The Children of Refus Global

En 1948, le manifeste du Refus global de Paul-Émile Borduas proclame la fin du «règne de la peur multiforme» incarné par le régime duplessiste. Cinquante ans plus tard, tous les livres d'histoire font état de ce document qui jeta les bases du Québec moderne. Fille de l'un des signataires, la cinéaste Manon Barbeau porte sur cette période un regard inédit. Elle est allée à la rencontre des fils et filles des Barbeau, Borduas, Mousseau et Riopelle, «enfants de Refus global» qui ont subi comme elle les conséquences du geste révolutionnaire de leurs parents. Aucun n'est sorti indemne d'une enfance faite d'inquiétudes et d'abandons, mais aussi d'une richesse que l'art seul peut apporter. Surtout quand il nous apparaît, comme ici, sous le jour de l'émotion.

How can children accept a parent's death when it is shrouded in silence, evasions and half-truths? The children live with a legacy of grief and guilt, feeling abandoned and always wondering, "Was it my fault?" Filmmaker Lisa Fitzgibbons grew up with the uneasy feeling that things were not as they seemed. Then she finally learned that her father had ended his life. Surprised to discover that she is not alone, she reaches out to other survivors and meets two people who also lost their fathers to suicide at an early age. Robert describes the 30 long years it took to force the truth into the open. Anne-Marie still regrets her refusal as a child to kiss her father goodbye before leaving for school that last morning. We listen to their stories, presented simply and compassionately against a background of poetic images. In speaking of their experiences, buried emotions resurface. Hope is reborn as all three come to terms with their fathers' death - and with their own lives. In French with English subtitles.

In Moncton, a historic neighbourhood is obliterated by excavators. Meanwhile, the filmmaker's father succumbs to cancer. In this poetic film, illness and death parallel the demolition of a much-loved neighbourhood. What survives when buildings, trees and a loved one all vanish? In this case, photographs, conversations and the vivid memories shared by residents and by the film's director. Produced through the Tremplin competition, Voleuse de poussière pays homage to both a departed father and a vanished heritage.