- Alternative documentary creation - October 28, 2025 - October 29, 2025 - 6 pm - 9 pm
28
Oct
-29
Oct
Alternative documentary creation
Workshop - Documentary Cinema - Fall 2025
Date / Heure
28 October 2025 - 29 October 2025
6 pm - 9 pm
Lieu
Main Film Atelier
2025 Rue Parthenais #304-A, Montréal, Quebec, H2K 3T2
with Benjamin R. Taylor
Membre 90$ | Non-membre 120$
Offering a unique testing ground, creative documentary filmmaking breaks with convention to embrace non-traditional documentary forms such as animation, collage, the integration of fictional sequences, and experimental documentary. Filmmaker Benjamin R. Taylor will address a variety of topics such as visual aesthetics, sound treatment, and the filmmaker’s relationship with their subjects from a perspective that invites us to broaden the range of possibilities for representing reality.
This will allow you to explore new ways of storytelling and develop originality in your work!
The workshop will be given in French but questions may be asked in English
Benjamin R. Taylor
Benjamin R. Taylor is an independent artist with work exhibited in international festivals and cinemas. He is also an independent film curator, programmer and facilitator. He is the founder and facilitator of VISIONS, an independent curatorial series that foregrounds artists working in experimental and documentary cinema. He is a cofounder and caretaker of la lumière collective, a microcinema and artist studio in Montréal, Québec, Canada.
Our documentary cycle continues this fall! See the full schedule here.
- CALQ Documentary grant application - November 11, 2025 - 6 pm - 9 pm
11
Nov
CALQ Documentary grant application
Workshop - Documentary Cinema - Fall 2025
Date / Heure
11 November 2025
6 pm - 9 pm
Lieu
Main Film Atelier
2025 Rue Parthenais #304-A, Montréal, Quebec, H2K 3T2
With François Jacob (Sous un même soleil, Sur la lune de nickel)
Member $90 | Non-member $120
This workshop is a must if you are planning to submit a grant application to CALQ for your documentary. The essential elements to include in your application regarding your budget and the application form will be covered as well as different strategies to optimize your application.
Completed by a review of your application in the second part of the workshop, you will have all the information you need to submit a compliant application!
The workshop will be given in French but questions may be asked in English.
For more information, please send an email to: services@mainfilm.qc.ca
Material to send before November 4th workshop:
- Resume (3 pages max)
- Director’s Notes (1 page)
- Synopsis (1 page)
- Budget (if applicable)
Please send them by email to: services@mainfilm.qc.ca
François Jacob (A Moon of Nickel and Ice, Under the Same Sun)
François Jacob dedicated his career to literature until he discovered the Kino network. He then directed short fictions before working on indie documentaries abroad. He subsequently produced A Moon of Nickel and Ice (Visions du Réel 2017) and Under The Same Sun (2020), set in South Caucasus.
Our documentary cycle continues this fall! See the full schedule here.
- Creating a docu-series - December 1, 2025 - 6 pm - 9 pm
1
Dec
Creating a docu-series
Workshop - Documentary Cinema - Fall 2025
Date / Heure
1 December 2025
6 pm - 9 pm
Lieu
Main Film Atelier
2025 Rue Parthenais #304-A, Montréal, Quebec, H2K 3T2
With Ariel St-Louis Lamoureux (Les Entremailles, Matrimoine, Lumières sur l’eau)
Membre 60$ | Non-membre 90$
The documentary series is an increasingly popular genre. At the crossroads of several narrative formats, the documentary series, docu-series or (web)series, carries a different rhythm from the standard documentary. In this workshop, you’ll learn the difference between linear writing and the various styles and structures of the documentary series. Using case studies, Ariel St-Louis Lamoureux will introduce you to the narrative possibilities of this format and its creative process.
The workshop will be given in French but questions may be asked in English. For further information, please send an e-mail to : services@mainfilm.qc.ca
Ariel St-Louis Lamoureux
Ariel St-Louis Lamoureux holds a bachelor’s degree in scenography from Concordia University, and a master’s degree in cinema, research-creation profile, from Université de Montréal. Collaborative creative processes and polyphonic narratives characterize her artistic approach. She is co-director of the documentary Lumières sur l’eau (2016), the short film Les Entremailles (2022) and the audiovisual installation Survivance (2018. Prix Technès Special Mention). She is a recipient of the Bourse de l’Académie pour la relève 2019 and the Fonds Créateurs en Série 2020, with which she directed Matrimoine (2021. Nominated best documentary series at the Numix 2022 awards). Selected by the RIDM Talent Lab 2021 and the CALQ Mexican Artistic Residency 2024, she is currently writing the feature film Du blé pour Sainte-Barbe.
