In 2023, filmmaker and photographer Ezra Soiferman released his short film “Montréal, Snowbec” (watch here).
The 5-minute movie premiered on TV on the CBC’s “Our Montreal” and was released online on the CBC’s Creator Network and simultaneously on the Ezra Soiferman YouTube channel. It was also covered extensively in the media (see below).
Click above photo to watch “Montréal, Snowbec”
“Montréal, Snowbec” is Soiferman’s love letter to his beloved hometown.
The short ‘musical documentary’, which features lively, colourful footage and photos Soiferman created over seven winters, paints a timeless, intimate portrait of winter in Montreal, specifically how the city deals with all its snow.
The film, which premiered on TV in February 2023, bears witness to the ballet-like snow-clearing operations of the city’s mammoth plows as they prowl Montreal's 10,000 kilometres of streets and sidewalks, taking endless dump truck loads to gargantuan municipal dumps.
At the Angrignon dump, Quebec’s largest snow dump
This is a film for those who love winter and for those who absolutely hate it and only want to watch a short film about it and not have to actually venture out into it.
The movie features a soundtrack by acclaimed Montreal hip-hop producer and musician Josh “Socalled” Dolgin.
“This is one of the few videos I've watched multiple times. It was even fun to watch it in the summer. There's something cozy and uniquely Montreal about it. So much love for this!” -Andy Froncioni (Facebook comment)
PRESS CLIPPINGS
You can read Bill Brownstein’s front-page Montreal Gazette column “Meet one Montrealer who isn't sick of the snow” here.
Read Ezra’s personal essay on the 7-year genesis of “Montréal, Snowbec”, published on the CBC’s Creator Network and released alongside the film. Read it here.
The CBC’s Sonali Karnick and Ezra on “Our Montreal”
Watch Ezra doing a fun, short TV interview about the film with journalist/host Sonali Karnick on CBC’s “Our Montreal” here.
Listen to Ezra on CJAD’s “Montreal Now”, hosted by Aaron Rand and Natasha Hall here.
You can listen to Ezra talking about the film on The CJN Daily Podcast with Ellin Bessner here (Audio Version), or you can watch the Video Version of the CJN Daily Podcast interview here.
❄️❄️To watch “Montréal, Snowbec” on YouTube, click here.❄️❄️