8 Courts 1 Collectif is an open source cinema initiative curated by Michèle Gauthier and Claudine Tissier as part of La Biennale de Montréal 2009. The OPEN CINEMA project is co-produced by INIS, the Institut National de l’Image et du Son and co-presented by the Cinémathèque québécoise.

The goal of this 3-step project is to produce a series of 8 short films (3 minutes each) based on content provided by the public via a website over the course of one year (from May 2008 to May 2009).

Step 1. Participants fill out an online personality test the results of which will make up the films’ main protagonist’s personality traits. Participants are also asked to drop-off images into a common database that will be incorporated into the screenplays by the 8 filmmakers.

Step 2. The short films will be shot and edited in a collaborative sequence by 8 up-and-coming Montreal filmmakers. Technical resources, equipment and facilities will be provided by the INIS.

Step 3. The 8 short films will be premiered at the Cinémathèque québecoise at the beginning of May 2009 and will continue to be shown, on individual viewing stations for the entire duration of the Biennale. All material created and produced for the OPEN CINEMA project will be released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.5 license (http://www.creativecommons.org).

To participate, email cinema@biennalemontreal.org