VTR St-Jacques

VTR St-Jacques

| 26 min
Free
streaming

Also available

DVD

This short film was an experiment in using video recordings and closed circuit television to stimulate social action in a poor Montreal neighbourhood. A citizen's committee filmed people's concerns and then played back the tapes for the community. Upon recognizing their common problems, people began to talk about joint solutions. It proved an important and effective method of promoting social change.

VTR St-Jacques is the 16mm film document of CFC/SN's pioneering experiment with community video production. Dorothy Todd Hénaut, the central NFB figure in its VTR initiative with the Comité des citoyens de St-Jacques in downtown Montreal, wrote in the fourth issue of the CFC/SN newsletter (of which she was the founding editor), "the videotape recording project in St-Jacques is an attempt to extend to its logical conclusion the conviction that people should participate in shaping their own lives, which means among other things directing and manipulating the tools of modern communication necessary to gaining and exercising that participation."

Thomas Waugh, Ezra Winton, Michael Baker
From the playlist: Challenge for Change

Embed this code on your site

VTR St-Jacques , Bonnie Sherr Klein, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

Video player width

by Reset
Credits
  • director
    Bonnie Sherr Klein
  • producer
    George C. Stoney
  • camera
    Réo Grégoire
    Roger Rochat
  • sound
    Richard Besse
  • editing
    Ulla Ryghe
 See also
Social Issues
Urbanism
Media and Communication
All subjects
Featured Films
All channels
Add a new comment
  • jhernandez1214

    I I definitely can see why the people of St. Jacques are so fed up with their current situation. There living conditions are no good and it is affecting their health as well. As you can see when the gentleman went to the welfare office to try and get help he was rejected because he just came out of jail. It goes to show you that even when you try to do the right thing your not even recognized. There are no jobs and the government doesn't seem to do much. I don't agree with the man who said women shouldn't work i feel like both men and women should make their own money.

    jhernandez1214, 9 Feb 2011
  • Anastasia

    believe it or not some of us are still living in this country without no health insurance jobs and some of us can barely eat. the St Jacque commity just wanted to show living proof people speakin out their struggles hopin to get the right attention.

    Anastasia, 4 Feb 2011
  • afiul

    Hey to everyone from class! It's Ari. I never thought something like this existed. Very different from most of the "objective" journalists I see on television today i.e. Fox News. One of the journalists in this film became extremely angry that he was being filmed and asked questions. I thought that was interesting. You'd think that maybe they'd like the experience of being on the other side of the camera. Why did this Challenge for Change Committee cease to exist in 1980? I tried to quickly find the answer to this question on Google without any luck.

    afiul, 3 Feb 2011

Related Films

More great films

Explore

The NFB is committed to respecting your privacy

We use cookies to ensure that our site works efficiently, as well as for advertising purposes. If you do not wish to have your information used in this way, you can modify your browser settings before continuing your visit.

Learn more