Our documentary cycle continues this fall! See the full schedule here.
- Distribution and exhibition strategies - December 9, 2025 - 6 pm - 9 pm
9
Dec
Distribution and exhibition strategies
Workshop - Documentary Cinema - Fall 2025
Date / Heure
9 December 2025
6 pm - 9 pm
Lieu
Main Film Atelier
2025 Rue Parthenais #304-A, Montréal, Quebec, H2K 3T2
With Sylvain Lavigne and Clotilde Vatrinet (from Les Films du 3 Mars)
Membre 60$ | Non-membre 90$
This is an essential workshop to grasp and master the complexities of distribution! From self-distribution to festivals and distributors, the Films du 3 Mars team will reveal the secrets of film distribution. Among other things, they’ll cover the different stages of marketing, essential promotional tools and key players. Therefore, you’ll be better equipped to put in place an effective distribution strategy for your documentary films.
The workshop will be given in French but questions may be asked in English. For more information, please send an email to: services@mainfilm.qc.ca
Sylvain Lavigne
The world premiere of his first short film, Maudit, took place at the Oslo International Film Festival. What followed was festivals, awards, champagne and showbiz! After graduating from Ryerson University in Toronto, he founded the production company Provocateur Films, produced music videos and worked as a director/coordinator on VOLT. Loads of nominations and awards later, Sylvain the filmmaker feeds himself by creating 14 short films while Sylvain the director earns his living on TV. Today, Sylvain is preparing his first feature film and distributes independent auteur and documentary films at Les Films du 3 Mars.
Clotilde Vartinet
In 2008, Clotilde Vatrinet obtained her Diploma d’Études Supérieures Spécialisées (DESS) in Cinema and she left her beautiful region of Lorraine (France) to work on film shoots as a script. Very quickly, her great aspirations took her to Montreal where she settled in 2009. She then joined the KINO movement and became a volunteer while continuing to work as a script and serve coffees. In 2010, she discovered distribution by joining the Films du 3 Mars team, an organization that works to defend Quebec/Canadian auteur cinema. In 2014, she joined the Board of Directors of Ciné Tapis Rouge, an NPO specialized in cinematic exchanges between Quebec and abroad. When she’s not working, she enjoys swing dancing, reading graphic novels and raising awareness for the animal cause.
Our documentary cycle continues this fall! See the full schedule here.
- Interviewing techniques - December 3, 2025 - 6 pm - 9 pm
3
Dec
Interviewing techniques
Workshop - Documentary Cinema - Fall 2025
Date / Heure
3 December 2025
6 pm - 9 pm
Lieu
Main Film Atelier
2025 Rue Parthenais #304-A, Montréal, Quebec, H2K 3T2
With Ayana O’Shun (Le mythe de la femme noire, Les Mains noires – Procès de l’esclave incendiaire)
Member $60 | Non-member $90
The interview is a crucial step in the making of your documentary film. How do you build the relationship between the director and the protagonists? How can you understand your protagonists in relation to their personalities and their stories? How can the interviews illustrate their uniqueness? What approaches should you choose according to your documentary style? These are some of the questions that will be addressed in this workshop in order to best conduct your interviews and make the most appropriate choices for your work.
The workshop will be given in French but questions may be asked in English.
For further information, please send an e-mail to : services@mainfilm.qc.ca
Speaking four languages, Ayana O’Shun works both in front of and behind the camera as a director, producer and actress. Her first feature-length film, the documentary “The Myth of the Black Woman”, won the Magnus Isaacson Award for Best Film at the Festival des Rencontres Internationales du Documentaire de Montréal. It gives a voice to 21 black women who recount how images related to them influence their human experiences. The film received funding from Telefilm Canada, SODEC, Rogers Fund, Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec and Ville de Laval. Ayana O’Shun also had the honor of signing the Livre d’Or de la Ville de Laval, a tribute to exceptional citizens.
