Montréal, March 29, 2022 – Filmmaker Alunaya is the happy recipient of the eighth Regard sur Montréal film residency.
The residency carries a grant of $75,000, allowing the artist to devote 11 months to screenwriting, direction, post-production and dissemination of a short documentary entitled Des racines nées, to be presented as part of the Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM).
Alunaya’s film describes the immigrant experience of forming new, multifaceted identities as they establish themselves in new countries. Inspired by the tree population of Tiohtià:ke, which has taken root gradually over the course of several hundred years, the filmmaker takes an unprecedented look at the theme of immigration and identity markers.
Alunaya
A multicultural and multidisciplinary artist with an innate thirst for learning, understanding and creating, Alunaya draws on poetry, prose, painting, photography, and video to engage with the world.
In addition to being selected for the 2022 Regard sur Montréal residency, Alunaya was named “Exploratrice-Reporter” by Village Monde in 2018 and “Exploratrice en Terres Solidaires” in 2017. She also won the 2017–2018 Portrait de Photographe program at the Maison de la Photo de Montréal and the 2015 Mtl en Arts Coup de coeur du public award for painting.
Regard sur Montréal Residency
Designed for emerging artists, newly arrived immigrants, and first-generation immigrants from cultural communities or who are members of a visible minority group, the residency helps culturally diverse artists illuminate Montréal’s cultural landscape through their own unique, insightful perspective on Montréal.
The initiative combines funding from three levels of government: the Conseil des arts de Montréal (CAM), the Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC) and the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), through its Independent Filmmaker Assistance Program (ACIC) and its partners Films de l’Autre and RIDM.
About the Conseil des arts de Montréal
A dynamic partner of professional artistic creativity in Montreal, the Conseil des arts de Montreal identifies, supports and recognizes excellence in the creation, production and presentation of artistic endeavours. Through its initiatives, the Conseil encourages new thinking, discovery and daring at the heart of Montreal’s artistic landscape. Since 1956, the Conseil des arts de Montréal has been an influential player in the development of “Montreal, Cultural Metropolis.”
About SODEC
SODEC’s mandate is to promote and support the development of cultural enterprises in Québec and abroad in the film, television production, publishing, fine arts, music, and variety sectors. It is also responsible for protecting and enhancing 32 heritage properties that reflect Québec’s identity.
About NFB
The NFB is Canada’s public producer and distributor of award-winning documentaries, auteur animation, interactive stories and participatory experiences, working with talented creators across the country. The NFB is taking action to combat systemic racism and become a more open and diverse organization, while working to strengthen Indigenous-led production and gender equity in film and digital media. NFB productions have won more than 7,000 awards, including 12 Oscars. To access this unique content, visit NFB.ca.
About les Films de l’Autre
Les Films de l’Autre is a non-profit organization whose mission is to encourage formal research and freedom of creation in independent film. The centre holds a unique position in Quebec’s cinematic community, bringing together filmmakers who are both producers and directors of their works.
About RIDM
Quebec’s only film festival dedicated to documentaries, the Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM) presents the best reality‐based films, including the works of established directors and new talents. RIDM also offers activities for industry professionals through the RIDM Forum, North America’s only bilingual documentary market. The RIDM Forum offers an intensive program of professional workshops, lectures, and business meetings that focus on training, knowledge sharing, and partnership development.
