Synopsis

Montrose Avenue is a five-and-a-half-minute animated documentary about an average day in the life of an inner-city neighbourhood street in Toronto, Canada.

As we travel up and down the street on a typical summer day, we follow the actions of residents, pedestrians and local merchants, as their daily routines take them to the local park, to local shops, or simply to chat in anticipation of the annual Portuguese “Senhor Da Pedra” festival and parade.

Filmmakers Motivation

As residents of Montrose Avenue for the past nine years, we’ve drawn inspiration from the ebb and flow of street life outside our window.

The meticulously-tended front gardens, the active porch life on summer evenings, and the annual Portuguese festivals all combine to evoke an intimacy that contrasts with the hustle and bustle of nearby downtown.

Influenced by the writings of seminal urban studies author and Toronto resident Jane Jacobs, we wanted to create a film that celebrates the qualities and dynamics that contribute to a healthy urban environment.

Mixed private and public space;pedestrian access to nearby destinations (such as small businesses, parks, and restaurants); a lively front porch usage ensuring that “eyes are watching the street”; these are some of the tenets of a healthy urban space as defined by Jane Jacobs. They are also characteristic of life on Montrose Avenue.

As gentrification leads to changes in the neighbourhood, we hope to have created a lyrical record of life and community on Montrose, and to provoke discussion and thought about what constitutes a healthy and vibrant urban space.