“Le Mythe” is available on Natyf TV, CBC Gems and K-Films Amérique, among others. Ayana is completing her second feature-length documentary (due out in 2025), as well as preparing the production of her first feature-length fiction film (due out in 2026). Ayana also directed and co-produced the medium-length film “Les Mains noires – Procès de l’esclave incendiaire”, financed by ICI Radio-Canada, SODEC and the NFB. The film received excellent ratings on its television premiere, placing in the top two most-watched prime-time programs in its time slot. The documentary was also selected for over 40 festivals, and won several awards. Ayana has also directed several short films, including “Médecins sans résidence”, produced by the NFB. The film received a lot of press coverage, and was the most viewed documentary on the NFB website for several weeks. There’s also the short fiction film “Lazyboy”, a comedy that premiered at Montreal’s Festival Du Nouveau Cinéma, and was subsequently bought by TV5 and Télé-Québec. Ayana is working on several fiction and documentary projects, which will be hitting the screens soon.
Our documentary cycle continues this fall! See the full schedule here.
- Introduction to the documentary - November 18, 2025 - 6 pm - 9 pm
18
Nov
Introduction to the documentary
Workshop - Documentary Cinema - Fall 2025
Date / Heure
18 November 2025
6 pm - 9 pm
Lieu
Main Film Atelier
2025 Rue Parthenais #304-A, Montréal, Quebec, H2K 3T2
With Naomie Décarie-Daigneault (Tënk)
Fixed price – 30$
In this 3-hour workshop, you’ll explore the rich, socially engaged, and ever-evolving world of documentary cinema, in collaboration with Tënk, the Quebec-based platform dedicated to auteur documentary film. Through a curated selection of excerpts from their extensive catalogue, you’ll discover the diversity of contemporary documentary forms, from docu-fiction to creative nonfiction, as well as the artistic, ethical, and political issues they raise. The workshop will highlight documentary film as a powerful tool for creation, expression, and resistance, underscoring its vital role in culture, past and present.
Naomie Décarie-Daigneault, Co-Executive Director and Artistic Director of Tënk, will lead the session and share her expertise. To extend the experience, participants will receive one month of free access (available for first-time sign-ups), giving you the opportunity to further explore the films discussed… and many more!
Tënk Canada is a solidarity cooperative based in Tiohtiá:ke / Montreal dedicated to the promotion of creative documentary cinema. Through curation and cultural mediation, Tënk’s mandate is to make this film genre more accessible and to encourage the discovery of socially important documentaries that sometimes struggle to reach their audience.
For further information, please send an e-mail to : services@mainfilm.qc.ca
Naomie Décarie-Daigneault holds a master’s degree in experimental media research and creation and a bachelor’s degree in cinema from UQAM. Fascinated by all forms of cinema verité, she co-founded the streaming platform Tënk.ca, where she has served as co-director and artistic director ever since. Committed to her community, she sits on various boards of directors and advocates for the development of feminist film distribution. She is also developing a documentary practice in which she explores the construction of identity—between determinism and freedom—interiority, feminism, and psychoanalysis. She is currently working on her feature film, Petit Pois.
Our documentary cycle continues this fall! See the full schedule here.
- Self-producing a documentary - November 8, 2025 - 10 am - 5 pm
8
Nov
Self-producing a documentary
Workshop - Documentary Cinema - Fall 2025
Date / Heure
8 November 2025
10 am - 5 pm
Lieu
Main Film Atelier
2025 Rue Parthenais #304-A, Montréal, Quebec, H2K 3T2
With Félix Lamarche (Terres fantômes, Le chant de la nuit)
Membre 105$ | Non-membre 150$
One of our most popular workshops!
How do you produce your own documentary with public funding? What are the advantages and disadvantages of such an approach? This workshop will look at the specific issues involved in self-producing a short or feature-length documentary for theatrical release. The workshop will cover all the different stages, from development to post-production, including public financing. Félix Lamarche will support the notions of his self-productions.
The workshop will be given in French but questions may be asked in English.
For further information, please send an e-mail to: services@mainfilm.qc.ca .
