From Edinburgh filmmaker Stuart Greig's perspective, moving day in Montreal is a bizarre cultural anomaly: for people who live here it's part of the landscape, but for people who don't, it's the strangest ritual they've ever heard of. It's so strange that the BBC 2 program Under the Sun has asked Greig to direct a one-hour documentary on the subject. "When I tell people about this project, they're amazed," he says. "I have to convince them that this moving day thing actually happens." >> Greig feels he has a great story to tell; all he needs now, he explains, are people through whom he can tell it. He's looking for people with strange and unusual real-life moving stories: people escaping bad neighbours, or moving things like pianos, pet boa constrictors, or all the trapeze- and-trampoline-like paraphernalia in their bedroom. >> His Montreal-based research team has already come up with some real gems of research about moving day. Apparently, Bell reconnects about 200,000 phone lines every year during the July 1 rush. Used appliance dealers and paint stores do the majority of their year's business during the rush. "Moving season for them is like Christmas season for department stores," he says. >> Greig arrives in Montreal this week, and he'll gladly put you in the movies. If you have an odd move to make this year and you're not camera-shy, call 288-0369. --Philip Preville
From Edinburgh filmmaker Stuart Greig's perspective, moving day in Montreal is a bizarre cultural anomaly: for people who live here it's part of the landscape, but for people who don't, it's the strangest ritual they've ever heard of. It's so strange that the BBC 2 program Under the Sun has asked Greig to direct a one-hour documentary on the subject. "When I tell people about this project, they're amazed," he says. "I have to convince them that this moving day thing actually happens." >> Greig feels he has a great story to tell; all he needs now, he explains, are people through whom he can tell it. He's looking for people with strange and unusual real-life moving stories: people escaping bad neighbours, or moving things like pianos, pet boa constrictors, or all the trapeze- and-trampoline-like paraphernalia in their bedroom. >> His Montreal-based research team has already come up with some real gems of research about moving day. Apparently, Bell reconnects about 200,000 phone lines every year during the July 1 rush. Used appliance dealers and paint stores do the majority of their year's business during the rush. "Moving season for them is like Christmas season for department stores," he says. >> Greig arrives in Montreal this week, and he'll gladly put you in the movies. If you have an odd move to make this year and you're not camera-shy, call 288-0369. --Philip Preville