Director Jean-Nicolas Orhon‘s documentary Slums: Cities Of Tomorrow opens in Toronto this Friday, November 7th at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema. The film had its World Premiere at Hot Docs Festival last May, and returns for this theatrical release after a very successful festival run and a five-week theatrical run in Montreal.

Slums: Cities Of Tomorrow takes us on a sociological and philosophical tour of various slums and similar structures throughout the world. Orhon’s lens focuses on places in India, Morroco, France, USA, and Canada, which have been built out of necessity, choice, and serve as home and a source of income for some of their inhabitants.

The film begins in Lakewood, New Jersey where people have decided to live some by choice, others not so much, in a tent city. They have limited resources and no jobs. Here, they have built a small community for themselves. Orhon also takes us to one of the biggests slums in Asia; found in Mumbai, India. Here, people have built their homes after moving to the city from rural towns due to agriculture becoming more industrialized. There is also a tour of an area in Marseilles, France where people live in ‘caravans’ (trailers), as well as built homes, due to their nomadic lifestyle for many years. This is a cultural norm for them, however, they live without access to electricity and plumbing. There is also a look into an area in Turkey, where people have continued to build their homes to accomodate their growing families. Orhon also brings the focus to a First Nations community (reservation) in Kitcisasik, Quebec, where the homes do not have built-in electricity, plumbing, and are not always able to survive the cold climate.

Throughout the various tours in these regions, Orhon includes conversations with residents and we hear about their experiences living in their respective homes. The majority of interviewees mention how they’ve made the best of their living conditions, and some even say they prefer it in contrast to living in high-rise buildings, which most governments offer as ‘solution’ to these overcrowding conditions, while in fact, this may disrupt the internal economy developed in these communities. It is interesting to hear such stories while at the same time hearing from people like American journalist Robert Neuwirth, who suggests there have always been squatters in major cities. Neuwirth suggests slums are not necessarily a bad idea. There is also Montreal professor Nicolas Reeves, who calls slums a “phenomenon” — a phenomenon that governments, and people alike, need to learn to work with and adapt to.

Personally, it is the words of author and journalist Jeremy Seabrook that resonate with me when watching Slums… Seabrook reminds us that although the majority sees slums and their inhabitants as poor and an inconvenience of sorts, poverty is somewhat relative. People throughout the world feel and think they still ‘need’ more than they have. He suggests the idea of ‘developing’ nations is also not entirely correct, as nations are all constantly trying to change or develop in one way or another. Seabrook suggests that people who live in slums are doing their best to adapt to the changes in the world; just like the rest of us are too.

Slums… is not a film that addresses the issue of overcrowing head on. Perhaps this is not the main point of the film. It does, however, point out interesting facts about how slums are built out of a sociological necessity. It also presents us with thought-provoking ideas of how and why people live in these conditions. There is also the sociological aspect of the film, which points out that maybe slums are just going to be part of cities from now into the future. Perhaps not a solution for some, but one that is very real to many.

Slums: Cities Of Tomorrow also includes some great cinematography. Orhon creates a film that will create plenty to discuss, while at the same time being visually engaging. The film screens at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema from November 7-13. For screening information visit, bloorcinema.com.