Material to be sent before the workshop:
- Short description of your film background
- Short synopsis of your project (if applicable)
Please send the documents to services@mainfilm.qc.ca
Félix Lamarche
Félix Lamarche is a Montreal-based independent filmmaker exploring the possibilities of documentary practice. Les Terres lointaines (2017), his first self-produced feature, won the Pierre-et-Yolande-Perrault Award for Best First Documentary Feature that same year. Since then, he has directed and produced a series of short films, including La frontière (2017), Terres fantômes (2019) and Un fleuve l’hiver (2020). His most recent film, Le chant de la nuit (2022), was recently presented in international competition at Dok Leipzig in Germany, then at RIDM in Montreal. He is currently working on a second feature-length documentary.
Our documentary cycle continues this fall! See the full schedule here.
- Storytelling with the camera: Documentary cinematography - November 29, 2025 - November 30, 2025 - 10 am - 5 pm
29
Nov
-30
Nov
Storytelling with the camera: Documentary cinematography
Workshop -
Date / Heure
29 November 2025 - 30 November 2025
10 am - 5 pm
Lieu
Main Film Atelier
2025 Rue Parthenais #304-A, Montréal, Quebec, H2K 3T2
With Geoffroy Beauchemin (Boisbouscache, Odyssée sous les glaces, Le semeur)
Membre 210$ | Non-membre 280$
A must in our program!
Learn how to effectively compose your images to contribute to the narrative of your documentary. Geoffroy Beauchemin will discuss the different aesthetic approaches and give you practical advice on cinematography for your first documentary. Afterwards, you’ll be able to put what you’ve learned into practice on the 2nd day of the workshop. Consequently, this workshop will give you the tools to translate your intentions into images with greater dexterity.
Please note that no time will be allocated to learning how to use a camera.
The workshop is given in French but questions may be asked in English.
For further information, please send an e-mail to : services@mainfilm.qc.ca
Geoffroy Beauchemin
Born in Montreal, Geoffroy Beauchemin has been working in the film industry for 25 years. As a cinematographer and director of photography, Geoffroy has collaborated on more than 50 documentary projects, most of which are social or environmental in nature. Winner of the “Robert Brooks” award (best feature documentary cinematography) from the Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSC) in 2020 for the film “Odyssey Under the Ice”, his work is distinguished by an approach based on direct cinema with a strong interest in listening to and observing reality. The quality of his images in several films and documentary series has been highlighted: “Le semeur” (nominated for best cinematography in a feature documentary, Canadian Screen Award 2015), “Nous autres les autres” and “Manifestes en série” (nominated for best cinematography, Prix Gémeaux 2008). In 2006, Geoffroy made his first film with “Bernard Gosselin, cinéaste ou l’art d’attraper la parole” (Bernard Gosselin, filmmaker or the art of catching the word). Selected at the Visions du réel festival in Nyon, this film tells the story of the career of the cameraman and filmmaker Bernard Gosselin through encounters with his friends.
Our documentary cycle continues this fall! See the full schedule here.
- The art of documentary editing - November 4, 2025 - 6 pm - 9 pm
4
Nov
The art of documentary editing
Workshop - Documentary Cinema - Fall 2025
Date / Heure
4 November 2025
6 pm - 9 pm
Lieu
Main Film Atelier
2025 Rue Parthenais #304-A, Montréal, Quebec, H2K 3T2
With Xi Feng (Universal Language, Caiti Blues, The White Guard, This House)
Membre 60$ | Non-membre 90$
Editing is a crucial stage in documentary production. With the theoretical workshop The art of documentary editing, learn how to assemble images to sublimate the reality of cinematic storytelling. With the help of concrete examples, you’ll discover the techniques and components that contribute to the narrative fluidity of your film. Visual extracts from Xi Feng‘s impressive filmography will illustrate the course.
The workshop will be given in French but questions may be asked in English. For further information, please send an e-mail to : services@mainfilm.qc.ca .
Xi Feng
Xi FENG is a film editor based in Montreal. Having lived in China, Canada, and France, she has cultivated a unique blend of cultural and artistic sensitivity. Feng has worked as an editor on award winning films including “Clebs”, “This House”, “Caiti Blues” and most recently “Universal Language” which won the inaugural Audience Award at the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes. Her filmography includes films premiered at prestigious festivals such as Berlinale, Cannes, Sundance, TIFF, Vision du Réel, HotDocs, etc.
Our documentary cycle continues this fall! See the full schedule here.
