D'où je viens
Montreal, is a crossroads of different cultures, and neighborhoods with very different histories. Many filmmakers have recently turned their cameras on specific sectors of the city, and with this films series, we wanted to share their perspectives to understand the human richness and contemporary issues of Quebec's great metropolis.
This feature documentary represents a quest that is both personal and universal. Director Claude Demers (Barbers: A Men’s Story, Ladies in Blue) revisits the working-class neighbourhood of Verdun where he grew up and asks questions about the mysteries of his origins and his formative years, which were marked by abandonment. Bastien and Cédric, two young boys who are discovering the world around them, serve as the narrator’s alter egos. Between past and present, birth and death, D'où je viens traces the course of one man's redemption. The film marries realism with lyricism and a vibrant soundtrack that celebrates life.
Paul-Claude Demers
Paul-Claude Demers, known as Claude Demers, is a self-taught independent filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, and visual artist based in Montreal, Canada. He directed his first feature film, The Invention of Love, in 2000. He then turns to documentary filmmaking with Barbers – A Men’s Story (2006) and Ladies in Blue (2009). In 2014, he directed the first installment of his trilogy themed around the quest for origins: Where I’m From. In 2016, he directed the fiction short film My Last Summer, which received 17 awards in multiple countries. In 2019, Demers directed the second installment of his trilogy: A Woman, My Mother, (Grand prize in the 2019 RIDM National Feature Film Competition). In 2023, his new documentary essay Diary of a Father concludes his trilogy. Poetic and human, his films have been awarded and selected at several international festivals: Rotterdam, RIDM, São Paulo, Palm Springs, Hot Docs, La Rochelle, Vancouver, Hot Docs and Interfilm-Berlin. In 2007, the Cinémathèque québécoise celebrated the filmmaker's singularity with a retrospective of his works.
Bio : Maison4tiers
Photo : Adil Boukind
