Directed by Daniel Márquez

Logline: Imposing opulent architecture conceals a fantastical community space in Winnipeg.

Synopsis: ‘Behind the Statues’ documents the spaces and voices that resound in an apartment block behind a historic hotel. In conversation with architects and residents, the film resides in Winnipeg's Fort Garry Place, dwelling in its opulent paradox and taking a seat between discourse and experience.

Director's Statement: Behind the Statues emerged from my fascination with Fort Garry Place—its opulent architecture contrasted with hallways that often feel strangely desolate. The film began as an attempt to uncover the history behind this peculiar building, but it gradually became something more intimate: a way of moving closer to community.

Through the process of exploration, I formed meaningful connections with architects, architectural historians, and my own aunt-in-law, a resident of the building. These conversations revealed a history far more nuanced, layered, and even magical than I had anticipated.

The film juxtaposes the images of a building past its prime against stories from its golden days - stories that now feel magical.