A change of seasons has brought a change in my social habits. It had been a while since I had two steady days off a week. With this in mind I had been looking for new things I could try in Montreal. I was checking the local city listings when one of them had an article discussing some of this years showings at the RIDM.
The first documentary I saw was “A City is an Island” which described itself as:
“In a Montreal where linguistic identity is a permanent, fundamental issue, a community of talented English-speaking musicians has put down roots, attracted by the city’s comparatively modest rents. The scene has grown into a cultural world unto itself. Warehouses abandoned in the 1990s now buzz with these discreet but busy new arrivals, contributing to Quebec’s cultural life even though they are barely integrated into it. Timothy George Kelly’s film is an uncompromising exploration of the paradox of a dynamic independent music scene that remains permanently distinct. Made with the same DIY ethos as its subjects apply to their music, A City is an Island introduces us to Mac DeMarco, Patrick Watson, Sean Nicholas Savage, Tim Hecker, Colin Stetson and many more.”
It was my first experience attending a RIDM event. The first showing was held at the “amphitheatre du coeur des sciences” on Sherbrooke street. I didn’t know if I should expect large crowds so I turned up a good 45 minutes early with a book. I was one of the first individuals in line. Montreal has a vibrant music scene and me and the guys had tickets for the Sean Nicholas Savage show which was happening in town a few days later.
I thought the documentarys narration and story were good enough. I appreciated the unknown (to me) artist he interviewed and showcased. Some of the actual footage seemed amateurish. For instance each artist interviewed during the documentary also played a solo song. During these performances the camera would often zoom in and out repeatedly on part of the artist face. Nothing major but I felt like it detracted a little from the performance we were seeing. I felt like they did a good job of conveying what life was like for the French and English in Montreal over the past generations. All in all a great little documentary about English musicians and/in the Montreal music scene. I particularly enjoyed the scene with Mac trying his best to light a cigarette, obviously seriously hung over. The crowd laughed and cheered when he finally lit the fucker ;-)
The second documentary I got to see was on the final night of the festival, and also happened to be the final movie being shown. It was being shown at the Excentris theater on St-Laurent. “The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness” is a documentary based on Hayao Miyazaki. Considered by many to be the “Disney of the East”. For my part I think his storytelling is better than what Disney achieved. I was already familiar with some of the Hayao story . I had made a point of visiting the Ghibli museum while I was in Japan. The documentary describes itself as:
“My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Grave of the Fireflies… In more than 30 years since its founding, the Ghibli studio, set up by directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, has produced some of the most acclaimed animated films of all time. Thanks to exceptional access to the studio (and Miyazaki’s home), Mami Sunada was able to film the creative hive’s workings for more than a year, while the two founders worked on The Wind Rises and The Tale of Princess Kaguya. More than just a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at an iconic studio, The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness explores the deep and complex friendship that bonds two artists with starkly opposed approaches and personalities.”
Based on some reading I’ve done, Mr Miyazaki in my opinion appears to be firmly rooted in a past generation. There were hints of this mentioned during the film. The documentary itself was thoroughly enjoyable, providing an intimate look into his life as well as the people who surround him. The documentary was filmed as the Studio Ghibli staff were working to complete “The wind rises” animated movie. I particularly enjoyed it’s capture of how the film’s progression moved forward, how the story was being woven and how it’s ending came to be. I had the pleasure of watching The wind rises when it was shown in the theaters here in Montreal.
As someone who is appreciative of Japanese culture, I found the documentary to be thoroughly enjoyable. I very much enjoyed watching the interaction between the various individuals and the scenes of every day life. The open ended questions and statements which to a westerner such as myself seem “typically Japanese”.
There were a few other documentaries which I really wanted to see but was unable to attend due to time constraints:
Empire of Shame, documents the deaths of several workers at a Samsung office/plant. These workers died due to the chemicals with which they were working. Initially Samsung attempted to deny/cover up the problem. This is as much of the story as I know. Although it would have been a sad subject, I would have been interested in seeing it due to my past relationship with South Korea.
CitizenFour, documents the trials of Edward Snowden. A former NSA contractor who blew the whistle on what one of the worlds largest security agencies was doing with electronic data. As someone who considers himself a geek with a high regard for individual privacy this was one of the documentaries I really wanted to see. Unfortunately for me, my schedule did not permit it.
Each documentary ticket cost me 10$ plus some administration fee’s. It was possible to buy a booklet of tickets and then select the ones you wanted to attend. This being my first time attending the RIDM, I walked away with a positive experience from it all. The projection halls, the staff and the documentaries were all well managed. If you’re looking to get a fix for your documentary needs, make sure to support RIDM next time they roll around town.
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