The 101 Generation (2008)

Run Time - 81 min.  |   Countries - Canada  |  
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Synopsis by Mark Deming

In 1977, the Canadian Parliament passed the Charter of the French Language, widely known as "Bill 101." The bill mandated that children under sixteen be taught in French at primary and secondary schools, unless either they or their parents had received the bulk of their education in English at a Canadian institution. Many youngsters who emigrated to Quebec with their families after the bill became law found themselves forced to learn French regardless of what language was spoken in the land of their birth or in their neighborhood, and these kids became known as "the Children of Bill 101." Three decades after the Charter of the French Language was adopted, filmmaker Claude Godbout examines four young adults who have come of age amidst the quarrels over language and identity Bill 101 still generates in the documentary La Generation 101 (aka The 101 Generation). Akos, Daniel, Farouk and Ruba have grown up as proud Canadians, but also struggle with the economic problems and prejudice that has faced many immigrants in Quebec, and while they have mastered the language of their adopted land, some question if they've truly been welcomed into the hearts of their French- or English-speaking neighbors. La Generation 101 was an official selection at the 2008 Montreal World Film Festival.