Visions of sustainable living

A new documentary video project will explore efforts in Quebec’s Les Basques region to create sustainable alternative communities and ways of living.

Filmmakers Julien Gagnon-Rouillard and Robert Majewski will tour the region, located along the lower St. Lawrence River, during the late spring and summer of 2021 and will document projects such as organic farms, co-operative cultural initiatives, and collective living spaces that are emerging in the region.

The filmmakers plan to trace the history of the sites they explore and to share the stories of the people of this region of Quebec.

Gagnon-Rouillard, an interdisciplinary artist with an interest in the visual arts, teaching, and activism, is completing a master’s degree in visual arts at the Université de Québec à Montréal. His research is focused on alternative economic structures.

Majewski is a photojournalist from Trois-Pistoles, Quebec, whose photo and video projects address urgent social issues. He is completing a master’s degree in journalism at Concordia University in Montreal.

The videographers hope to finish the video project, which is supported by the Molson Foundation, during the winter of 2021–22. — Jean-Philippe Proulx

To explore video vignettes and brief articles related to the project, go to CanadasHistory.ca/BasquesRegion.

Above: An aerial view of Trois-Pistoles, Quebec, in 1950. Trois-Pistoles is the largest community in Les Basques, a regional county municipality in eastern Quebec located along the south bank of the St. Lawrence River. Interdisciplinary artist Julien GagnonRouillard, right, and photojournalist Robert Majewski, far right, are working on a documentary video on sustainable-living projects in the region.