Grand dossier
Dossier
In this documentary by Bruno Ramirez and Giovanni Princigalli, three union activists who immigrated from southern Italy to Montréal share stories from a lifetime fighting to improve the conditions of workers.
Trois camarades de Montréal
Now in their eighties, Giovanni, Francesco, and Salvatore still proudly consider themselves socialist or communist comrades. After World War II, all three left behind impoverished hometowns in southern Italy to immigrate to Montréal. There, they maintained close ties with the Italian left while working to advance the cause of unions and progressive political parties in Canada.
The documentary film Three Comrades of Montréal draws on their personal documentation and images along with material from public archives and film footage (including excerpts from a documentary by Arthur Lamothe). The three comrades tell their stories of immigrating to Montréal, the difficult living conditions of Italian workers and their families who settled in the city, and their political activism to improve these conditions. The film also paints a tender portrait of life after retirement, and their concerns about their children and the younger generations.
Three Comrades of Montréal was self-produced by Bruno Ramirez and filmed on an old HDV/MiniDv camera.
