During French Celebrations Week, March 5 to March 21, the Société Saint-Thomas-d’Aquin and PEI Public Library Service are pleased to partner in presenting a cinematography tour, with the help of the National Film Board.
During the two weeks of celebrations, various films for all ages will be presented in the public libraries of the six Acadian and Francophone areas of the province.
What a great list of films to see! Check the official program for hours and locations.
The following are a few of the films to be shown:
Éloge au chiac (1st and 2nd part) - This film is about the language relationship of Francophone Acadians from southeastern New Brunswick. Forty years after Michel Brault’s Éloge au chiac, Marie Cadieux takes us to Moncton, Shediac, Bouctouche and even France to meet people determined to save and promote the distinctiveness of chiac. Interspersed with Acadieman clips, the film will make you laugh, cringe and especially think. 104 min 52 sec.
Pis nous autres dans tout ça? (So Where Do We Fit In?) - What would happen if three huge Franco-Ontarian flags wandered over the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City during the Saint-Jean-Baptiste celebrations? Andréanne Germain, a young Ontario Francophone, goes in search of the answer. Her idea is not to provoke Quebecers but to sensitize them to an overlooked reality. The setting she chooses is the Saint-Jean-Baptiste, formerly a celebration for French Canadians in general which became the Quebec National Holiday in 1967. The scenario that Andréanne has in mind is quite imaginative. She recruits guinea pigs through the Internet – two Quebecers – without telling them their mission, gives them each a huge Franco-Ontarian flag, and gleefully tells them to walk around Quebec City. This film is what Andréanne asks of the Quebec nationalists, playfully but implying the existence of a third Canadian solitude. 57 min 9 sec.
Family Films
Une courte-pointe pour grand-maman (Oma’s Quilt) - This film is about love, life and change. Oma’s home for half a lifetime is brimming with memories that warm her heart. On this day, her house stands empty, all the fragments of her life packed neatly into boxes. Oma is moving to a seniors’ residence where she doesn’t know anyone. Watching these events unfold is her granddaughter. She senses that her grandmother is not too sure she will like her new home. Wishing to help, Emily does something to ease the burden of such a momentous change in all their lives.
Le 7e voyage de la mouette (On the Road with la Mouette) - This is a documentary about a family who has a travelling puppet show. With their love of theatre and travel, Louise, Philippe and their three sons go on the road throughout Canada. They present their play about ecology written by Louise. The film highlights the pleasures of meeting new people and discovering beautiful landscapes along with the family’s daily routine and fatigue from being on the road. The end of this seventh tour makes us discover the adults that the three young boys have become. Will they be part of the next adventure? 64 min 4 sec.
Enjoy the show!
The Société Saint-Thomas-d’Aquin is the official spokesgroup of the Prince Edward Island Acadians and Francophones. Its mandate is to ensure that all Acadians and Francophones can live and thrive individually and collectively in French on Prince Edward Island.