Fri, Jan 7 / 7pm
Sat, Jan 8 / 2:30pm & 5:15pm
Sun, Jan 9 / 5:40pm
Tue, Jan 11 / 9:30pm
Thu, Jan 13 / 9:30pm
Sat, Jan 15 / 9pm
Sun, Jan 16 / 5:30pm
Wed, Jan 19 / 7pm
Thu, Jan 20 / 7pm
Directed by Caroline Monnet
2021, Canada, 81 min
Kitigan Zibi, French & English w/ English subtitles
Q&A with director Caroline Monnet moderated by Amanda Kindzierski to follow January 8th 2:30pm screening.
Looking to complete her thesis, Mani (Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs) leaves Montreal for the Algonquin community where she spent her formative years. Left to confront past traumas and contend with embarrassment over her rusty Algonquin, Mani’s reintegration into her community is further complicated by a conflict with Laura (Pascale Bussières), a settler bootlegger, and her partner Raymond (Jacques Newashish), who holds Mani accountable for a personal loss. Meanwhile, a contentious referendum will soon determine the future of alcohol sales on the reserve. The first feature film from Caroline Monnet, a celebrated Algonquin-French multidisciplinary artist, Bootlegger utilizes Mani’s return home as a springboard for an absorbing exploration of how patriarchal oppression, self-determination, and sovereignty take myriad forms. – VIFF
