Bengal's Corner

Chers Amis,

Please find below a list of Boston events you may wish to attend in May, and don't hesitate to contact me by replying to this email if you have questions, especially if you wish to attend the *Special Sneak Preview of Up the Yangtze* at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

UPCOMING MAY EVENTS

SPECIAL Free EVENT, May 19th at 7pm

Sneak Preview of UP THE YANGTZE at the MFA, with director Yung Chang in attendance. Presented at 7 pm, with Q&A session with the director following the screening. Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Remis Auditorium.

In the biggest engineering endeavor since the Great Wall and the Grand Canal, the Three Gorges Dam project will be the largest hydroelectric power station in the world when complete. At the river's edge, Yu Shui says goodbye to her family and turns to face the future. From their small patch of land, her parents watch the young woman walk away, her belongings clutched in a plastic shopping bag. The gargantuan and hotly contested symbol of the Chinese economic miracle provides the epic and unsettling backdrop for Up the Yangtze, a dramatic and disquieting feature documentary on life inside the twenty-first-century Chinese dream. Drawing inspiration from contemporary Asian cinema and post-war neo-realism, Chang crafts a
compassionate account of peasant life and a powerful documentary narrative of contemporary China.

Presented by the MFA in collaboration with the Québec Government Office and SODEC.
This is a limited seating, by invitation only, free event.
If you wish to attend please contact Catheline van den Branden ASAP: catheline.vandenbranden@mri.gouv.qc.ca

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*LECTURE, May 7th at 6:30 pm*

McGill Professor Karl Moore presents:
Post-Modern Leadership: How to Win in Today's Workplace

Presented by the McGill Alumni Association and the Consulate General of Canada.
Followed by a reception.

Karl Moore, recently identified as one of the world's great business thinkers, is among Canada's most quoted management experts and is a sought-after consultant by major corporations like Nokia, Shell, IBM and British Airways. In his current research on global leaders he has interviewed hundreds of CEOs and young business wannabes. Find out what he
has learned about how to lead effectively in today's organizations.

Cost: $20 USD (includes light refreshments), Cash bar.
Reserve your seat today! RSVP: Katie Price at event.registration@mcgill.ca or call(514) 398-7684 or
1-800-567-5175 x 7684


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LECTURE, May 8th at 6pm

David Hackett Fischer presents:
Champlain's Dream

Presented in the Abbey Room of the Boston Public Library.
David Hackett Fischer, from the Department of History at Brandeis University will speak in conjunction with the Library's exhibit:
Champlain's America: New England and New France, now running through May 31st.

Fore more information please visit: http://www.bpl.org


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LECTURE, May 14th at 6pm

Doctor Claire Quintal presents:
The Story of New England's Franco-Americans, at the French Library.

Presented in the Ballroom. Reception will follow.

In celebration of the city of Quebec's 400th anniversary (1608-2008), the FAB is pleased to welcome Dr. Claire Quintal , for a talk on New England's Franco-American story.

Dr. Quintal looks at why Canadians, both Quebecers and Acadians, immigrated to New England in such large numbers from the mid-nineteenth century onward and analyzes their integration in close to 200 cities throughout the region. She recounts how Franco-Americans struggled to remain true to the ideology of survivance and formed tightly knit communities, often called Little Canadas. Together, their language, traditions, religion, writings, and songs formed a subculture unique to New England. These cultural elements of the Franco-American identity help explain why they emigrated, how they made their homes in mill cities and towns, and the legacy they left behind.

Lecture in French and English: Members: Free / Non-members: $5. Seats are limited.
RSVP recommended. Please call: 617.912.0400

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FILMS, May 28-31st

THE MFA PRESENTS:
ALANIS OBOMSAWIN'S FILMS
"FIRST NATIONS ON FILM" SERIES
Please visit http://www.mfa.org for tickets


May 28th at 8 pm
Our Nationhood

Aboriginal filmmaker and artist Alanis Obomsawin chronicles the determination and tenacity of the Listuguj Micmac people to use and manage the natural resources of their traditional lands. Our Nationhood provides a contemporary perspective on the natives' ongoing struggle and ultimate success, culminating in the community receiving an award for Best Managed
River from the same government that denied their traditional rights.

MFA members, seniors, and students $8; general admission $9.

May 29th at 3:45 pm
Incident at Restigouche

A historical perspective on the raids of the Restigouche Reserve in June 11 and 20, 1981. Focusing on issue of salmon-fishing rights of the Micmac people and the Quebec Government's decision to restrict salmon fishing, the powerful film puts justice on trial. Spudwrench—Kahnawake Man (1997, 58 min.). Meet Randy Horne, high-steel worker from the Mohawk community of
Kahnawake, near Montreal. As a defender of his people's culture and traditions, he was known as "Spudwrench" during the 1990 Oka crisis. Both a portrait of Horne and the generations of daring Mohawk construction workers that have preceded him, the film offers a unique look behind the barricades at one man's impassioned defense of sacred territory.

MFA members, seniors, and students $6; general admission $7

May 30th at 3pm
Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance

On a hot July day in 1990, a historic confrontation propelled issues in Kanehsatake and the village of Oka, Quebec, into the international spotlight and the Canadian collective conscience. Director Obomsawin endured seventy-eight nerve-wracking days and nights filming the armed stand-off between the Mohawks, the Québec police, and the Canadian army. The result is
a portrait of the people behind the barricades, providing insight into the Mohawks' unyielding determination to protect their land.

MFA members, seniors, and students $6; general admission $7.

May 31st at 10:30 am
Waban-Aki: People from Where the Sun Rises

Yvonne M'Sadoques rocks forward in her chair. She's lived in the Abenaki community of Odanak for more than a century, and has no shortage of stories to tell. Obomsawin's illustrious career comes full circle; having dedicated nearly four decades to chronicling the lives of Canada's First Nations, she returns to the village where she was raised to craft a lyric account of her
own people.

MFA members, seniors, and students $6; general admission $7

May 31st at 12:30 pm
Gene Boy Came Home

The harrowing and deeply moving story of Eugene "Gene Boy" (pronounced Genie Boy) Benedict, his two years of service in Vietnam, and his long journey home to Odanak. At a critical point in our history, celebrated filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin turns her camera on the ugliness of war through the eyes of one survivor. Her new documentary will resonate with all those who have been touched by war, and with anyone who has had to travel the painful path of healing that eventually leads home. Panel discussion with director follows screening. Mohawk construction workers that have preceded him, the film offers a unique look behind the barricades at one man's impassioned defense of sacred territory.

MFA members, seniors, and students $6; general admission $7

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If you've enjoyed this selection but wish to see more, please suscribe to our official newsletter, with all Québec-pertinent news and events at: www.quebec-boston.org

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Best wishes,


Catheline H. van den Branden


Attachée aux affaires publiques, culturelles
Public & Cultural Affairs Attaché
Québec Government Office
One Boston Place, Ste 1920
201 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02108
tel: (617) 482-1193
fax: (617) 482-1195
email: catheline.vandenbranden@mri.gouv.qc.ca