Tintamarre - On the Trail of Acadians in North America

Deux cent cinquante ans après la Grande Déportation, les Acadiens et leur culture sont encore bien vivants. Aujourd'hui, plus de deux millions de personnes d'origine acadienne occupent la terre d'Amérique. Mais pourquoi après avoir fondé la première colonie en Amérique du Nord, ce peuple doit-il encore lutter pour dire à la face du monde qu'il existe toujours? Intrigué, le cinéaste André Gladu est donc parti à sa rencontre. Cherchant à comprendre l'esprit qui anime les Acadiens, et à retracer leur histoire singulière au coeur du continent, il nous présente de fascinants personnages, pour qui la défense de la culture acadienne demeure l'oeuvre de toute une vie.

In 1999, Richard Desjardins and Robert Monderie hit their mark with Forest Alert, a shocking documentary on the dubious practices of the logging industry. In The Invisible Nation, they again challenge perceptions by spotlighting the sad reality of the Algonquin of Quebec and bringing the history of this people to the screen for the first time. The Algonquin once lived in harmony with the vast territory they occupied. This balance was upset when the Europeans arrived in the 16th century. Gradually, their Aboriginal traditions were undermined and their natural resources plundered. Today, barely 9,000 Algonquin are left. They live in about 10 communities, often enduring abject poverty and human rights abuses. These Aboriginals are suffering the threat to their very existence in silence. Richard Desjardins and Robert Monderie have decided to sound the alarm before it's too late. In French with English subtitles.

In the late 1960s, with the triumph of bilingualism and biculturalism, New Brunswick's Université de Moncton became the setting for the awakening of Acadian nationalism after centuries of defeatism and resignation. Although 40% of the province's population spoke French, they had been unable to make their voices heard. The movement started with students-sit-ins, demonstrations against Parliament, run-ins with the police - and soon spread to a majority of Acadians. The film captures the behind-the-scenes action and the students' determination to bring about change. An invaluable document of the rebirth of a people. In French with English subtitles.