Through the exhibition L’océan est une femme கடல் ஒரு பெண், interdisciplinary and engaged artist Brintha Koneshachandra explores themes related to insularity, femininity, solidarity, and liberation. She weaves the waking dreams of her people, the Tamil Eelam people. Resistance unfolds through women’s imagination and the territory’s sensuality. Oceans, fragrances, memories, dreams: Brintha’s evocative works depict the realities of a woman who is deprived of her land and yearns for freedom.

The exhibition will be on view until September 24 at Chicoutimi’s Centre des Arts et de la Culture.

Shakti rising – Honoring Our Stories is a choreographic and musical performance that traces the life cycles of Amrita Choudhury and Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo, celebrating the strength of Mother Earth. Accompanied live by the music of Pedro Diaz and Christophe Cinq, this unique narrative intertwines Indian and Indigenous dances and music. Five powerful dance pieces highlight ancestral knowledge, significant life experiences, and issues specific to marginalized communities.

The performance will be followed by a discussion with the public.

Production: Amrita Dance Creations

Created by and Artistic direction : Amrita Choudhury

In collaboration with Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo with musicians Pedro Diaz and Christophe Cinq

During the writing workshop “Les mots traits d’union,” author and visual artist Brintha Koneshachandra will read one of her texts and unveil her narrative process, showing how her artistic practices intertwine and nourish each other. The workshop will be in French.

Participants will be able to express their impressions and life experiences through concrete exercises and a collective dynamic in a supportive atmosphere. An enriching creation experience awaits.

Duration : 1h30

Also known as music composer and interdisciplinary artist Gabriel Dharmoo, drag artist Bijuriya presents a musical set, sprinkled with playful skits and insightful banter. On stage, Bijuriya is charismatic, twisted, energetic, and sparkling. Her original songs and curated list of cover songs, from franco-pop to Bollywood, showcase her outlook on her cultural intersections as Québécoise, Indo-Caribbean and South Asian.

Curated by director Laurence Ly, this program for children aged 8 and over consists of five short animated offering inclusive stories.  The shorts use a variety of animation techniques (3D, 2D, stop-motion and a combination of techniques) and address themes related to childhood, interpersonal relationships, exile, the construction of home and community…

Duration : 45 minutes

La maison du hérisson (2017, vf) | Eva Cvijanovic

Based on a story by Branko Ćopić, this animated short that won more than 35 international  awards tells the tale of a hedgehog living in a lush and lively forest. He is respected and envied by the other animals. However, Hedgehog’s devotion to his home annoys a quartet of insatiable beasts. Together, they march off towards Hedgehog’s home and spark a tense standoff.  A warm and universal tale.

Boat People (2023, vf) | Kjell Boersma et Thao Lam

As a child in Vietnam, Thao’s mother often rescued ants from bowls of sugar water. Years later they would return the favour. Boat People is an animated documentary that uses a striking metaphor to trace one family’s flight across the turbulent waters of history.

Two Apples (Un gage d’amour, no dialogue)(2023) | Bahram Javahery

When a young woman leaves her homeland in search of a better future, she brings with her a single memento from her past: a ripe apple studded with fragrant cloves. A true labour of love, Bahram Javahery’s animated film is infused with longing and the tender perfume of hope.

La grogne (2021, no dialogue) | Alisi Telengut et Dominique Dusseault 

A child by all means tries to gain her father’s affection, but the family dog proves to be a fierce rival. La grogne is a short animated film, a disquieting fable with dark humour, portraying the hurdles to maintain family equilibrium.

La Calesita (2022, no dialogue) | Augusto Schillaci

La Calesita is the touching story of Argentinian ride operators who dedicated their lives to bringing enchantment and happiness to children and their neighborhoods. It’s a story of perseverance and community beyond individualism.

To wrap up this edition, join us for a workshop designed for all ages and bodies, and experience the joy and rhythms of Bollywood dance! Choreographer and teacher Amrita Choudhury will guide you through this magical world, filled with graceful hand gestures, vibrant body movements, and emotional expressions that celebrate life itself.

This workshop will fill your hearts with joy and your steps with rhythm! 

No experience is necessary—just bring your smile.

Duration : 1h30

Amrita Choudhury (she/her) brings more than 30 years of international experience in performance, choreography, and teaching. She specializes in Indian classical, folk, modern, and tribal dance. Amrita’s work highlights the socio-political and spiritual aspects of society focused on marginalized groups, human rights, gender, and women’s issues. She offers intercultural, multi-lingual, and cross-cultural productions in collaboration with diverse disciplines, using dance as a powerful tool for dialogue.

