Hi, this is Daniel Garber at the Movies for culturalmining.com and CIUT 89.5 FM.

Rami is a young, naive pre-med student from the middle east who has just landed in Montreal. He’s staying with his cousin, the singer in a hardcore punk band. He wants to become a doctor to save people like his mom, who died of cancer. But when he sees what Montreal has to offer, his career goals take second base to his cultural and love interests. Poetry and women mean more to him than university textbooks. Torn between two beautiful, sexually-experienced  women — Desiree, a photographer, and Yaz, a nightclub promoter — who happen to be best friends, he doesn’t know which way to turn. Can Rami figure out what to do with his life while juggling Montreal Girls?

Montreal Girls is a new, coming-of-age drama about the immigrant experience within that vibrant multicultural metropolis. It explores, sex, music, culture and family ties as a young man discovers a new world. The film is a first feature by Montreal-based award-winning director Patricia Chica who also co-wrote, produced, and edited the movie.  A graduate of filmmaker programs at TIFF and Netflix/Banff, Chica’s work as a producer has been seen on Bravo, MTV, Showcase, National Geographic and many others outlets.

I spoke with Patricia Chica via ZOOM in Montreal.

Montreal Girls is playing in Toronto as part of FEFF, and for a run at the Revue Cinema.