Discover Movies

Go head-to-head with an icebreaker. Plunge down a twisting mountain gorge. Soar through the clouds in the nosecone of a jet, then speed along with a dog team as it races across a frozen Arctic lake. A sweeping, moving tribute to Canada's stunning geography and rich cultural heritage, Momentum leaps off your screen--and touches your heart. Momentum wowed audiences from around the world when it premiered at Seville, the greatest world's fair of the last quarter century.

This documentary film focuses on the animal life that survives in this harsh arctic climates at the edge of the ice - from the simple algae to narwhals, polar bears, sea birds, seals, whales and walruses.

Spring 2015

With eight marriages and divorces under his belt, the film delves into how Muhammed ended up in this situation and whether he's learned anything from it.

A short film that poetically explores the sterile landscape of music consumption in the streaming era.

At struggling independent movie theatres across Alberta, passionate business owners are reviving, re-inventing and sometimes letting go of these once-vital community spaces.

With candour, compassion and a healthy dose of humour, an insightful group of morticians and funeral directors take us on a philosophical journey through our inevitable mortality and behind the scenes of their industry's daily routines.

In restaurant kitchens, tight quarters, high pressure and hot tempers combine to create toxic conditions that make it difficult for anyone to survive, let alone climb the ladder to head chef. For women, the situation is even worse. Running a successful restaurant is a daunting challenge, even more so when the odds are stacked against you. But as women take charge at more of the world's top dining establishments, a cultural shift is dismantling the macho environment that made celebrities out of "bad boy" chefs. From New York City's star chefs Anita Lo and Amanda Cohen to the queen of French cuisine Anne-Sophie Pic, seven chefs share their struggles to overcome a system of inequality and harassment while delivering delicious dishes and redefining the dining experience. An appetite for change has taken hold and there's no turning back

Two women from Montreal, from very different backgrounds, become great friends. Celeste, of Portuguese origin, sacrifices the love of her family to make her fortune in America. Catherine, single, dedicates herself completely to her double career as a journalist and harpsichordist, and dreams of starting her own family, without giving up her professional aspirations.

A gay man reminisces about his deceased lover, a victim of AIDS.

This documentary depicts the conflict between hospital workers and the Quebec government in 1976. It features images of hospital workers in the workplace, and gives them a voice.

A documentary that explores what it means to be a young person in Quebec after the dissolution of the Quebec sovereignty movement.

A fascinating rap on the 20th Century movement called Culture Jamming. Pranksters and subversive artists are causing a bit of brand damage to corporate mindshare. Jammers, cultural commentators, a billboard advertiser and a constitutional lawyer take us on a wild roller coaster ride through the back streets of our mental environment. Stopping over in San Francisco, New York's Times Square, and Toronto, we catch the jamming in action with Batman-inspired Jack Napier of the Billboard Liberation Front, Disney arch-enemy Reverend Billy from the Church of Stop Shopping and Media Tigress Carly Stasko.

A docudrama on the closing of the town of Schefferville. When Raoul loses his job at the mine because the operations are ending, he's been settled there for ten years with Carmen and their son. They're now forced to leave the town, leaving behind the traces of an ephemeral prosperity.

After eighteen years of operating the favourite lunch counter in Manitoba's Interlake region, Ellen and Martin Kihn have retired. A poignant look at the last day, The Kihns, their friends and their customers, demanding rural life and the place the disappearing institution of the country cafe plays in these people's lives. A tribute to the cafes found in small towns.

Final 24 recreates River Phoenix's last day to tell the tragic tale of a young man whose short life was dominated by the constant pressure to perform.

