Discover Movies

Video by Antosh Clubgear by Dave Livingston

They meet in the dark of the night. Women, sisters, friends: a feminist group that comes together to leave writings on the walls of Montreal. Their challenge: to raise awareness in order to put an end to the systemic violence suffered by women and gender minorities. Sober collages for a strong message: feminicides must stop!

Wong's first colour videotape bears the influence of several artistic genres popular in the 1970s, including performance and body art. We see Kenneth Fletcher draw several millilitres of blood from his arm and inject the contents of the syringe into Paul Wong's back, just under the skin. The camera closes in on this, observing the slow response of the immune system as the skin turns red and purple. What was originally intended as a sort of ritual uniting the young men as blood brothers, with implicit reference to drug use, has become a disturbing and dangerous act, when AIDS evokes our deepest fears and anxieties.

We follow Roach, a 17-year-old ex-junkie and squeegee punk living on the streets of Toronto and Montreal. As part of the filmmaking process, he's been given a camera to document his world. The footage he gets is urgent, because there's a war against squeegee kids. This documentary is from the point of view of the kids themselves, in order to provide alternative voices. Roach's camera is positioned behind "enemy" lines: living in derelict buildings, squeegeeing for money, being hunted by police.

An artist attempts to finish his final major painting before his death.

An anthology of sequences from the best films that the National Film Board of Canada produced since its beginnings. Divided by themes and presented by a trio of actors-signers (including Carle's wife Chloé Sainte-Marie) who sings the same song in between the movie excerpts. This movie celebrated the anniversary of the National Film Board in 1985.

A short manifesto of collective resistance to police oppression in the wake of the historic 1977 raid on the Montreal gay bar Truxx.

The hairdressing salon “Saïda” is a space where people speak openly, laugh and argue. The subject rarely is hair. In the run-up to the presidential elections in Tunisia the shop turns into a political arena where the women – young or old, conservative or with a modern outlook – indulge in discussions about the pros and cons of the candidates. Their clever and witty statements reflect a young democracy with all its rifts and fault lines.

“Dead Ringer” is a feature length documentary film that focuses on Casa Loma, investigating the way the building functions as a microcosm for the larger city, in terms of Toronto’s history as a stand-in for American cities in cinema. The film explores questions about identity and representation and ultimately asks, “What does it mean to see your city reflected back to you, but not your experience?” Modelled after the classic documentary "Los Angeles Plays Itself".

Tierra y Libertad is the name of a united front of former Mexican peasants gathered on the outskirts of the city of Monterrey, in the industrial north of Mexico, who are occupying urban land and building their own type of society there.

Revisit the pivotal moments and courageous actions that ignited Canada’s 2SLGBTQ+ movement. From early struggles to landmark victories, this powerful reminder of how quickly rights can be taken away highlights the ongoing fight for justice and equality.

A documentary that follows Corey Lucas, a 21-year-old African Canadian, as he tries to reconcile his urge to be a hustler with his need to be a responsible father and a supportive partner. Life in Jellybean Square, a housing project in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, was a world away from the things Corey grew up wanting: a fancy car, a big house, a great job and a bright future. With a head full of dreams and empty pockets he turned to selling drugs on the street. Central to the film is the transformative power of a weekend retreat for young Black males, organized by BROS (Brothers Reaching Out Society) together with the film's director, Russell Wyse. At the heart of the film lies Wyse's conviction that despite all the odds against them young Black men can succeed if they have the will, the opportunity, and the support of a community. -NFB

This is a very worrying observation: 2.2 billion people, or 40% of the world's adult population, are overweight or obese. Junk food plays a major role in this public health crisis. Evidence is mounting against ultra-processed industrial foods, products that addict the most vulnerable consumers. The global food giants have known this for 20 years already.

A feature film that follows Jason Logan, who creates unique inks for some of the world’s most celebrated artists by using highly unconventional materials, many of which he finds while foraging in locations ranging from the landfill beaches of Toronto’s Leslie Street Spit to the Mojave Desert. Among the more unusual materials he employs are weeds, rocks, and even rust. Logan’s fans range from the legendary Robert Crumb to New Yorker cartoonist Liana Finck and Japanese artist Koji Kakinuma.