Her productions Sophia’s Resurrection, The Bridges of Hope, Shakti Rising : Honoring our Stories – created in collaboration with Kanien’keha:ka choreographer Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo – and Kali in my Bones all follow this commitment to telling powerful stories through dance, and to promote awareness and solidarity. Building bridges between artistic styles and cultures, her work with Les Grands Ballet Canadiens, TED talks, Banff Centre for the Arts, Festival Accèss Asie, MAI (Montréal, arts interculturels) and various festivals, offer in depth perspectives of the ancient arts through today’s contemporary lens. As a dance and Yoga lineage holder, Amrita keeps alive the ancient dance philosophies of the knowledge holders from India; and integrates this wisdom into her choreographies and teachings.

Alisi Telengut (she/her) is a Canadian artist of Mongolian origin. She creates frame by frame animation under the camera with mixed media to generate movement, and explores hand-made and painterly visuals for her work. Her recent films have won awards at the Stockholm International Film Festival, Sarasota Film Festival, and Montreal International Film Festival, and have been presented at Sundance, TIFF, AFI, Slamdance, and numerous film festivals and moving image exhibitions. Her work has not only been presented as animation and moving image artworks with a unique visual style, but have also contributed to ethnographic and ethnocultural research.

Augusto Schillaci (he/him) is a Director, writer and Senior VFX supervisor. He has been working on animation for the last 29 years. Directed multiple projects including the inaugural animated short films from the Best Fiends mobile app franchise, animated commercial spots for LEGO Batman and Chevrolet as well as game cinematic for Transformers and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He held the role of Senior VFX Sup on Reel FX’s 3D feature films including the Golden Globe-nominated film, The Book of Life.

Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo (she/her) is Kanien’keha:ka (Mohawk) from Kahnawake. She now lives in Montreal, where she is the artistic director and choreographer for A’nó:wara Dance Theatre.  Awarded for her choreographies and interpretations for over 25 years, she creates work to highlight indigenous themes, stories and perspectives. To do so, she combines pow-wow, Haudenosaunee and contemporary dance styles to invoke an artistic fusion that reaches diverse audiences. Diabo is committed to sharing her culture. To this end, she performs across Canada and internationally. She also won the Prix de la danse de Montréal, INTERPRÈTE category in 2021. Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo also collaborates with a number of organizations with which she contributes in educating people, creating safe spaces and supporting indigenous artists around the world. Her Mohawk culture teaches her that dance is more than a performance. Diabo performs and creates for future generations; to honor them; for her ancestors; for a sense of community; for those who cannot dance; to inspire; to communicate; to encourage cultural pride and to lift spirits.

Born in Iran in 1959, Bahram Javahery (he/him) created his first animated film at the age of 14. In addition to directing various animated films, including the award-winning The Flower, the Bird and the Sun (2001), he lectured at Tehran University of Art, Shahid Rajaee University of Teacher Training, and Soureh University, before immigrating to Canada in 2001. More recently, he has collaborated on Ann Marie Fleming’s animated feature La vie en Rosie (2016) and directed Un gage d’amour (2023), his latest animated short.

Also known as music composer and interdisciplinary artist Gabriel Dharmoo, drag artist and musician Bijuriya (she/her) is strongly inspired by her South Asian culture. Bijuriya is appreciated for her proud, festive, twisted and critical take on Bollywood and other aspects of Desi culture. The solo show she premiered at Montreal Arts Interculturels in 2022 was reprised at the Queer Arts Festival (Vancouver), the Music Gallery (Toronto), Fluid Fest (Calgary), Open Ears Festival (Kitchener) and 5 times in the Montreal Maisons de la culture de Montréal, via the CAM en Tournée program in 2023-24. Her EP Bijuriya Chamke is available on all streaming platforms. Excerpts from reviews: “this experimental, drag influenced queer pop shimmers and gleams, and is unlike anything you have ever heard before. Utterly wonderful” (Musicngear) “smart Dance-Pop, with interesting production choices, and a star singer” (New Music Jason)

As for Gabriel Dharmoo, his multidirectional artistic practice encompasses musical composition, vocal performance, interdisciplinary arts and research. As a composer, his works have been performed nationally and internationally. He has received many awards for his compositions, such as the Canada Council for the Arts Jules Léger Prize and the Conseil Québécois de la Musique Opus Award. He recently released Vestiges d’une fable (2024), an album of his chamber music in collaboration with Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra .

His solo show Anthropologies imaginaires has toured internationally and was awarded at the Amsterdam Fringe Festival (2015) and the SummerWorks Performance Festival (2016). He has researched Carnatic music with 4 renowned masters in Chennai (India) in 2008 and 2011 and holds a PhD in research-creation from the Individualized Program of Concordia University.

