The Eighth Floor

(Le huitième étage, jours de révolte)
Pedro Ruiz | Documentary, Drama

2023 | 91 minutes | Canada

The life of of Front de Libération du Québec's Jacques Lanctôt, on his return to Havana's Hotel Nacional— which sheltered him during his 1970s exile.

Synopsis

An evocative exploration of memory, exile, and the complexities of the human psyche, The Eighth Floor blurs the lines between reality and fantasy in a hybrid film that melds autobiography with fiction.

Reminiscent of literary autofiction, the film chronicles the life of Jacques Lanctôt, a notable figure of the Front de Libération du Québec (FLQ) upon his return to the eighth-floor room of the Hotel Nacional in Havana, Cuba—a place that once sheltered him during his exile in the 1970s.

Using the presence of a recording team as a pretext for Lanctôt to reflect on his journey towards self-discovery, this biopic captures the emotional turmoil of a man in forced retirement, navigating an intimate and poetic journey through his mind within the enchanted castle of a Caribbean island.

Reviews

“A hybrid cinematographic work, a documentary as real as fiction, which features actors and the presence of Jacques Lanctôt, expressing himself in interviews in a profound and engaging tribute to the Latin American cinema of the 60s, praising the film Memoirs du sous-development, in a very particular and personal way." – Werner Herzog

“This film is a work of art with the hybrid mix of elements used. Pedro Ruiz does an amazing job at shedding light into this complex story.” – Alejandra de la Huerta, Point of View Magazine

Citation

Coming soon.

Cataloging

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Keywords
The Eight Floor,Le huitième étage,jours de révolte,El octavo piso,Canda,Cuba,Québec,Quebec,documentary,Hotel Nacional,La Habana,Havana,Pedro Ruiz,Front de Libération du Québec; FLQ,exile,Latin America,Martin Dubreuil,Lola Amores,Luis Alberto Garcia,Yasmany Guerrero,Jacques Lanctot,Jacques Lanctôt,immigration,migration,refugee,exile,border,illegal,migrant,immigrant,undocumented,deportation,naturalization,visa,green card,permanent,resident,citizenship,displacement,diaspora,resettlement,biography,autobiography,biopic,memoir,life history,bio,biographer,biographical,personal account,personal history,diary,personal narrative,sketch,profile,personal letters,letters,journal,personal record,north america,america,us,usa,united states,united states of america,us mexico and canada,map of north america,north american countries,states of north america,provinces of north america,countries of north america,continental america,caribbean studies,the caribbean,caribeean sea,caribbean island,antigua and barbuda,bahamas,barbados,cuba,dominica,dominican republic,grenada,haiti,jamaica,saint kitts and nevis,st lucia,st vincent and the grenadines,and trinidad and tobago,anguilla,aruba,british virgin islands,caribbean netherlands,bonaire,sint eustatius,saba,cayman islands,curaçao,guadeloupe,martinique,montserrat,puerto rico,saint barthélemy,saint martin/sint maarten,turks and caicos islands,us virgin islands,latin american studies,caribbean american studies,island studies,latin american culture,latin american history,latin american politics, caribbean american culture,caribbean american history,caribbean american politics, latin american languages,latin american and caribbean studies,hispanic american studies,hispanic people,hispanic culture,hispanic politics,political science,micropolitics,macropolitics,political theory,political education,political movements,political thinking,political criticism,poly sci,polysci,political sci,political sciences,political history,history of politics,political systems,history,context,narrative,past,chronicle,lore,annals,historic,personal history,archive,record,saga,biography,memoir,study,international relations,global relations,global studies,international studies,international affairs,intercontinental relations,intercontinental studies,foreign studies,foreign relations,national relations,national studies,cross-continental studies,cross-continental relations,activism,activist,digital activism,advocacy,advocate,involvement,militancy,militant,logrolling,striking,boycotting,championing,champion,effecting change,engagement,supporter,protest,protester,demonstrator,organizing,labor organizing,revolution,revolutionary,community organizing,effecting change,striking,labor strike,labor organizing,culture,identity,identity politics,culture wars,left wing,right wing,intersectionality,identity groups,civilization,literacy,humanism,cancel culture,online culture,cultural revolution,cultural diffusion,culture shock,popular culture,pop culture,material culture,cultural capital,cultural assimilation ; "The Eighth Floor"; Pragda Films
Clips
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Festivals

Rendez-Vous Québec Cinéma; Festival de la Ville de Québec

DIRECTOR: Pedro Ruiz

NATIONALITY: Canada

YEAR: 2023

GENRE: Documentary, Drama

LANGUAGE: French; Other languages; Spanish

COLOR / B&W: Color

GRADE LEVEL: High School, College, Adult

SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE

AUDIO DESCRIPTION: NOT AVAILABLE

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