Unframing Documentary showcases three sound creations to listen to in the darkness of the Cinémathèque québécoise: today, cinema will not rely on images.

Le souffle de Beyrouth recounts the story of a city through the cycles of destruction and reconstruction of the past decades. This well-crafted documentary combines a rich meditation on the role of sound designer with the trajectory of the city where Rana Eid has spent most of her life. Through Marine Vlahovic’s microphone, we are invited to listen to a genuine manifesto on the power of sound.

The two other creations are best defined as field recordings, a genre at the crossroads of anthropology and sound art. Fuga takes us to a Mexico City neighbourhood where freight trains crisscross the country to accommodate the consumerist lifestyle of northern countries while robbing southern countries. These trains also carry migrants, also dispossessed, who have more difficulty getting across the border than the objects we wish to buy or sell. Finally, Echap skillfully evokes the capitalist steamroller that makes everything uniform, standard, nondescript and disturbing.