The Battle of Saint-Leonard
The mission of the Centre d'art et essai de la Cinémathèque québécoise (CAECQ) is to primary program Quebec-made documentaries and independent fiction, as well as international documentaries, animated and foreign films, while encouraging opportunities for meetings between the public and the artists. Its programming is presented in conjunction with the Cinémathèque québécoise’s under the label New releases.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Félix Rose
Official selection, 2024 FCVQ
An unprecedented language crisis unfolded in the heart of the town of Saint-Leonard in 1968-1969. French-speaking parents demanded French-only schools, while members of the Italian community wanted to preserve bilingual schools. The conflict spread throughout Québec, creating enormous tensions that degenerated into violence and culminated in a bloody riot. The Battle of Saint-Leonard tells the story of Raymond Lemieux and Mario Barone, two remarkable yet forgotten men of modest origins, who each fought with strength and conviction, despite the heavy consequences to themselves, their families, and their professional lives. Their struggle changed the destiny of Québec and led to the adoption of the Charter of the French Language (Bill 101).
Félix Rose
With a passion for history, Félix Rose developed a political and social conscience at an early age. After studying film and television, he began his career as a documentary filmmaker with the films Avec la gauche (2014) and Yes (2017). In 2020, he directed the documentary The Rose Family, the culmination of a personal quest to better understand the past of his father, the felquist Paul Rose, and his family. The same year, he co-directs a six-part investigative series, Le dernier felquiste, on the unsolved assassination of the felquist François Mario Bachand and the history of the various Front de Libération du Québec (FLQ) networks. In 2024, he completed a four-part series on the musical rivalry between two Quebec rock bands: Offenbach and Corbeau. His most recent documentary, The Battle of Saint-Leonard, focuses on a language crisis that led to the adoption of the Charter of the French Language (Bill 101).
Bio & photo: Maison 4:3
