Paris, 1961: clashes erupt during a demonstration against the war in Algeria. An intense online experience brings the grim chain of events to life.
Raspouteam
| 2011
| French
| 60 min
17.10.61
For six years, a Palestinian farmer, taking immense risks, filmed the everyday life of the West Bank village of Bil’in.
Emad Burnat , Guy Davidi
| 2011
| Hebrew, Arabic
| s.t. English
| 94 min
5 Broken Cameras
A fascinating reconstruction of the Lebanese student protests of 1974, full of current relevancy.
Raed Rafei , Rania Rafei
| 2012
| Arabic
| s.t. French
| 95 min
74 (The Reconstitution of a Struggle)
A superb animated film about pain, loss and the Argentinian dictatorship’s atrocities.
Afarin Eghbal
| 2011
| English, Spanish
| s.t. English
| 10 min
Abuelas
In 2001, Mohsen Makhmalbaf exposes the effects of the war in Afghanistan on education.
Mohsen Makhmalbaf
| 2002
| Dari, Persian, Pashto
| s.t. English
| 46 min
Afghan Alphabet
Auschwitz today: a brilliant visual reflection on how we approach the memory of unspeakable horror.
Lukasz Konopa
| 2011
| 7 min
After
In this five-episode series, Agnès Varda takes us along on a personal journey to discover modern art and artists.
Agnès Varda
| 2011
| French
| s.t. English
| 225 min
Agnès de ci de là Varda
The lives of four future Dominican monks, and an original perspective on religious commitment in the present day.
Jean-Simon Chartier
| 2012
| French
| 55 min
Alléluia
In Romania, silence and denial are passed down from one generation to the next as a survival mechanism in the aftermath of the Ceausescu dictatorship.
Vanina Vignal
| 2012
| Romanian, English, French
| s.t. French
| 96 min
Après le silence - ce qui n'est pas dit n'existe pas ?
A dreamlike yet bitter immersion in the daily routine of a prison in Valparaiso, Chile.
Cristobal Vicente
| 2005
| Spanish
| s.t. French
| 97 min
Arcana
In an Argentinian village, a Polish immigrant child and his Argentinian friend explore the bittersweet world of childhood. Magical.
Wojciech Staron
| 2011
| Polish, Spanish
| s.t. English
| 59 min
Argentinian lesson
The filmmaker returns to his childhood haunts in the Congo, where he explores unbreakable bonds with his childhood friends, and the fissures opened…
Robert-Jan Lacombe
| 2011
| French, Swahili
| s.t. English
| 39 min
Back to Mandima
An immersion in history and hope through a virtual visit to Sydney’s infamous Block.
L'équipe de production SBS Online et Poppy Stockell
| 2012
| English
| s.t. French
| 60 min
Block, The
A document of the violent dismantling of the barricades erected by Innu protesters in March 2012 against Hydro-Québec’s development of the Romaine…
Réal Junior Leblanc
| 2012
| French
| 7 min
Blocus 138
A provocative and thoughtful film, and a milestone in experimental cinema.
Andy Warhol
| 1963
| 35 min
Blow Job
A warm and tender portrait of bygone Belfast, through the irresistible figure of a bookseller without a bookstore.
Alessandra Celesia
| 2012
| English
| s.t. French
| 54 min
bookseller of Belfast, The
A beautiful film about the issues raised by a dam; a true, sensitive and subtle exploration of the human condition.
Nicolas Renaud
| 2012
| Cree, French, English
| s.t. French
| 68 min
Brave New River
A model American family disintegrates when the father is arrested for pedophilia. A captivating documentary about an incomprehensible reality.
Andrew Jarecki
| 2003
| English
| 107 min
Capturing the Friedmans
An ambitious and disturbing documentary on the little-known practices of multinationals that benefit from carbon credits.
Amy Miller
| 2012
| English, French, Spanish, Portuguese
| s.t. French
| 84 min
Carbon Rush, The
An intimate journey with Charles Bradley in the months leading up to the release of his début album. The year’s best music documentary.
Poull Brien
| 2012
| English
| 74 min
Charles Bradley: Soul of America
A fascinating look at several great minimalist musicians, both at work and reflecting on their art.
Jacqueline Caux
| 2009
| French, English
| s.t. English
| 96 min
Colors of the Prism, the Mechanics of Time, The
A documentary about political journalism becomes a painful and urgent exposé of the situation in Syria.
Hala Alabdalla
| 2012
| Arabic, French
| s.t. French
| 120 min
Comme si nous attrapions un cobra
An unforgettable example of political cinema, in which beauty and violence share the screen.
Bruce Conner
| 1976
| 36 min
Crossroads
Each year, Scotland’s prisons organize a barbers’ competition. An unusual and moving look at life behind bars.
Adrian McDowall , Finlay Pretsell
| 2011
| English
| s.t. English
| 29 min
Cutting Loose
Behind the scenes at colourful Café Cléopâtre, the last holdout in Montreal’s old red light district.
Catherine Proulx
| 2012
| French
| 52 min
dernier cabaret, Le
A touching, impressionistic portrait of Detroit, a ruined city where the dream of a better world stubbornly refuses to die.
Heidi Ewing , Rachel Grady
| 2012
| English
| 90 min
Detropia
A businessman struggles to open a lobster packing plant in a Maine village, where he encounters one obstacle after another.
David Redmon , Ashley Sabin
| 2012
| English, Italian
| s.t. English
| 77 min
Downeast
An epic and poetic look at a community forced off its land by annual cycles of drought.
Everardo González
| 2011
| Spanish
| s.t. English
| 83 min
Drought
The Sisyphean task facing street sweepers in an Afghan town forms the core of a bitter reflection on the human condition.
Ali Hazara
| 2011
| Persian
| s.t. French
| 19 min
Dusty Night
Addicts visit a Vancouver pharmacy to receive their dose of methadone. Somewhere between theatre and direct cinema.
Antoine Bourges
| 2012
| English
| 46 min
East Hastings Pharmacy
What is time? A new audio-visual odyssey by the acclaimed Canadian essayist Peter Mettler.
Peter Mettler
| 2012
| English
| s.t. French
| 114 min
End of Time, The
This new instalment in the Épopée project, on marginal Montrealers, is an overwhelming cinematic and human experience.
Hubert Caron Guay , Rodrigue Jean
| 2012
| French
| s.t. English
| 80 min
état du monde, L'
In the Argentinian Chaco, a British ethnographer gives up his academic work to start a family with a member of the Wichi aboriginal nation.
Ulises Rosell
| 2012
| English, Spanish, Wichi
| s.t. French
| 85 min
Ethnographer, The
Régis Sauder directs a powerful look at the lives of women prison psychiatrists.
Régis Sauder
| 2012
| French
| s.t. English
| 94 min
Être là
Straddling the line between fiction and documentary, this film takes us on a haunted trip on a railroad through the Filipino jungle.
Jet Leyco
| 2011
| Tagalog
| s.t. English
| 90 min
Ex Press
Home movies spark nightmarish memories. A terrifying look at darkest America.
Dustin Guy Defa
| 2011
| English
| 10 min
Family Nightmare
The United States' war in Afghanistan as seen by five directors, through a powerful collage of different types of imagery.
John Gianvito , Jon Jost , Minda Martin , Travis Wilkerson , Soon-Mi Yoo
| 2012
| English, Pashto
| s.t. English
| 129 min
Far From Afghanistan
A richly detailed portrait including animations based on drawings by celebrated subversive artist Tomi Ungerer.
Brad Bernstein
| 2012
| English
| 98 min
Far Out Isn't Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story
A filmmaker explores Armenia, the country of her birth, creating a humble and touching lesson in documentary cinema.
Marlene Edoyan
| 2012
| Armenian
| s.t. French
| 74 min
Figure of Armen
In a Thai boxing camp, young Burmese refugees are put through intensive training to prepare for upcoming boxing matches.
Hélène Choquette
| 2012
| Thai, Burmese, Karen, Pao
| s.t. French
| 63 min
Fists of Pride
An unforgettable portrait of the filmmaker’s mother, a committed activist who is slowly forgetting everything.
David Sieveking
| 2012
| German
| s.t. English
| 88 min
Forget-me-not
A French musical about illegal immigrants, signalling the emergence of a true successor to Jacques Demy.
Hugo Chesnard
| 2011
| French
| 21 min
France qui se lève tôt, La
A delectable odyssey in search of the world’s exotic fruits, by the director of Up the Yangtze.
Yung Chang
| 2012
| English, Spanish, Italian
| s.t. French
| 95 min
Fruit Hunters, The
An Argentinian filmmaker sets out in search of a fascinating peace activist he met in North Korea 20 years ago.
José Luis GARCIA
| 2012
| Spanish
| s.t. English
| 94 min
Girl From the South, The
An affectionate and creative portrait of Iceland’s favourite septuagenarian music star.
Ingibjörg Birgisdóttir , Kristín Björk Kristjánsdóttir , Orri Jónsson
| 2011
| Icelandic, Danish
| s.t. English
| 62 min
Grandma Lo-fi: The Basement Tapes of Sigríður Níelsdóttir
A nostalgic but critical journey through a quintessentially American region.
Matt McCormick
| 2012
| English
| 70 min
Great Northwest, The
As a tribute to the late Chris Marker, a screening of a film previously unseen in North America.
Chris Marker
| 2008
| French
| s.t. English
| 31 min
Henchman Glance
A prisoner living in solitary for 40 years contributes to an art project by imagining his dream house.
Angad Singh Bhalla
| 2012
| English
| 82 min
Herman's House
A tender, melancholy portrait of Leo Leonard, the owner of one of Montreal’s last stables.
Nadine Gomez
| 2012
| French, English
| s.t. French
| 68 min
Horse Palace, The
An extraordinarily well researched and edited film on the life of Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie. Oscar for Best Documentary, 1988.
Marcel Ophüls
| 1988
| French, English, German, Spanish
| s.t. English
| 267 min
Hôtel Terminus
In the Brazilian jungle, an aboriginal tribe prepares for a ceremony performed exclusively by women. A playful and visually arresting documentary.
Carlos Fausto , Takumã Kuikuro , Leonardo Sette
| 2011
| Kuikuro
| s.t. French
| 80 min
Hyperwomen, The
Five directors powerfully document the workings of a major study of mental health and homelessness.
Manfred Becker , Sarah Fortin , Darryl Nepinak , Louiselle Noël , Lynne Stopkewich
| 2012
| French, English
| 60 min
Ici, chez soi
This is not just another documentary about the death penalty: it is a terrifying portrait of a society and its deeply rooted disparities.
Werner Herzog
| 2011
| English
| 107 min
Into the Abyss
Gays and lesbians born between the two World Wars tell their stories to filmmaker Sébastien Lifshitz.
Sébastien Lifshitz
| 2012
| French
| s.t. English
| 115 min
Invisibles, The
After À St-Henri, le 26 août, this collaborative film is a single-day snapshot of the Johannesburg neighbourhood of Jeppe.
Arya Lalloo , Shannon Walsh
| 2012
| English, French
| s.t. French
| 85 min
Jeppe On A Friday
Raymond Depardon and Claudine Nougaret use a trip through France as a framing device for a fascinating self-portrait of the acclaimed documentary…
Raymond Depardon , Claudine Nougaret
| 2012
| French
| 100 min
Journal de France
Both a rare historical document and an ethical/legal thriller: behind the scenes of the first international trial of Duch, a high-ranking Khmer…
Bernard Mangiante
| 2011
| French, Khmer, English
| s.t. French
| 90 min
Khmer rouge and the man of non-violence, The
A gut-wrenching film that meticulously deconstructs the military justice system Israel uses in the occupied territories.
Ra’anan Alexandrowicz
| 2011
| Hebrew
| s.t. English
| 101 min
Law in These Parts, The
An aesthetically unique and deeply poignant quest for family origins.
Jeffrey St.Jules
| 2012
| English
| s.t. French
| 37 min
Let the Daylight Into the Swamp
The filmmaker visits North Korea to meet relatives for the first time: grasping history through personal tragedy.
Jason Lee
| 2012
| English, Korean
| s.t. English
| 28 min
Letters from Pyongyang
A harrowing excursion into the bowels of an industrial fishing vessel. “The most thrilling film of 2012,” according to Cinema Scope.
Lucien Castaing-Taylor , Véréna Paravel
| 2012
| English
| s.t. French
| 87 min
Leviathan
A playful, Dadaist love story pieced together by ordinary New Yorkers and the over-the-top imagination of an overly romantic filmmaker.
Florian Habicht
| 2011
| English
| 92 min
Love Story
A superbly filmed documentary about a pair of “best enemies” who share a consuming obsession with fishing.
Kahlil Hudson , Tyler Hughen
| 2012
| English
| 69 min
Low & Clear
One of Magnus Isacsson’s finest films: unforgettable, remarkably sensitive portraits of four teens from Montréal-Nord.
Magnus Isacsson
| 2012
| French
| 90 min
Ma vie réelle
A cinematic landmark in which the real and the poetic, the documentary and the experimental play off one another.
Dziga Vertov
| 1929
| 68 min
Man with the movie camera
A sensitive portrait of a transsexual in Havana – quite simply, the portrait of a woman.
Sofiane Belaid , Ulysse Del Drago
| 2012
| Spanish
| s.t. French
| 38 min
Mari
An unforgettable excursion into the life of a man living in a world of his own.
Marc Schmidt
| 2012
| Dutch
| s.t. French
| 72 min
Matthew's Laws
A look inside the wild imagination of a man who’s planning to make the biggest robot-porn movie ever.
Matt Lenski
| 2011
| English
| 4 min
Meaning of Robots
A colourful portrait of family life in a South African township during the 2010 World Cup of Football.
Benjamin Kahlmeyer
| 2011
| English, Zulu, lang_sotho-en
| s.t. English
| 75 min
Meanwhile in Mamelodi
Working to survive, in the four corners of the globe: a poignant, brilliantly executed portrait of humanity.
Michael Glawogger
| 1998
| Hindi, English, Russian, Spanish
| s.t. English
| 90 min
Megacities
A dreamlike documentary about the creative process behind a film by Thai master filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul.
Apichatpong Weerasethakul
| 2012
| Thai
| s.t. English
| 57 min
Mekong Hotel
An intimate journey to Quebec’s far north: when south moves north.
Marie-Claude Fournier
| 2012
| French
| 60 min
Mes états*nordiques
An intense, devastating portrait of a young Iranian woman whose ambition is to be an actress.
Loghman Khaledi
| 2012
| Persian
| s.t. English
| 60 min
Nessa
Is it performance or unsettling therapy? A man’s hypersensitivity to noise leads to a psychological odyssey.
Dan Geva , Noit Geva
| 2012
| Hebrew
| s.t. English
| 81 min
Noise
A highly topical portrait of the famous Quebec geographer who pioneered the idea of nordicity.
Serge Giguère
| 2012
| French
| 85 min
Nord au coeur, Le
An enthusiastic chronicle of the world’s anti-crisis movements and the love at their foundations.
Velcrow Ripper
| 2012
| English
| 86 min
Occupy Love
A dark and beautiful portrait of dysfunctional America, healing its wounds with too many meds.
Donal Mosher , Michael Palmieri
| 2012
| English
| 73 min
Off Label
A brilliant, invigorating film about adolescence somewhere in the U.S.A.
Elizabeth Mims , Jason Tippet
| 2011
| English
| 72 min
Only the Young
A short film about our shared humanity, devastating in its simplicity.
Jean-Gabriel Périot
| 2012
| French
| s.t. English
| 22 min
Our days, absolutely, have to be enlightened
A Mayan child’s daily walk through the jungle makes for a wonderful cinematic encounter with a born storyteller.
Christoph Müller , Victor Vargas Villafuerte
| 2012
| Spanish
| s.t. French
| 21 min
Paal
Caustic humour marks this portrait of a long-term care facility for disabled or elderly residents : a bold experiment, brilliantly realized.
Brian M. Cassidy , Melanie Shatzky
| 2011
| English
| 71 min
Patron Saints, The
A visit to Attawapiskat, a Cree community in Northern Ontario where a state of emergency was declared last October.
Alanis Obomsawin
| 2012
| lang_crie-en, French, English
| s.t. French
| 76 min
People of the Kattawapiskak River, The
A chilling collage of YouTube videos in which American women talk about their preparations for the coming apocalypse.
Dominic Gagnon
| 2011
| English
| 62 min
Pieces and Love All to Hell
Life goes on in the border zones at the gates of Europe: a low-key, subtle portrait of a unique domain.
Tawan Arun , Joris Rühl
| 2012
| French, English, German
| 60 min
Portraits de frontières
Michel Brault , Pierre Perrault
| 1962
| French
| 105 min
Pour la suite du monde
A portrait of a rebellious young Czech man, filmed from his birth to the age of 37. A captivating film featuring impressive editing.
Helena Treštíková
| 2012
| Czech
| s.t. English
| 84 min
Private Universe
A gripping legal thriller about the Noir Canada defamation case and the debate over strategic lawsuits in Quebec.
Julien Fréchette
| 2012
| French
| 74 min
prix des mots, Le
Warmth, humour, rebellion: this is the story of Pertti Kurikka’s Name Day, a punk band whose members are intellectually handicapped.
Jukka Kärkkäinen , J-P Passi
| 2012
| Finnish
| s.t. English
| 85 min
Punk Syndrome, The
A well-researched, entertaining exploration of Hollywood’s portrayal of North American aboriginal peoples.
Neil Diamond
| 2009
| English
| s.t. French
| 88 min
Reel Injun
A masterpiece by Jonas Mekas: memory shards from a visit to Lithuania after a quarter century of exile.
Jonas Mekas
| 1972
| English
| 82 min
Reminiscences of Journey to Lithuania
An absorbing short that proves that cinema can trick the eye: watch it and expect a surprise.
Ben Russell
| 2011
| lang_sans paroles-en
| 10 min
River Rites
An entertaining documentary exploring various theories about hidden messages in Kubrick’s The Shining.
Rodney Ascher
| 2012
| English
| 102 min
Room 237
A filmmaker returns to her home village to film its remaining 14 residents. A tender, meditative work.
Mercedes Alvarez
| 2004
| Spanish
| s.t. English
| 114 min
Sky Turns, The
A powerful record of an attempt to move history forward: a civics class in the Israeli army.
Silvina Landsmann
| 2012
| Hebrew
| s.t. French
| 68 min
Soldier/Citizen
A single camera, reminiscences of love and plenty of songs. A deliciously Brazilian work by master filmmaker Eduardo Coutinho.
Eduardo Coutinho
| 2011
| Portuguese
| s.t. English
| 92 min
Songs
The often touching and cheeky portrait of an exceptional woman, by her filmmaker granddaughter.
Laura Laabs
| 2011
| German
| s.t. English
| 20 min
Spinach & Sugar
In Bamako, Mali, refugees find their voice through art. A profoundly political cri de coeur.
Sylvain L'Espérance
| 2012
| French
| 105 min
Standing On World's Edge
A superb film in which the electrification of a remote North African village is the starting point for a fable about progress.
Jérôme Le Maire
| 2012
| French, Berber
| s.t. English
| 92 min
Tea or Electricity
The search for a house where Man Ray filmed sparks a brilliant and touching journey guided by chance.
Oskar Alegria
| 2012
| Spanish, French, Italian
| s.t. French
| 84 min
The Search for Emak Bakia
Is it documentary or fiction? Art or terrorism? Introducing Voina, a radical Russian art collective.
Andrey Gryazev
| 2012
| Russian
| s.t. English
| 90 min
Tomorrow
A year in the life of a colourful Siberian patriarch and his family of nomadic herders.
Aleksei Vakhrushev
| 2011
| Russian
| s.t. English
| 105 min
Tundra Book: A tale of Vukvukai, the Little Rock, The
We accompany Anton, 12, to a summer boot camp in today’s Russia. Terrifying.
Jasna Krajinovic
| 2012
| Russian
| s.t. French
| 59 min
Un été avec Anton
At the turn of the millennium, a Belgian parliamentary delegation pays a hilarious and chilling visit to North Korea.
Philippe Dutilleul
| 2000
| French, Flemish, Korean
| s.t. French
| 52 min
Une délégation de très haut niveau
A filmmaker, his family, apparitions of the Virgin in Egypt – and plenty of cinema!
Namir Abdel Messeeh
| 2012
| French, Arabic
| s.t. French
| 91 min
Vierge, les Coptes et moi, La
A fascinating tour of the little-known but essential world of cinematography.
Arnold Glassman , Todd McCarthy , Stuart Samuels
| 1992
| English
| 92 min
Visions of Light
At opposite sides of the world, we see images unfurl in a delightful dance. True cinematic pleasure.
Victor Kossakovsky
| 2011
| Spanish, Russian, English
| s.t. English
| 104 min
Vivan las Antipodas!
A fascinating look at the history and influence of the ondes Martenot, the forerunner to modern electronic musical instruments.
Caroline Martel
| 2012
| French, English
| s.t. French
| 95 min
Wavemakers
A voyage into the spirit world, guided by a spellbinding old Kenyan fisherman.
Jeroen van Velzen
| 2011
| English, Swahili
| s.t. English
| 80 min
Wavumba
A funny, touching look at the filming of Victor Kossakovsky’s ¡Vivan Las Antipodas!, and a reflection on the artistic process.
Carlos Klein
| 2012
| English, Russian, Spanish, German
| s.t. English
| 90 min
Where the Condors Fly
If you thought you knew all there is to know about the original superheroine, think again!
Kristy Guevara-Flanagan
| 2012
| English
| 62 min
Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines