Cricket & Park-Ex: a love story

Botham's Ashes(en)

The 1981 Cornhill Insurance Test Series. The action at Headingley as Botham set the Ashes alight with one of the most memorable innings of modern times. When defeat seemed inevitable in the Third Test, Botham's determination at the crease rallied the crowd, giving England the enthusiam to turn the match around and go on to win the coveted Ashes.

Prince Ranjitsinhji Practising Batting in the Nets(en)

Probably the first ever cricket film: Indian cricketing royalty prepares for the first test between England and Australia at Sydney.

Roadsworth: Crossing the Line(en)

Roadsworth: Crossing the Line details a Montreal stencil artist's clandestine campaign to make his mark on the city streets. As he is prosecuted at home and celebrated abroad, Roadsworth struggles to defend his work, define himself as an artist and address difficult questions about art and freedom of expression. - Written by Loaded Pictures

Adam Gilchrist - The Best Of The Best(en)

From his maiden international one day century against South Africa on Australia Day, 1998, through to his epic 149 in the 2007 World Cup Final, Adam Gilchrist: Best Of The Best is a true collector's item for every cricket fan. Featuring tributes from three Australian cricket captains - Steve Waugh, Mark Taylor and Ricky Ponting plus former England captain Tony Greig, Adam Gilchrist: Best of the Best celebrates the career of a player who has single-handedly changed the face of one day cricket forever.

The 80 Goes to Sparta(en)

This feature documentary studies the different faces of Montreal’s Greek community in 1969. Instead of giving voice to the businessmen and well-integrated few, the film highlights the cultural and economic problems encountered by new immigrants and their families.

Learie Constantine(en)

A profile of the West Indian cricketer Learie Constantine, showing him at work as a welfare officer in Liverpool and on the cricket field.

Montreal and India(en)

The Taj Mahal and shots of Jalandhar nestle between footage from Canada and Africa.

Carré rouge sur fond noir(fr)

House of Pride – Ballroom Boudoir(en)

Montreal artistic collective House of Pride takes you behind the scenes of innovative performances in drag, dance and the performing arts. A queer film that plays with gender in a provocative, avant-garde, innovative and legendary way while celebrating female power!

Wrestling(fr)

A candid-camera view of professional wrestling as seen in the Montréal Forum, where some of the biggest bouts are staged, and in back-street wrestling parlours where the warriors practice their art.

Corno(fr)

A feature-length documentary portrait of Québécoise painter Johanne Corno, who has lived and worked in New York City for more than 20 years. Ignored by the art intelligentsia in Québec, she settled abroad to escape that creative constraint, and built an enviable international career. Today, she casts a lucid eye on her work and describes the resources she draws on to survive in the jungle of the contemporary art world.

Bodyline - The Ultimate Test(en)

This is the story of one of the most well known but perhaps least understood moments of conflict and controversy in the history of sport: the infamous Bodyline test cricket series of 1932 and 1933. Self-confessed cricket tragic and comedian Adam Zwar will try to discover what happened at the crease and chart the wider social and cultural implications of the controversy by enlisting historians, sports scientists, and cricket stars to simulate the actual events. Is there more to the legend of Bodyline than we think? Adam is going back in time to live out a childhood fantasy or two. He is going to use machines, fancy cameras, and the latest in computer graphics. Modern day players will help him prepare. Adam will witness the real damage a high speed cricket ball can do. In the end, Adam will be on his own - with no helmet, no modern padding, and just a bat for protection. How will he handle this ultimate test?

Pilgrimage(en)

St. Joseph's Oratory, a picturesque shrine silhouetted against Mount Royal, draws pilgrims by the thousands every year. They come from California by Greyhound bus, from Vancouver by plane, and on foot from many parishes surrounding Montréal. What is the fame of this shrine, that it attracts the devout and the curious alike? The story is told by Brother Placide Vermandère of the Order of the Holy Cross, who was personally acquainted with Brother André, after whom the shrine's famous temple is named. Cameras follow a procession of the League of the Sacred Heart through the streets of the city to the famous sanctuary and show many of the religious observances conducted in the church, including Mass attended by invalids who come in the hope of being healed of various afflictions.

Sylvie's Story(en)

This short film recreates the experience of Sylvie, a battered woman who seeks shelter in a Montréal transition house. Faced with the threat of violence, loneliness, the lack of financial resources or information about services, the victim is often understandably reluctant to seek help. Emphasizing the importance for women of speaking out, the film also points out the role of the transition house in putting victims of abuse in touch with appropriate legal and social services.

La Coupe Stanley à Montréal en 1993(fr)

Chez Schwartz(en)

Chez Schwartz takes us inside a year in the life of Schwartz's Deli - the unique 75-year-old landmark on Montreal's historic Main. Filmed through changing seasons, from the quiet of early morning preparation to the frenetic bustle of packed lunch times and never ending line-ups, to the more relaxed ambiance late at night - Chez Schwartz is an evocative, cinematic portrait of a small spunky deli known worldwide equally for its atmosphere and smoked meat.

One Second in Montreal(en)

A silent succession of black-and-white photographs of the city of Montreal.

Show Girls(en)

Show Girls celebrates Montreal's swinging Black jazz scene from the 1920s to the 1960s, when the city was wide open. Three women who danced in the legendary Black clubs of the day - Rockhead's Paradise, The Terminal, Café St. Michel - share their unforgettable memories of life at the centre of one of the world's hottest jazz spots. From the Roaring Twenties, through the Second World War and on into the golden era of clubs in the fifties and sixities, Show Girls chronicles the lives of Bernice, Tina and Olga - mixing their memories with rarely seen footage of the era.

Métro(fr)

A poetic short about the Montreal subway system

Le patro Le Prévost - 80 Years Later(en)

Alanis Obomsawin turns her lens to Le Patro Le Prévost, a recreational centre in the Villeray quarter of Montreal. On the eve of its 80th anniversary in 1989, Le Patro is a vital focal point in the predominantly working-class neighbourhood. Beloved by the many generations who use the facilities and partake in activities daily, Le Patro encourages a strong sense of togetherness through principles of cooperation, respect and sharing. Obomsawin presents a tender portrait of a neighbourhood of diverse residents and the community centre many of them consider a second home.