Now for something different:
The 13th Phénomena Festival
A platform for interdisciplinary unclassifiable artists who rattle the cage and transgress norms
By Faith Langston
October 10, 2024
The 13th Phénomena Festival runs until October 25 at the Cinémathèque québécoise with an intriguing series of films, Perspectives sourdes : on tourne, produced and acted by deaf artists. Both sign language and spoken announcements were used to introduce the event.
Aptly documenting everyday experiences in the deaf world, this series of short films shows us that struggles are never far away. Learning to communicate either by signing or speaking, “meeting the parents”, buying a car, a job interview and even a lighthearted depiction of gay male sex are brought to life with humour and realism. “Are we deaf or hearing impaired?” one person asks. “And who is the deafest of the deaf?” On a more sobering note, one film presents an account of racism a deaf black man experienced in his youth which is heart-rending.
Instead of clapping, the upbeat, mostly young audience expressed their appreciation through a tradition which was new to me: waving hands in the air. Overall, the evening was a rare and enlightening experience and I felt privileged to attend this event.
French producer, screenwriter and director Julien Bourges brought his award-winning documentary Alfredo Corrado to the second evening on October 3. The film enthusiastically received, tells the story of a deaf American artist who, discouraged from working in theatre in the U.S., created the first theatre dedicated to deaf culture in France – the International Visual Theatre at the Château de Vincennes. It is interesting to note that when Alfredo Corrado arrived in France in the early seventies, sign language, then seen as a barrier for deaf people who needed to learn to talk, had long been outlawed.
Bold, eclectic, and inclusive, Phénomena Festival 2024 runs from October 2 to October 25 and comprises 17 shows involving over a hundred artists.
This situation remained unchanged in France until the late 1970s when the deaf community began to militate for greater recognition of sign language and a bilingual education system. In 1991, the National Assembly passed the Fabius law, officially authorizing the use of LSF for the education of deaf children. A law was passed in 2005 fully recognizing LSF as a language in its own right.
Released in 2023, Alfredo Corrado has already won two awards, one for Best Documentary, at the Deaffest Festival in the UK in 2024 and the other at the Deaf Film Festival in the USA. Two nominations at the prestigious Clin d’œil Festival in France and at the Sign Light International Film Festival in Hollywood, Los Angeles, make the future of this movie look even more promising.
Bold, eclectic, and inclusive, Phénomena Festival 2024 runs from October 2 to October 25 and comprises 17 shows involving over a hundred artists. Wacky cabarets are plentiful whether they are astroQueer or Dada French and English challenging each other to “transgress”. Dancing and poetry will also be in the spotlight. To name a few performances: Soeurs Schmutt features charismatic dancer Chi Long, and Native poet Malorie Yawenda Picard will perform with her band. The admirable director of the Festival, D Kimm, will return to the Sala Rossa for a performance poetry show. Waacking will also be on display. Like to find out just what that is? Better come and see for yourself.
Phénomena 2024 is a platform for interdisciplinary unclassifiable artists who rattle the cage and transgress norms, but who also lay claim to beauty, extravagance and humour. No question these are tough times for festivals. D. Kimm and Les filles électriques deserve our congratulations for not giving up.
Phénomena Festival 2024 runs from October 2 to October 25.
electriques.ca/phenomena/en/festival/2024
Images: courtesy of Phénomena Festival
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Faith Langston is a Concordia graduate with a long-standing interest in theatre, who works as a literacy tutor.
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