On this eve of federal elections—called and concluded almost in the same breath, and disrupted by a strong media winds blowing from the South scattering our already fragile attention—the political momentum among the Canadian population appears timid.

Between barely visible campaign posters¹ and entrenched voting intentions², we might be tempted to see a democratic system operating out of formality, on autopilot, ultimately reflecting a society that has already made up its mind. When Serge Rousselle, constitutional expert at the University of Moncton and former Attorney General of New Brunswick, refers to “an American-style campaign where the Canadian electorate is more polarized than ever between well-defined camps³”, many of us nodded in agreement.

In this regard, among all the data collected by pollsters in recent years, one age group inevitably draws our attention: youth. Here, as elsewhere, the right is attracting more and more young men. They are drifting away from the left, where women and non-binary people are more prominently positioned. The political spectrum of Generation Z surprises by its internal fractures⁴—whereas such ideological disparities were, until now, more noticeable between generations, young and old.

This reality inevitably points to a broader issue: the apparent poverty of shared cultural reference points, which hampers our ability to rally around common values. As the heart of Generation Z reaches political maturity, opposing factions emerge and find their voice. Politics, once unified, is gradually giving way to politics in the plural—divergent, shifting, and fragmented. Time to shine a spotlight on them.

Bringing together two films from France, we invite you to explore both ends of the spectrum—left and right—through the lens of young men invested in opposing camps. The Tie tells the story of Bastien, 20, who campaigned for the far-right National Front during the 2017 French presidential election. Maël et la révolution follows Maël, an aspiring revolutionary defending climate.

Oasis takes us to Chile in the wake of an unprecedented popular uprising, where the youngest government in the country’s history sets out to draft a new constitution. Meanwhile, K-Family Affairs paints a portrait of a politically engaged South Korean family, through the eyes of its daughter, offering a glimpse into the political forces that shaped its country’s recent history.

Finally, A Country of Resistance steps away from youth in the literal sense to explore what rather rejuvenates us : hope! Under the leadership of a unifying mayor, a community in southern Italy stands firm against the harsh reality of Giorgia Meloni’s far-right government, which has made this “dissident” village one of its sworn enemies.

Jason Todd
Acting Artistic Director and Co-Executive Director

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