MONTREAL/January 13, 2005—
First film screening in the Borders and Bridges series
- As part of the ongoing Peace and Conflict Resolution series, Concordia University will present Borders and Bridges, a series of three films followed by panel discussions. The films will illustrate and analyze the nature of conflict and its complexities from three very different perspectives; nonetheless all of them seek to comprehend the psychological, social, cultural, and political aspects that are inherent to such conflicts.
The first film, Bonjour! Shalom!, will be presented on Tuesday, January 18, at 7:45 p.m. in the D.B. Clarke Theatre on the basement level of the Henry F. Hall Building (1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. West).
It focuses on the small municipality of Outremont, surrounded by the city of Montreal, a favourite spot of the intelligentsia. Within its confines, two very different cultures live side by side: a community of Hassidic Jews and their mostly French-speaking neighbours. Bonjour! Shalom! enters the intimacy of the Hassidic world, exploring what is unique to their way of life, and what they share in common with other residents.
The 52-minute video projection will be introduced and followed up by comments presented by Garry Beitel, director of the film, and complemented by Pierre Anctil, well-known Montreal author preoccupied with Jewish/French relations, prior to an open discussion with the audience.
This event has been planned with a particular concern for analyzing cultural and ideological conflict within a local Montreal neighbourhood environment.
The discussion will emphasize the analysis of deeply rooted beliefs, the exploration of ways of promoting dialogue, the importance of encouraging a genuine interest towards 'the other,' and the enriching process that can flourish from this exchange.
For more information about Borders and Bridges, contact Dr. Lorna Roth in the Communication Studies Department, at (514) 848-2424 ext. 2535, or at roth@vax2.concordia.ca. For updates about the Peace and Conflict Resolution series, please contact Laurie Lamoureux-Scholes at peace@alcor.concordia.ca.
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