For the past 40 years, Bruce Beach has been preparing for a nuclear disaster. A bunker of 42 school buses is buried on his property, designed to save humanity. Curious onlookers and interested preppers regularly visit the site named Ark Two, but it's clear that the creator of this decaying shelter is the only one truly convinced of its practicality in the event of an apocalypse. Now that Bruce is in his 80s, he and his wife Jean need to spend more time taking care of their immediate needs than worrying about the future. What could easily be dismissed as evangelical paranoia becomes a tragic yet uplifting story about a risk-taking inventor who has lived without regrets. Sometimes outside-the-box thinkers become millionaires and are recognized for their genius ability to guide us into the future, while others are pushed to the margins. There’s a lot to be learned from both

This documentary examines a selection of real life serial killers and compares them to the fictional Hannibal Lecter.

Hearing Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony for the first time changed Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser’s life forever, and in this inspiring documentary, we see him—the first openly gay Black conductor in Canada and a regular conductor with the San Francisco and Vancouver symphonies—using his passion to bring live classical music to people identifying as “different,” like he does. Having struggled with his own sexuality, Bartholomew-Poyser believes music can help unite and uplift everyone beyond race, class, and gender. This unorthodox film chronicles his concerts in a women’s prison and teaming up with Thorgy Thor (from RuPaul’s Drag Race and also a classically trained violinist) to create the first orchestral drag show in Canada.

Nightmare in Canada is a television documentary that delves into the history of Canada's horror film industry. Not only do Canadian horror films have a distinct look and style, they also explore fear and dread in a truly "tundra terror" way through themes such as "man against nature" and "fighting the evil that comes from within." Nightmare in Canada uncovers gems from Canada's film history that combat the stereotype that Canadian cinema is bland or aloof.

"Snowmotion: The Art of Sledding" is a cult-classic 1992 Canadian documentary film that captures early 1990s snowmobile culture. Produced and directed by Curtis Petersen, with a screenplay written by David Mitchell, it serves as a nostalgic time capsule for vintage snowmobiling enthusiasts.

On the eve of Bozdoğan’s annual festival, 19-year-old Kaan and his camel navigate the intense, little-known world of Turkey’s camel wrestling, revealing a tradition where human-animal bonds, community, and centuries-old rituals collide.

This short documentary film is a fascinating portrait of urban and rural Quebec in the late 1960s, as the province entered modernity. The collective work produced for the Quebec Ministry of Industry and Commerce calls on several major Quebec figures.

Mountain Gorilla takes us to a remote range of volcanic mountains in Africa, described by those who have been there as ""one of the most beautiful places in the world"", and home to the few hundred remaining mountain gorillas. In spending a day with a gorilla family in the mountain forest, audiences will be captivated by these intelligent and curious animals, as they eat, sleep, play and interact with each other. Although gorillas have been much-maligned in our popular culture, viewers will finally ""meet the legend"" face to face, and learn about their uncertain future.

In 1994 one of Canada’s most respected Inuit elders -95 year old Noah Piugatuk – announced that he wanted to taste the bowhead whale one more time before he died. Honouring the elders wish, Piugatuk’s son-in-law caught an illegal whale near Igloolikin September 1994. A few months later, the whale hunters were charged and ordered to stand trial. In June 1996, the government finally dropped all charges against the Igloolik hunters. In august 1996, Inuit hunters from across the arctic gathered in Repulse Bay to catch the first legal bowhead in more than forty years. Arviq! traces the history of the bowhead in the Arctic up to the first legal hunt in 1996.

A film about small Ontario town's struggle to restore a desecrated African-Canadian cemetery and the resulting turmoil over it.

A democracy should protect its most vulnerable citizens, but increasingly the United States is failing to do so. This investigation blends the insights of experts with the experiences of citizens of the Rust Belt in the Midwest where the steel industry once flourished, but where closures and outsourcing have left urban areas desolate. It is here where Donald Trump finds some of his most fervent supporters.

A documentary about the relationships of several Toronto and Montreal homeless people and their dogs.

