Set in modern-day Montréal, C'est Moi explores the collision of the past as it meets the present. Performance by Montréal native Jenny Brizard evokes the return of a ghostly figure, Marie-Josèph Angélique, a runaway slave in 18th century New France (Québec). She was accused of setting a fire in Vieux Montréal and subsequently tortured and hanged. In 2016, as it prepared to celebrate its 375th anniversary, the City of Montréal removed a plaque stating a declaration against racial discrimination "for restorational purposes." This poses the question, "How much of our past is erased in the restoration of history?"
C'est Moi is an evocative performance work on film. A discussion guide accompanies the work to facilitate its use in education, featuring additional information on this largely unknown chapter in Canada's history, suggestions for discussion, director's notes and a foreword by Canadian poet and author George Elliot Clarke, O.C., O.N.S
For more info visit: www.cestmoifilm.com
Director's statement: Our current socio-political climate and our history have too many recollections and examples of systemic racism and oppression, yet records of these are hard to come across. This poses the question of who it is that records of writes our history to be recounted for generations to come. In order to proceed forward conscientiously we must unearth and acknowledge events of our past as uncomfortable as they may be. Only by shedding light on them are we able to address them. Doing so with determination and desire for change will shape a better future and our collective identity.
