Other films on this theme
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. On May 30th 2017, Joze took the stage at Speaker Slam, an inspirational speaking competition, where he spoke about the pain caused by his stuttering and the negative reactions of others in the face of his invisible disability. As the audience rose from their seats to congratulate him with a standing ovation, he didn’t feel ashamed of his stutter for the first time in his life. He’s now convinced that becoming a full-time speaker will set him free from over 20 years of pain. On the other end of the Atlantic Ocean, in Lebanon, Joze’s parents, Corinne and Alexis, learn about their son’s struggle with anxiety and depression caused by his severe speech impediment for the first time while watching a video he shared on social media. 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…
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.
Sur le dos de la Grande-Baleine
Diane Beaudry
Documentary on the debates surrounding the La Grande Rivière hydroelectric complex, twenty years after the signing of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement. While some celebrate the successes of Quebec engineering, others cry apocalypse and genocide. A highly publicized struggle for control of the Radissonie.
Apprendre… Ou à laisser
Diane Beaudry
Why are hundreds of thousands of children unhappy at school? A journalist wants to find out, and through her lengthy investigation, takes us through the emotions of a mother at a loss when faced with her daughter Odile’s failure at school. A story that starts badly but ends well.
La double histoire d’Odile
Diane Beaudry
Eileen is an eleven-year-old who hates school. She feels stupid compared to the other kids, especially in math, and a large birthmark on her arm has always made her feel different. But Eileen has a secret imaginary twin who is happy and self-assured. With the help of her parents, her teacher, and her own spirited imagination, Eileen conquers her insecurities and gains the confidence she needs. Eileen’s Bag brings a message of hope to the many youngsters who feel left out and inadequate at school. Without preaching or didacticism, the film shows that children can be encouraged to feel good about themselves and ultimately realize their potential.
L’Autre Muraille
Diane Beaudry
Filmed in Shanghai, this film shows how, despite the reforms established by the Chinese government to ensure women’s equal status with men, certain customs remain unchanged, with feudal tradition forming a sort of age-old wall. This is particularly true when it comes to the status of women in the workplace. The same applies to the marriage of girls, which is subject to all kinds of family constraints and government restrictions. So much so that the one-child policy leads future parents to wish for a boy rather than a girl.
Histoire à suivre…
Diane Beaudry
This feature-length documentary reflects on the journey of women in politics. Since women were granted the right to vote and stand for election in 1940, only around forty of them at most have managed to take their seats in the National Assembly in Quebec City. Filmed during the campaign for the presidency of the Parti québécois in the fall of 1985, Histoire à suivre… (History to be followed…) features interviews with several of these women politicians, including Pauline Marois, Louise Harel and Lise Payette.
Too Dirty for a Woman
Diane Beaudry
In Labrador City, Newfoundland, women have been hired by the Iron Ore Company as truck drivers, engineers, labourers, geologists, warehouse workers, machinists, and mechanics. Living in a company town, they are pioneers in their own community. The women talk about their non-traditional jobs, their new feelings of independence, and how their families’ lives have been affected. One of the consequences is that husbands now share household chores. There are, however, obstacles to be overcome before women can apply for a job, such as the scarcity of day care facilities and a lack of public transportation. Strong visuals show women at work driving a 130-tonne truck, surveying a blast pattern for a drill, or acting as the first female foreman, alias foreperson.
L’ordinateur en tête
Diane Beaudry
Half-fiction, half-documentary, this film seeks to raise awareness among women workers and students of the challenge posed by the development of new technologies. With the advent of computers in the workplace, many jobs are likely to disappear, particularly in the office sector, where women make up nearly 80% of workers. With the aim of encouraging women and girls to redefine their career plans in the light of new technologies, the film opens the way to multiple avenues of reflection on both computers and the economic status of women.
Laila
Diane Beaudry
Laila Paattinen is a working woman. Tired of low-paying jobs, she completed a five-month course in dry-wall installation. Because she had chosen a non-traditional job for women, she ran into resistance in the marketplace. She finally solved her problems by opening her own dry-wall application business. A useful film for women seeking non-traditional jobs.
The Unbroken Line
Diane Beaudry
This is a historical survey of the office of the Canadian governor general, from its inception through the inauguration of Edward Schreyer to office. Drawing from archival photos and using live-action film footage, The Unbroken Line gives us a look at some of the governors general (and their families) who have contributed to the Canadian political system.
An Unremarkable Birth
Diane Beaudry
A growing number of parents are concerned about the impersonal approach to childbirth seen in many hospitals. They find hospital procedures inflexible and more often geared to the needs of the institution than to those of child and parent. Members of the medical profession and parents discuss today’s obstetric methods and alternatives to them. The film candidly records the birth of a baby and the interaction of mother and father.
Maud Lewis: A World Without Shadows
Diane Beaudry
Set against a background of her paintings and the Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, landscapes they depict, this short documentary is a portrait of the life and work of one of Canada’s foremost primitive painters, Maud Lewis. Emerging from her youth crippled with arthritis, Lewis escaped into her painting at the age of 30. She had never seen a work of art and had never attended an art class but her paintings captured the simple strength, beauty and happiness of the world she saw – a world without shadows.