Filmmaker Paul Saltzman retraces his journey of 50 years ago when he spent a life-changing time with the Beatles at the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's ashram on the banks of the Ganges River. In 1968, he discovered his own soul, learned meditation, which changed his life, and hung out with John, Paul, George and Ringo. Fifty years later, he finds "Bungalow Bill" in Hawaii; connects with David Lynch about his own inner journey; as well as preeminent Beatles historian, Mark Lewisohn; Academy Award nominated film composer, Laurence Rosenthal; and Pattie and Jenny Boyd. And much of this is due to Saltzman's own daughter, Devyani, reminding him that he had put away and forgotten these remarkably intimate photographs of that time in 1968.

A poetic short about the Montreal subway system

Filmmaker Stephen Hosier takes a journey with Richard Csanyi, his childhood friend, as he investigates the life and death of his twin brother Attila, who was found dead on a rooftop in 2020.

This incisive, urgent documentary examines the history of anti-Black racism in hockey, from the segregated leagues of the 19th century to today’s NHL, where Black athletes continue to struggle against bigotry.

Chronicles ten weeks with Lauda - a pioneering youth ensemble within the internationally renowned Shallaway Youth Choir, one of only a handful of choirs in the world to embrace all neurotypes. As the choristers prepare for their end of season concert, they reveal the joyful harmony they’ve found together while navigating a world not always tuned to their rhythm.

Alexis, a talented and proud student of the National Ballet School of Cuba, spends his life practicing chassé and entrechats with his girlfriend and dance partner Yelenia. However, when his family moves to Florida to be reunited with his sister, he must adjust his expectations and dreams to a radically new environment. Alexis, facing rejection and homesick for his native Cuba, feels lost and alone. He must find his way in the world of American ballet while remaining faithful to his roots.

A true Canadian iconoclast, acclaimed transgender country/electro-pop artist Rae Spoon revisits the stretches of rural Alberta that once constituted “home” and confronts memories of growing up queer in an abusive, evangelical household.

A documentary portrait of high-school students in the Quebec city of Sorel-Tracy.

An 11-year-old is taught by his grandfather to capture his first polar bear.

French artist and author Jean Giraud is one of the most famous and influential comic strip illustrators and authors of all time. He achieved his greatest fame as Moebius - not so much a pseudonym as an alter ego. With his triple-split personality - Jean Giraud, Moebius, Gir - he succeeded in making his work accessible in popular comic strip series like Blueberry, in metaphysical fantasies like John Difool and, not least, to a broad public, with set designs for films such as The Fifth Element. In Moebius Redux - A Life in Pictures an exceptional artist tells his life's and work's story. Extraordinary views on Paris, Los Angeles and the Mexican desert build a visual link between his life and his artistic universe, accompanied by the electronic soundtrack composed by "Kraftwerk" legend Karl Bartos.

Documentary tribute from a great-grandson to his great-grandmother. In a Sunday, filmed in her daily life, Aldéa speaks of universal subjects in her own way.

Between the Caspian Sea and the Strait of Hormuz, through the reanimation of archives and documentary observation, a frenetic plunge into the parallel economies of a region shaped by imperial ambitions and survival instincts.

In this homage, Louise Lecavalier's creative vision is fully explored, illuminating a woman in perpetual motion, spiritually, mentally and physically.

In 1858 Charles Darwin struggles to publish one of the most controversial scientific theories ever conceived, while he and his wife Emma confront family tragedy.

Every winter in a cemetery near Stockholm, activists gather to keep the memory of Fadime Sahindal alive. A Kurdish immigrant to Sweden who was murdered by her father in 2002, Fadime has become an international symbol of the debate over cultural traditions that accept the use of violence to control women's behaviour. In Crimes Without Honour, four extraordinary activists risk everything to publicly challenge these traditions and tell their own stories of physical and emotional violence. While they practice different faiths, hail from different parts of the world and have immigrated to different countries, all make it crystal clear that the justification for these crimes is an entrenched family power structure of male supremacy—one that crosses borders, cultures and religions. Raymonde Provencher has crafted a vital addition to a growing body of films about crimes related to patriarchal traditions of family honour.

