Paroles et Liberté - Pierre Bourgault

The documentary Paroles et liberté is a biography of writer and politician Pierre Bourgault. Manuel Foglia, director of this 82-minute film, wanted the story to be above all that of “Bourgault by Bourgault […] Bourgault is also speech and words. […] It’s these words, carried by his captivating voice, that I want to make heard.

Listen to Paroles et liberté – Pierre Bourgault

Politician, writer, journalist, actor… Pierre Bourgault is, of course, all of these things. But he was also one of the key players and an uncompromising voice in the political and social history of contemporary Quebec, a province that over the past 50 years has gradually succeeded in asserting its roots, culture and Francophone identity. It’s a gamble that has paid off, thanks in no small part to the exclusive interviews, enriched by numerous archives, in which the man, always voluble, talks about himself. But also thanks to the contributions of friends and family who talk about the influence Bourgault has had on their own lives. Pierre Bourgault also reveals himself through his own writings, excerpts from which are read by contributors to the documentary, such as his childhood friend Jacques Godbout (filmmaker and writer) and one of his former students Guy A. Lepage (comedian and animator). Finally, newsreel footage illustrates just how closely Pierre Bourgault’s career was linked to the country’s history.