Brintha Koneshachandra (she/her) is an Eelam Tamil- French author and illustrator. She co-founded the publishing house Diverses Syllables and is known for her poem Brinda, enfant du jardin de Krishna published in Il y a des joies dont on ignore l’existence (Diverses Syllabes). She also contributed to Rupture.s from le collectif des Tisseuses published by Ritt Editions and in the magazine Soeurs. Her illustrations can be found on book covers or in magazines (Éditions du remue-ménage, À Bâbord, This Magazine, HER Magazine, Larousse). She created the cover of the collective publication Pissed, pestes puissantes edited by Sana Mansouri, of which she is particularly proud. Her artistic practice highlights the lived experiences and symbolic world of Eelam Tamil women and diaspora. She has collaborated with Tamil political organizations and was awarded the “30 Tamil Women Under 30” prize by the Tamil Canadian Center for Civic Action in 2022. Brintha also has a theater practice within Les Tisseuses collectif and works as a project manager in the field of equity, diversity and inclusion. Her heart belongs to the oceans. She is passionate about art and cooking.

Christophe Cinq (he/him) is an accomplished musician from Quebec who excels in playing the sitar, guitar, bass, cello, and electronic music. He was introduced to Indian arts at the Kalkeri Sangeet Vidyalaya in Karnataka, India. Dr. Aranya Kumar guided him in studying the sitar, which was followed by the classical Hindustani tradition of the Maihar gharana. Holding a BBA in Electroacoustics from Concordia University, he blends traditional techniques with contemporary influences, dedicating himself to creating immersive sound experiences that transcend cultural and artistic boundaries.

Animator and filmmaker Eva Cvijanović (she/her) focuses on the narrative potential of environments and characters. Since graduating from Concordia University, she has produced and directed two independent films (Seasick, 2013, and Once Upon a Many Time, 2010), in addition to participating in the NFB’s Hothouse program (Le baiser, 2011).

Attracted by the immersive power of the tangible, Eva works in felted wool, watercolors and pastels, and is equally proficient in digital media. Her professional experience spans documentaries, puppet films, video games and more. Her most recent achievement, La maison du hérisson, inspired by a famous Balkan tale, is a frame-by-frame short film co-produced by the NFB and Bonobostudio.

Kjell Boersma (he/him) is a Toronto-based writer, director, and animator. His work includes short films, animation for feature-length documentaries, music videos, and experimental works. His projects combine traditional and digital animation techniques in new and unprecedented ways. He directed the short film Monster Slayer (2015) and co-founded the art council Gallup Arts. The Toronto Symphony Orchestra and TIFF Kids also commissioned him to write and direct DAM! The Story of Kit the Beaver (2017).

Of Cambodian and Vietnamese origin, Laurence Ly holds a master’s degree in cinema and moving image from UQAM and a diploma in directing from L’inis. He has directed the web series LES LAURIERS (2022) and the short films CORRESPONDANCE (2022) and LE PETIT PANIER À ROULETTES (2024), which have been shown at local and international festivals. His next short-film project, with the support of the CAC and CALQ, is LA NUIT DU CANTONNIER, a fantastical tale of a Chinese road-mender in 1939. He works as a producer, director and screenwriter, and curates and programs films for Festival Accès Asie.

Pedro Diaz is a versatile artist of Peruvian origin who performs in Quebec and Canada, in both French and Spanish. He has been employed as a writer, composer, performer, musician, storyteller, actor, and dancer since he moved to Canada in 2009. He has been involved in multiple cultural projects as a director, producer, and artist. Le Pérou, mes racines métisses, Musiques autochtones du Pérou et du Canada et Contes et légendes pré-hispaniques are three of his main projects. He was the lead singer of the group Color Violeta, which was repeatedly funded by the Quebec Arts Council due to its original musical proposal of traditional Chilean songs with Latin American rhythms. He is a member of the Powwow Buffalo Hat Singers, a musical ensemble of Canada’s First Nations, which is very active on the cultural and educational scene, collaborating with organizations that play a crucial role in the reconciliation process in Canada. Pedro has collaborated with several artists in Canada, Peru, and abroad as a singer, dancer, writer, and composer.

Critically acclaimed Vietnamese-Canadian artist Thao Lam (she/her) writes and illustrates children’s books. Her publications include THAO, Wallpaper, My Cat Looks Like My Dad, Skunk on a String, and the award-winning Paper Boat. Thao Lam came to Canada with her parents at the age of three as a Vietnamese refugee. Learning English proved difficult. But picture books helped her understand this new world and sparked her passion for visual storytelling. Her love of colored and textured paper, which she uses to create her exuberant collages, proved insatiable.