Niyousha’s Pick: November Homesteading Workshops at the Concordia Greenhouse
The Concordia Greenhouse has been hosting “informative and inspiring” homesteading workshops all month. If you missed the first two workshops – soap-making and mushroom cultivation – it’s not too late to check out the last two and pick up a few skills for a self-sufficient lifestyle.
On Tuesday, you can check out the “Kombucha Workshop” with Liza Charbel from Gardens Without Borders, a local not-for-profit horticultural therapy centre which “provides accessible gardens and nature programs.” The workshop will explore the health benefits of kombucha and teach how to prepare it. Alternatively, attend the last event, “Hot Topics in Urban Agriculture Workshop: Indoor Winter Farming.” This one is free and led by the greenhouse’s own event coordinator, Sheena Swirlz. Growing your own food in the bitter winter may sound like an expensive hassle, but this workshop will provide tips and tricks for doable projects using “accessible and affordable growing supplies.” Winter doesn’t have to mean those sad pots of shriveled plants – keep homesteading and keep things green during the winter, if that’s your kind of thing.
Rosie’s Pick: The Montreal International Documentary Festival
The Montreal International Documentary Festival continues this week with screenings around the city, as well as retrospectives, master classes, debates, and, of course, parties. The festival promotes the work of Quebecois documentary-makers, in addition to presenting a bilingual international program. This year’s festival features multiple themes such as “territories,” exploring the relationship between humanity and the environment; “Beat Dox,” or movies with rhythm; and “horizons,” which revolve around current affairs.
For Quebecois content, check out Bruno Baillargeon’s The Work of Days, a film that chronicles the friendship and work of three Montreal artists who share a studio and a unique friendship. A little further from home is The Wanted 18, a collaboration between Quebec, France, and Palestine that tells the story of how Palestinians resisted economic dependence on Israel in the 1980s by owning cows, eventually fuelling the First Intifada. If you’re looking for something lighter but still political, God Save Justin Trudeau critiques the spectacle of Canadian politics through the story of Justin Trudeau’s 2012 boxing match against Conservative Senator Patrick Brazeau.
No matter what topics pique your interest, the Montreal International Documentary Festival has got you covered. Take a break from writing those term papers to sit in a room that isn’t a library – maybe you’ll learn something that you can’t find in a textbook.
The “Kombucha Workshop” is Tuesday, November 18 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.. The “Hot Topics in Urban Agriculture Workshop: Indoor Winter Farming” is Thursday, November 20 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.. Both workshops will be held at the Concordia Greenhouse, 1455 de Maisonneuve West.
The first screening of The Work of Days is Wednesday, November 19 at 6:15 p.m., at Cinema Excentris – Cassavetes. The first screening of God Save Justin Trudeau is Tuesday, November 18 at 8:30 p.m. at Cinema Excentris – Cassavetes. The Wanted 18 plays Tuesday, November 18 at 6:30 p.m. at Cinema du Parc. Click here for the full schedule.