Summer 2008, a year before Hydro-Québec starts building an 8-billion dollar hydroelectric project, Alexis de Gheldere and Nicolas Boisclair decide to canoe down the Romaine River with two environmentalists… a “river trip” of 500 kilometres which will take them from the source in Labrador to the mouth in the Gulf of St-Lawrence.

Packed with an Innu stove, two solar panels and a 2,500-page environmental assessment impact study, they discover a river and the future impact of Hydro-Québec’s next hydroelectric project. The 46-day expedition opens their eyes to a rich and spectacular ecosystem, virgin of any development.

In their film Seeking the Current, this adventure runs in parallel to another quest. The two directors team up with Roy Dupuis, president of the Rivers Foundation, and set out on a road trip across Québec to explore ways of producing and consuming energy for the 21st century. Questions that arose from their canoe expedition lead them to a surprising insight into the potential of green energy in Québec. Their findings suggest there are important economic development opportunities in this domain and for generations to come.

Cinema Politica hosts the screening at 7 p.m. Thursday, February 16, in room 108, Odette Building. Admission is by donation.