La Mémoire des anges is a glorious reminder of Quebec and Canada's rich motion picture history, and a chronicle of the evolution of the city of Montreal, from its industrial heyday to its time as a stage for the Quiet Revolution and Expo 67. Consisting of more than 120 excerpts from NFB films, it also reveals the vital role the National Film Board has played in the development of Canadian cinema.

Using the works of legendary filmmakers like Gilles Carle, Claude Jutra, Michel Brault, Arthur Lipsett, Gilles Groulx and Denys Arcand, La Mémoire des anges knits its visual landscape from some of the greatest films ever made in Canada. Director Luc Bourdon arranges these iconic moments into a montage that is both a testament to the works' enduring artistry and a captivating experience in its own right. Michel Giroux's meticulous editing exposes the subtle and not-so-subtle effects of time's passage. Propelling the historical narrative is a soundtrack comprising everything from Igor Stravinsky to a young Oscar Peterson to Paul Anka in Lonely Boy. The resulting work is a moving representation not only of a city and a country, but an entire culture – and is an equally adept portrait of the evolution of cinematic technique.

Toronto International Film Festival * Grand Prix Focus - Cinémathèque québécoise, Festival du nouveau cinéma de Montréal

- Jesse Wente

Panel Statement
A collage/montage with the coolest cast of the year (starring Paul Anka and featuring Igor Stravinsky and Geneviève Bujold!), Luc Bourdon's La Mémoire des anges is Montreal's coming-of-age story, from the conservatism of the Duplessis era through the Quiet Revolution of the sixties, composed entirely of footage from the NFB's vast archives. Bourdon transcends his source material – some of the greatest films produced in Canada – to create an intelligent and beautiful work of art.
- Jim Brown

Luc Bourdon is a Montreal-born video artist. His works have screened at festivals throughout North and South America, Europe and Japan, as well as at The Museum of Modern Art in New York. He has taught video at Concordia University and L'Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, and film at the National Theatre School of Canada. La Mémoire des anges (08) is his first documentary feature.