Online cinema
Mathieu
Priscillia Piccoli
Mathieu, 26, suffers from a rare disease: congenital glaucoma. After more than twenty operations, his condition is worsening, and he will lose his sight in less than 6 months. How will Mathieu cope with this harsh reality?
Geographies of Solitude
Jacquelyn Mills
Geographies of Solitude is an immersion into the rich ecosystem of Sable Island, guided by naturalist and environmentalist Zoe Lucas who has lived over 40 years on this remote sliver of land in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. Shot on 16mm and created using a scope of innovative eco-friendly filmmaking techniques, this feature-length experimental documentary is a playful and reverent collaboration with the natural world. Zoe leads us among wild horses, seals and bugs, through peaks, valleys, roots, sands, weathers, seasons and stars. The intangible is evoked with hidden sounds and vanishing light. Much like a field book, the film tracks its protagonist’s labor to collect, clean and document marine litter that persistently washes up on the island shores.
Words Left Unspoken
Josiane Blanc
After avoiding speaking at all cost for over two decades, Joze Piranian, a severe stutterer, decides to confront his fears. Words Left Unspoken follows Joze as he makes peace with his stutter and the elements that led him to spend the first two decades of his life avoiding speaking at all cost. By revisiting his past, he will finally confront the situations which contributed to his trauma and engage in the conversations he never dared to have before. By speaking openly, Joze will finally be able to free himself from the difficult memories that have long held him back and we will witness his transformation as he finds his voice and shares his experiences with the world to celebrate the truly exceptional person that he has become.
Mohawk Girls
Tracey Deer
The award-winning hit dramatic comedy series follows four young women figuring out how to be Mohawk in the 21st century. And, of course, trying to find love. But in a small world where you or your friends have dated everyone on the rez, or the hot new guy turns out to be your cousin, it ain’t that simple. Torn between family pressure, tradition, obligation and the intoxicating freedom of the “outside world,” this fabulous foursome is on a mission to find happiness… And to find themselves.
The Gig Is Up
Shannon Walsh
A very human tech doc, The Gig Is Up uncovers the real costs of the platform economy through the lives of people working for companies around the world, including Uber, Amazon and Deliveroo. From delivering food and driving ride shares to tagging images for AI, millions of people around the world are finding work task by task online. The gig economy is worth over 5 trillion USD globally, and growing. And yet the stories of the workers behind this tech revolution have gone largely neglected. Who are the people in this shadow workforce? The Gig Is Up brings their stories into the light. Lured by the promise of flexible work hours, independence, and control over time and money, workers from around the world have found a very different reality. Work conditions are often dangerous, pay often changes without notice, and workers can effectively be fired through deactivation or a bad rating. Through an engaging global cast of characters, The Gig Is Up reveals how the magic of technology we are being sold might not be magic at all.
Beans
Tracey Deer
Twelve-year-old Beans is on the edge: torn between innocent childhood and reckless adolescence; forced to grow up fast and become the tough Mohawk warrior she needs to be during the Oka Crisis, the turbulent Indigenous uprising that tore Quebec and Canada apart for 78 tense days in the summer of 1990.
À qui appartient ce gage?
Clorinda Warny
Marthe Blackburn
À qui appartient ce gage? (Who owns this pledge?) is a cry for help for women and their children in the context of the much-discussed issue of state-run daycare. Unequivocally, women are saying they can’t take it anymore, and are calling for shared parenting. Parents from three different Montreal communities with popular daycare facilities contributed their stories to this film: working-class, underprivileged and young protesters.
Je vous salue salope : La misogynie au temps du numérique
Guylaine Maroist
Léa Clermont-Dion
In fall 2017, the MeToo hashtag shook the planet, sparking an unprecedented wave of sexual assault accusations in the Western world. Now a storm of virulent misogyny rages on more than ever, flooding our screens with harassment, defamation, lynching, sextortion, the sharing of intimate photographs, rape and deaths threats. . . According to the UN, 73% of women are abused online. The feature-length documentary Backlash: Misogyny in the Digital Age follows four women and one man whose lives have been particularly affected by online violence: Laura Boldrini, the most harassed female politician in Italy; Kiah Morris, an African-American politician in the state of Vermont who resigned following severe harassment and threats from right-wing extremists; Marion Séclin, a French YouTuber who received more than 40,000 sexist messages, including rape and death threats; Laurence Gratton, a young teacher in Quebec who was harassed for more than five years by a former colleague; and Glen Canning, the father of Rehtaeh Parsons, a young girl who took her life after photos of her rape were spread online. What is it like to live with this so-called “virtual”…
Fantas
Halima Elkhatabi
Tania decides to take her horse Fantas to meet her friends in her working-class neighborhood. By sharing her passion, she seeks to bring together two parts of herself, two worlds that have never crossed paths before and which will collide in an urban tale with surreal overtones.
Le Mythe de la Femme noire
Ayana O’Shun
The Myth of the Black Woman is a feature-length documentary that investigates the image of black women in society, from the hypersexual Jezebel to the lovable Nanny to the sassy “Bitch.” Experts say the Black community is the minority most affected by images created centuries ago. Black women, acclaimed leaders in their fields, tell of the challenges these representations of them bring to their lives. Their compelling stories are supported by compelling, never-before-seen archival footage from centuries past to the present. This hard-hitting film was also a favorite for many of us. It is sad, however, to still see the need for a film that reports on a reality that should no longer exist. Relevant, dynamic and daring, this film gives voice, without compromise. Its classic and very effective form seduces by its asserted speech, the sensual beauty of the images, the intelligence of the testimonies and the delicacy of its musical framework. A powerful tool for popular education and mobilization.
Nos amours
Diane Beaudry
Is love still possible? Ariane and Jacques each ask themselves this question. They’ve lived through a series of thwarted love affairs, against a backdrop of feminism and the sexual revolution. Now they’re about to embark on the final lap of a race to happiness that looks like a race against time. Will they become love retirees? Will they be able to invent a new love scenario? What emotional legacy will they pass on to their children? Between their testimonies, the enlightening remarks of “specialists of the heart” and… A few tango steps, this passionate film strikes a blow at the heart of romantic love, opposing it with a courageous reflection on the loving destiny of men and women today.
Rêve aveugle
Diane Beaudry
Luc and Viviane despair of not having any children of their own. Wanting to finally form a real family, they decided to adopt one. However, between the time they set out to adopt and the arrival of Ai Thuy, a lot had happened in their lives. Too much, perhaps, to adjust to the needs of the long-awaited Vietnamese girl.