Être chinois au Québec (Being Chinese in Quebec): A Road Movie2 min read

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Productions Multi-Monde, a Montreal-based company who has created and produced many social and political documentaries, in association with Diffusion Multi-Monde is releasing a new documentary called Être chinois au Québec (Being Chinese in Quebec): A Road Movie. This film will be screened at the Montreal Chinese Cultural and Community Centre in Chinatown, Montreal, on Friday, February 15 at 7:00 pm, during Chinese New Year celebrations. It is directed by Malcolm Guy and William Ging Wee Dere and is bilingual – the French dialogue is subtitled in English and vice versa, and the Chinese dialogue is subtitled in both.

The documentary follows Bethany Or and Parker Mah, two young members of the community who have decided to call Quebec their home, as they set out across the province to explore their identity and their roots.

En route to Quebec – Parker and Bethany

Through the vibrant neighborhoods of Quebec’s largest city, Montréal, and along the winding roads of Quebec to the “end of the world”, Gaspé, Bethany and Parker meet an engaging group of Quebecers of Chinese origin. They are strong, outspoken characters carving out a place in the Quebec of today, where the debate about identity and language are constant subjects of discussion.

The road trip takes place against the backdrop of the apology by the Canadian government to the Chinese community for past injustices, notably a Head Tax for Chinese entering Canada followed by an Exclusion Act that prevented all Chinese, and only Chinese, from entering Canada between 1923 and 1947.

The film also features a dynamic sound track composed by Quebec-based musicians Kid Koala, Janet Lumb and Dino Giancola.

A Chinese tradition: Cutting oranges into quarters

The film directors are the same team, William Ging Wee Dere and Malcolm Guy, that two decades ago created the groundbreaking film, Moving the Mountain, about the history of the Chinese community in Canada. Être chinois au Québec (Being Chinese in Quebec) focuses on the new generation of Chinese Canadian (Sino Quebecois) youth and their vision of family, Quebec society and their future.

For the world premiere, the film will be accompanied by an exhibition of photographs taken by Parker Mah during filming across Quebec. The public will also have the opportunity to interact with the team throughout the evening and a question and answer period will follow the screening.

To reserve a seat, contact Diffusion Multi-Monde by phone at 514-842-4047 (ask for Marie Boti or Nadine Gomez) or by email at films@diffusionmultimonde.com.

(Sorry Vancouver folks, but we’ll have to wait longer to see this movie… but hopefully it will be screened in Vancouver!)

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