The extraordinary story of Canadian icon Terry Fox will be told like never before in Run Terry Run, a new feature-length documentary directed by acclaimed filmmaker Sean Menard. The film offers an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at Terry’s legendary 1980 Marathon of Hope, drawing from 96 reels of never-before-seen footage and unheard audio interviews that have remained untouched for 45 years.

This film explores how Canada wavers between rejection and acceptance of closer ties with the United States, tracing the historical precedents of current issues between the two nations. Canada continues to question her identity despite the influence of a powerful neighbour.

This documentary is a must have for "old school" wrestling fans! It's loosely focused on the career of 23 year old Vivian Vachon during her first professional tour, and the wrestling legends she shares the ring with. Through interviews with wrestling superstars, the promoters, the fans, and the critics, Wrestling Queen will give you a snapshot of a rarely seen part of 70’s culture, along with a healthy dose of wrestling nostalgia!

Having won the world title in his rookie season in 2017, Emil Johansson spent 2018 struggling with an autoimmune disease. Now, still coming to grips with the disease, he's ready to make his return.

The subversive masterpieces of Russian-Ukrainian writer Isaac Babel challenged the reality of life under rising totalitarianism, and led to his arrest and execution in 1940. In Finding Babel, Andrei Malaev-Babel confronts complex traces of a turbulent history that echo in his grandfather's writing and in the conflicts of today's Ukraine and Russia. Babel's fiction is woven into Andrei's search with ethereal animation that puts the viewer, like Babel's readers, between fantasy and reality.

This short film was shot on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and shows off the new technology employed on modern fishing boats in the mid-1960s. The featured trawler is open-stern style, allowing full nets to be dragged easily from the sea then lifted to release the silvery catch into the cleaning troughs. -NFB

Canadian seniors over 65 are staying active through philanthropy, the arts, volunteerism, education, entrepreneurship, or the workplace. Profiled here are a fashion tycoon gone back to school in his 80s, a 95 year old who builds and flies airplanes, a competitive darts player and painter without hands, an entrepreneur, an avid community volunteer, and a couple in their 90s who continue to teach roller skating.

With Carbon in the news every day, you might think you know everything about her. But you’d be wrong. This spectacular and surprisingly unorthodox documentary reveals the paradoxical story of the element that builds all life, and yet may end it all. Narrated in first person by  Sarah Snook (Succession), Carbon tells of her birth in the violent core of an exploding star and of turbulent sagas through the fabric of our evolving Earth. Accompanied by celebrated scientists, unique animations and a stunning orchestral score, Carbon reminds us of our humble participation in the most extraordinary story in the universe.

This black-and-white archival film outlines the importance of Canada's forests in the national war effort during the Second World War.

What if we told you there is a science-based “miracle drug” to beat the Inactivity pandemic we are in? What if you could beat diseases like some forms of obesity, diabetes, cancers, high blood pressure, and many more? What if this “miracle drug” could prevent deaths by COVID, and power your immune system to beat many other diseases? Well, it exists. Find the answers in this Documentary.

This short documentary follows the daily struggles of two janitors at a North American university. The film takes a critical look at the communication, or lack of communication, that happens between janitors and those that use the facilities they clean. Shot at Capilano University, in North Vancouver, BC, Canada.

A poetic exploration of three subterranean telescopes in remote regions of Canada, Japan, and Antarctica that reveal a new way of perceiving the universe from within. Underground, we are dreaming into the earth.

Pushing at the limits of non-fiction cinema, A Man Imagined is a bracingly intimate and hallucinatory portrait of a man with schizophrenia surviving amidst urban detritus and decay. Made in close collaboration with 67-year-old Lloyd, this immersive documentary fable follows the jagged path of a decades-long street survivor, across harsh winters and blistering summers, as he sells discarded items to motorists, sleeps in junkyards and lapses into near-psychedelic reveries.