On Demand

The Lesson of the Snail

by Sylvie Lapointe
A film about the decolonizing education and the Zapatistas' community-based model of learning in Chiapas.
2013  ·  53m  ·  Canada
English, French, Spanish
English, French, Spanish subs
About the Film

Following the uprising of January 1, 1994, the Indigenous peoples of Chiapas in Mexico assessed their disaffection with the Mexican education system, describing it as a vector of poverty and injustice. Since then, the Zapatista resistance has remained one of the most intriguing organizations among contemporary international revolutionary struggles, pushing back against the margins of the hegemonic neoliberalism of Western nations and self-proclaimed “democracies”. In the context of globalization, they have also warned the rest of the planet that another world must be made possible.

THE LESSON OF THE SNAIL is a film about decolonizing education and creating spaces for community-based learning. Filmmaker Sylvie Lapointe investigates the daily lives of these Indigenous communities, disclosing their alternative education systems in which all has been recreated to fit with the values and dreams of transformation. Refuse all government funds in order to keep their freedom, these revolutionaries are strongly committed to protecting their language and culture for future generations.

Upcoming Screenings

Stay tuned for upcoming screenings!

About the Director

Sylvie Lapointe

Studying in psychology, music and cinema, Sylvie Lapointe explores, questions and critiques different social, historical, political and personal realities. She chooses to transpose her reflections in the form of cinematographic essays where the language of image, sound and music reflect her commitment as much to this art as to social justice and respect for human rights.

She directed and produced THE LESSON OF THE SNAIL (2012), exploring the education system as an important actor in the political and social changes of communities in Chiapas, Mexico. She writes and publishes a few articles (Observatoire des Amériques in 2005) “Is the honeymoon with Zapatism over? “. These different works were inspired by her previous film, made in Guatemala : Yanina, guerilla or coopérante? (2001), a portrait of a woman engaged, in spite of herself, in the fight against injustice.

She has directed various documentaries for television (Télé-Québec, Canal Historia) including a one-hour feature on the history of Saint-Jean Batiste TOUT FEU TOU FLAME (2003), in the Made in Quebec series (ORBI-XXI Productions Inc). She has directed various courses and medium-length films between 1993 and 2018, including VUE DE RUELLE made in Montréal.

As a creative space to participate in the survival of this fragile existence of the author’s documentary, Sylvie Lapointe has also founded her own production house Como Punta. In addition, she collaborates as an assistant and production manager in more than fifty other films (ONF, ISCA, VEF etc.). Nominated in 2009 at GÉMEAUX for Best Documentary rResearch for HOMO TOXICUS by Carole Poliquin.

 

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