The Polygon Gallery proudly supports Archipelago at the 21st annual DOXA Documentary Film Festival.  Archipelago can be enjoyed at home on demand from May 5 to 15, and in theatres at the Cinematheque on May 12 and 15.

Purchase tickets at www.doxafestival.ca

Archipelago
Félix Dufour-Laperrière
Runtime: 71 minutes

Dufour-Laperrière’s exquisitely envisioned essay about the islands, shores and waters along the St. Lawrence River takes on even greater meaning in the closing text from Innu poet Josephine Bacon’s Message Sticks: “Where would I be without you, the land. My dream is for a peace and tranquility.” Combining impressively simple black and white drawings and cut-out animations layered over footage both contemporary and archival, we are offered a highly original and intriguing perspective on what defines homeland, territory, and even our own existence. Mesmerizing dialogue spoken between a man and woman asserts how we search for uncertain marks and incomplete truths to define territory, and the importance of duration, not nostalgia. Augmenting our suspension in this dreamed land—an archipelago of a thousand islands—is the film’s score and sound design, which emulate the floating rhythms of the sea. It’s only a sea if it’s named.