In this episode of Point of Entry into Screens and Realities, we welcome Syeda Bukhari Director of the South Asian Film Festival of Montreal. Together, we explore how independent cinema can serve as a powerful lens through which to reflect the complex realities of marginalized communities and challenge stereotypes.
From her role as a professor at Concordia University to her upcoming documentary on international students, Syeda shares why every story brought to the screen should have a purpose and leave a lasting impact.

Dans cet épisode, nous recevons Sophie Deraspe, réalisatrice et scénariste québécoise reconnue pour ses œuvres qui explorent les enjeux humains et sociaux.
Ensemble, nous discutons du rôle du cinéma dans notre compréhension du monde, des inspirations derrière son film Antigone, ainsi que de la manière dont le septième art peut éclairer des réalités humaines complexes à travers des thèmes tels que la famille, la justice et les réseaux sociaux.
Une conversation sur le pouvoir des histoires pour susciter la réflexion, nourrir le dialogue et porter un regard différent sur le monde qui nous entoure.
Écoutez l’épisode dès maintenant, disponible sur toutes les plateformes !

In this episode, we welcome Katharine Stein, Director of Health Services at Head & Hands. Together, we discuss the importance of prevention and health education for young people, as well as the need for clear, inclusive, and accessible information.

We also explore the hostile policies adopted in recent years and the serious consequences that limited access to healthcare can have on the health and well-being of people, as well as on society as a whole.

Because access to healthcare should be an equal right for everyone !

In this episode, Alice Alvarez Pereyre executive director at RIVO-RÉSILIENCE, discuss with us about an often dismiss reality of migration : mental health.
Together, we explore the challenges refugees and refugee claimants face before, during and after migration, from experiences of war and displacement to the stress of navigating housing, legal uncertainty, racism, and access to care in Quebec.
The conversation also dives into the recent changes to federal health coverage, IFHP, for refugee claimants and how it impacts their access to mental health support.
Despite the challenges, this episode is also about resilience, trust and the strength of communities supporting one another.

In this episode, Aladeen Tawfeek, actor, director, and stage director, reflects on his artistic journey across film and theatre, and the ways performance can both engage with and move beyond questions of cultural identity. He shares his approach to portraying a life shaped by hardship, while navigating a cultural context he is not personally rooted in. He speaks about the importance of working with care, listening closely to the text, and building an interpretation that is grounded in emotional truth rather than cultural assumptions.
Through his practice as an artist working across disciplines, he discusses the importance of intention in storytelling, the responsibility of avoiding cultural misrepresentation, and the value of theatre spaces that open up complexity rather than reduce it.

In this episode, Rahul Varma, founder and artistic director of Teesri Duniya Theatre, reflects on the power of theatre as a tool for social and cultural justice. He discusses representation on stage, the resistance intercultural storytelling once faced, and why creating space for marginalized voices remains essential today. This conversation also explores Teesri Duniya’s current theme, “The Season of the Migrant,” and the role of art in challenging exclusion, preserving dignity, and imagining more just futures.

Dans cet épisode, nous explorons les questions de culture et d’identité québécoise avec Eva Gracia-Turgeon, directrice des relations gouvernementales au Québec au Centre de réfugiés. Ensemble, nous discutons du paysage politique actuel dans la province, de la montée des discours anti-immigration et du rôle que peuvent jouer l’histoire, la mobilisation communautaire et l’action collective pour répondre à la désinformation et aux divisions.

In this episode, Ruby Abutaleb discusses the barriers to and importance of preserving history. This discussion focuses on “The Trinity of Fundamentals,” a book that follows the story of 22-year-old Kan’an during his nine years of hiding from the occupation between 1982 and 1991. This episode explores questions of accessibility to history and the role of history in Palestinian liberation.