Theo Abellard and Modibo Keita are musicians from Montreal who’ve formed their own concert series and music venue. Their personal experiences in the music scene and within music institutions has led them to forming musical spaces for those of their community; taking the future of Montreal's music scene in their hands.

Documentary about the history of the Communist Party of Canada

The last shots had been fired in the First World War — but peace had yet to be made. Inspired by Margaret MacMillan’s acclaimed work of popular history, Paris 1919 takes us inside the most ambitious peace talks in history, revisiting the event with a vivid sense of narrative. Evoking a pivotal moment when peace seemed possible, director Paul Cowan reflects upon the hard-learned lessons of history.

Daniel Cockburn discusses that may or may not have seen the film After Hours before

Follow Team Canada ‘87 from the very beginning to the final moments when they defeated the Soviets in the Canada Cup. Experience the painful struggles to put the team together, the dressing room tension between periods, and the complex, strategic thinking of coach Mike Keenan. Join the team as they battle through the tournament, and slowly come together for the climactic three game final series.

In a brave effort to reconnect with her family, a Canadian filmmaker returns to her ancestral home of Guadeloupe to discover families torn apart over land inheritance—a relic of French colonial legacy that continues to fracture Guadeloupean families today.

A visual trajectory denoting the abstraction of sexual experiences which leads the viewer/voyeur to question her construction/appropriation of eroticism.

A 16mm hybrid visual poem, at the crossroad between intertextuality and documentary. This film "plays" with images in a mysterious way. In the words of Eugenio Montale, weaving a disappearing and deserted suburban landscape into the fabric of images, sounds, and textures of two far-away lovers yearning for each other.

Getting ready is a simple, sometimes daily act. This 16mm pink coloured black and white film is a portrait of a beautiful woman putting on things and taking off. Of glamour, of resignation of the self to the world for the day or evening; of objects strewn about, of stuff full of sparkles, gold, jewels and powder.

Imitations of life consist of ten chapters, each one of which has an individual intonation and cinematographic style. The chapters: In the Future, Jack, Last Thoughts, Portrait, Secret, In My Car, The Game, Scaling, Imitation of Life, and Rain.

Part 7 of 9-part feature Imitations of Life (2003).

This short film from 1918 shows various types of footage involving aircraft. An aircraft moves down the runway and takes off. Three planes in formation are seen from the air. Viewed from the cockpit, a pilot is at the controls. A hydroplane gets ready to land in a British port. Seen from the air, bombs fall on the battlefield. An enemy plane is pursued by fire from an anti-aircraft battery, while another spirals down and crashes on the ground. Canadian aviators pose proudly for the camera while an American crew attaches bombs to an aircraft.

The short documentary looks at some innovative approaches to providing services and accommodation for battered women in rural, northern, and Native communities. Filmed in Thompson and Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, and West Bay Reserve, Ontario, the film introduces the women who operate and use various types of accommodation such as transition houses, transition apartments, and safe houses. The shelter on West Bay Reserve is singled out as a project that was built by women for women to stand as a reminder that the Reserve will not tolerate violence against women. A Safe Distance is part of the The Next Step, a 3-film series about the services needed by and available to battered women.

An account of the mining and refining of uranium showing how the development of energy from uranium is providing much of the world’s current needs. The film looks at the manufacturing of the uranium fuel used in CANDU lead reactors and explains the fission process, the fueling of reactors and the management of radioactive waste.

The village of Old Crow and the people from the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation are located on the banks of the Porcupine River 80 miles inside the Arctic Circle. The film shows the lifestyles and spirit of the people of Old Crow, reflected in the writings of Gwich'in Edith Josie and the stories told by Elder Kenneth Nukon. Alanis Obomsawin wanted to document life in the community before the proposed Mackenzie Valley Pipe line was to go through. "Everything will be changed -- it will never be the same again".

Kluane National Park is situated in the Yukon area of northern Canada and is a research paradise for glaciologists, geologists and other scientists. Mountaineers come to scale the impressive heights. