CINEMA POLITICA is a Montreal-based media arts, nonprofit network of community and campus locals that screen independent political film and video by Canadian and international artists throughout Canada and abroad.
The main idea of CINEMA POLITICA is to educate through documentary screenings with FREE ENTRANCE. All the screenings will be followed by discussions with directors and special guests.
FARMING THE REVOLUTION
India-Norway, 2024, 150′
director and screenwriter Nishtha Jain
In November 2020, Gurbaz Sangha, a young farmer from Punjab, embarked on a remarkable journey. Riding his tractor for 400 kilometers to Delhi, he joined forces with thousands, and later more than half a million, men and women from diverse backgrounds. Their united mission: to stand against the newly enacted Farm Laws, despite widespread opposition. Amid a COVID lockdown, these farmers—representing over half of India’s workforce—vowed to remain at the borders until the laws were repealed. In this parallel world, they redefined co-existence, with women emerging as equal political partners rather than mere supporting characters.
The screening is on March 24 (Monday), 7:00 PM at Goethe-Institut.
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PLASTIC PEOPLE
Canada, 2024, 84′
directors and screenwriters Ben Addelman and Ziya Tong
“Plastic People” investigates our addiction to plastic and the growing threat of microplastics on human health. Almost every bit of plastic ever made breaks down into “microplastics.” These microscopic particles drift in the air, float in all bodies of water, and mix into the soil, becoming a permanent part of the environment.
Now, leading scientists are finding these particles in our bodies: organs, blood, brain tissue, and even the placentas of new mothers. What is the impact of these invisible invaders on our health? And can anything be done about it?
The screening is on March 27 (Thursday), 7:00 PM at Goethe-Institut.
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UNION
USA, 2024, 100′
directors and screenwriters Brett Story and Stephen Maing
Unionized workers can stand up to their employers, as Amazon is well aware, so the company does everything it can to keep unions out. Documentary makers Brett Story and Stephen Maing follow the attempt by workers at a huge Amazon distribution center in New York City to set up a labor union there.
This David-and-Goliath battle begins in the spring of 2021, when an employee who was fired by Amazon after he complained about unsafe COVID working conditions decides to set up the Amazon
The screening is on April 1 (Tuesday), 7:00 PM at Goethe-Institut.
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A FIDAI FILM
Palestine-Germany-Qatar-Brazil-France, 2024, 78′
director and screenwriter Kamal Aljafari
During Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon, its Defence Force looted the archive of the Palestinian Research Centre, taking every sort of document with them back to Israel. These included both still and moving images that formed an integral part of the visual memory of Palestine. Those stolen materials were then used by Israel to create a narrative aimed at bolstering the Occupation. As openly referenced by the title (Fidai refers to the figure of the freedom fighter), “A Fidai Film” is an act of resistance that re-appropriates those images in an attempt to reanimate Palestine’s vanishing history.
The screening is on April 2 (Wednesday), 7:00 PM at Goethe-Institut.
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AVANT-DRAG!
Greece, 2024, 92′
director and screenwriter Fil Ieropoulos
“Avant-Drag!” offers an exhilarating look at ten Athenian drag performers who deconstruct gender, nationalism, belonging, identity, while facing police brutality, transphobia and racism. As entertaining as it is thought-provoking, Avant-Drag! challenges societal norms and reshapes perceptions about LGBTQ+ culture by capturing the intimate lives of a tightly-knit group of drag performers, proving that being othered never felt so familiar.
The screening is on April 4 (Friday), 7:00 PM at bar "The Steps".
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SEE YOU AT THE #CINEMA!
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