve-Barbara RobidouxShannon Walsh
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stills photographerRawi Hage
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sound recordistMarco Fania
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additional soundDanny Fania
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production assistantRobert YatesPhilippe BlanchardNahani Grenier
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sound editorMarco Fania
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music editorKaveh Nabatian
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music consultantRich Parry
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online editingSylvain Desbiens
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digital editing technicianDanielle Raymond
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title designLouise Overy
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post-production co-ordinatorClaude Cardinal
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studio clerkEvelyn ReidSia Koukoulas
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program administratorNickie MerullaMarie Tonto-Donati
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associate producerRavida Din
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producerGermaine Ying Gee Wong
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executive producerSally Bochner
Warning: Borderline nudity; woman is shown with only nipples and genitalia (barely) covered.
Lesson Launcher: This film is an abstract look at the impact of gentrification on residents in a loft commercial/residential building in Montreal.
Overview Questions:
- Describe how the different lofts have been divided into residential and “commercial” spaces.
- What types of art are presented in this film? What influence might their physical space have on their art?
- As gentrification has taken place, what evidence is there that the neighbourhood has changed?
- What evidence is there that the internet companies that are moving in are “killing the neighbourhood for the sake of profit?”
Follow up Activities
- Read the Ottawa Citizen article “From east to west, Canadians confront gentrification”
- Research the gentrification of artist spaces and the effect gentrification has on artist and/or low-income communities.
- Investigate which levels of government are responsible for gentrification using examples from the article above.
