Payback

Inspiré de l'ouvrage à succès de Margaret Atwood Comptes et légendes, la dette et la face cachée de la richesse, le long métrage documentaire de Jennifer Baichwal présente la dette sous une perspective fascinante en la décrivant comme une construction de l'imaginaire, et observe son influence sur les relations, les sociétés, les structures dirigeantes et le sort de la planète. Le film examine le lien entre débiteur et créancier dans divers contextes - des montagnes du nord de l'Albanie aux champs de tomates du sud de la Floride - et associe les commentaires de penseurs renommés tels Karen Armstrong, Louise Arbour, William Rees et Raj Patel à d'incroyables histoires sur le thème de l'endettement. Récits et réflexions s'entrelacent aisément grâce aux fines observations de Margaret Atwood, qui démontre que, au cœur de l'expérience humaine, se trouve le concept de « dette », et que notre perception de celui-ci influe sur son mécanisme.

Professor Norman Cornett - "Since when do we divorce the right answer from an honest answer?" It's the start of a new semester and a fresh crop of undergraduates is filing into Professor Norman Cornett's class. There is a growing sense of curiosity in the room as Cornett distributes the lyrics to Another Brick in the Wall - and then leads the students in a rousing rendition of the counter-culture anthem: "We don't need no thought control..." This is not what they were expecting from Religious Studies. Over the years Professor Cornett has won the respect and loyalty of scores of students with his unconventional approach to teaching. Whether it's a lesson on palliative care, First Nations issues or jazz improvisation, he challenges accepted wisdom while nurturing young people at a pivotal moment in their lives and teaching them to think for themselves. "The class did demand a lot of my time. But, once you got into it, it was so worth it. We did it with great joy."- Student Through "dialogic" sessions Cornett has introduced students to a remarkable assortment of artists and judges, Talmudic scholars and philosophers. Among his guest speakers: the former prime minister Paul Martin, jazzman Oliver Jones, modern dance artist and choreographer Mariko Tanabe and Alanis Obomsawin, Canada's leading Indigenous filmmaker. With her own keen interest in how society educates its young, Obomsawin responds to McGill's controversial 2007 dismissal of Cornett with a tribute to this exceptional professor. Taking the unusual step of turning her camera on a non-Native subject, she draws upon the energy of Cornett's young supporters to reflect upon the virtues of an open mind and generous spirit.

The 20th century has seen the creation of colossal wealth and exploding economies. But the days of industry providing mass employment are over. In the global economy, human resources are being replaced more and more by technology. We are moving from a mass labour force to an elite corps concentrated in the knowledge sector. Will this change result in a sort of economic apartheid in which a third of humanity is made redundant? Will this revolution mean the end of work as we know it? For Man Must Work raises crucial questions and suggests rethinking the future. Focusing on situations in Canada, France and Mexico, the film shows how living and working conditions are deteriorating for many people. Besides personal stories, we also hear from experts such as Vivianne Forrester, author of The Economic Horror; Jeremy Rifkin, American economist and author of The End of Work; sociologist Ricardo Petrella; Ignacio Ramonet, editor-in-chief of Le Monde diplomatique; and Jacques Attali, author of Dictionary of the 21st Century and former president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. They have no illusions--they think the 21st century is getting off to a very bad start. Some subtitles.