The Great Resistance
Encyclopedia
The Great Resistance is a 2007 documentary
by Quebec film director Denys Desjardins
. This length feature is produced
by the National Film Board of Canada
(NFB).
, the government of Quebec
relocated more than 80,000 citizens to found a new settlement in the virgin forests of Quebec’s Abitibi
region. After enduring backbreaking work to clear the land, however, many left, seeking a better life in the city or as labourers for the large corporations that had come to exploit the North’s valuable resources. The Lalancette family, however, have persisted in forging their future on the land from one generation to the next, earning their keep from farming, and defying the constraints of globalization
and the mining and forestry companies that control the area. Revisiting the heritage of Quebec filmmakers who documented Abitibi, following in the footsteps of Pierre Perrault
, among others, this documentary traces a defining chapter of Quebec history and raises fundamental questions about regional development.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
by Quebec film director Denys Desjardins
Denys Desjardins
Denys Desjardins , is a film director, screenwriter, cinematographer and teacher for more than fifteen years. After completing studies in literature, film and communications, he directed several acclaimed films.-Career:...
. This length feature is produced
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
by the National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
(NFB).
Synopsis
In the 1930s, in the throes of the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, the government of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
relocated more than 80,000 citizens to found a new settlement in the virgin forests of Quebec’s Abitibi
Abitibi
Abitibi may refer to:* Abitibi Canyon, Ontario, community adjacent to the Abitibi Canyon Generating Station* Abitibi Canyon Generating Station, Canadian hydroelectric power plant* Abitibi-Témiscamingue , a region of Quebec...
region. After enduring backbreaking work to clear the land, however, many left, seeking a better life in the city or as labourers for the large corporations that had come to exploit the North’s valuable resources. The Lalancette family, however, have persisted in forging their future on the land from one generation to the next, earning their keep from farming, and defying the constraints of globalization
Globalization
Globalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...
and the mining and forestry companies that control the area. Revisiting the heritage of Quebec filmmakers who documented Abitibi, following in the footsteps of Pierre Perrault
Pierre Perrault
Pierre Perrault was a Québécois documentary film director. He directed 20 films between 1963 and 1996. He was one of the most important filmmakers in Canada although largely unknown outside of Québec...
, among others, this documentary traces a defining chapter of Quebec history and raises fundamental questions about regional development.