SLUMS : CITIES OF TOMORROW

A film by Jean-Nicolas Orhon

Directed by

Jean-Nicolas Orhon

Languages

French, English, Hindi, Arab

Produced by

Christine Falco

82 min, Documentary, Quebec, Canada, 2013

From the heart of the planet’s slums, squats and shantytowns, individuals have taken over these marginalized worlds and erected cities in their own image.

Synopsis

Today, one person in six lives in a slum, a squat, or any other precarious dwelling. Governments consider these to be problems and try to eradicate them by building public housing, but most citizens refuse to live in environments that fail to address their reality.

The documentary Slums: Cities of Tomorrow seeks to address the housing problem in the age of urban overcrowding by looking at structures built on a human scale from a sociological and philosophical perspective. Director Jean Nicolas Orhon gives us an intimate look at the inhabitants and families who, through resilience and ingenuity, have built homes that are well suited to their needs, often finding inspiration from the architectural traditions of their places of origin.

Slums: Cities of Tomorrow takes us on a human and aesthetic journey across the continents: in Mumbai, India, home of the largest slum in all of Asia; in Rabat, Morocco, on what was once fertile farmland; in a tent city in Lakewood, New Jersey; in a trailer district in Marseille, France; and in the native community of Kitcisakik, Quebec.

 

Credits
Script and Director : Jean-Nicolas Orhon
Direction of Photography : Vincent Chimisso

Sound Design : Simon Gervais, Patrice LeBlanc

Sound Recording : Christine Lebel

Music : Simon Bellefleur

Mixing : Vincent Chimisso

Production : Christine Falco

 

Financial partners

Radio Canada

SODEC

Gouvernement du Canada

Téléfilm Canada

Rogers Groupe de fonds

Jean-Nicolas Orhon

Jean Nicolas Orhon is a writer director in both documentary and fiction film. After completing his studies in cinema and anthropology, he directed Asteur (2003), a documentary about the survival of the French language and culture in Louisiana. In 2008, he directed the short fiction film Tu t’souviens tu? The same year, he completed Tant qu’il reste une voix, a documentary about the collecting and recording of oral traditions. In 2011, he directed the short fiction Roule moi un patin, along with some fifteen vignettes exploring the world of wine for the program Des kiwis et des hommes. In 2012, he directed Les Nuits de la poésie, a feature length documentary celebrating Quebec poets from 1970 to the present. The world premiere of his most recent documentary, Bidonville (2013) was held at the Montreal International Documentary Festival.   Filmography   Bidonville (2013 / 82 min) Les nuits de la poésie (2012 / 70 min) Roule-moi un patin (2011 / 10 min) A Voice Remains (Tant qu'il reste une voix) (2008 / 52 min) Jackrabbit (2008 / 8 min) Tu t’souviens-tu? (2008 / 14 min) Asteur (2003 / 60 min)