Lepage au Soleil: At the Origins of Kanata

2019

Where to Watch

• Vimeo

In the spring of 2016, for the first time in 54 years, Ariane Mnouchkine entrusts her troupe, the Théâtre du Soleil, to another director. Robert Lepage then embarks on the creation of Kanata, a work that imagines the meeting of Europeans with First Nations people of Canada over a period of two centuries. After more than two years of work, the rumour of a show about First Nations people without their direct involvement sparks debates in the Canadian media, and soon in Europe and the United States. Its creators are accused of cultural appropriation while no one has seen the show.

LEPAGE AU SOLEIL: AT THE ORIGINS OF KANATA shows how, the 36 actors from 11 different countries, discover in their own stories an astonishing resonance with those of the natives. How, inspired by the cosmopolitanism of the troupe, Robert Lepage tries to get them to talk about their own stories through those of the Indigenous peoples of Canada. The documentary plunges into the heart of a theatrical creation in search of universality, but turned upside down by a media scandal even before its premiere.

Festivals

Athens & Epidaurus Festival (EL), August 2019

Festival de théâtre de l'Assomption (CA), August 2019

Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival (CA), September 2019

Trois Rivières International Film Festival (CA), November 2019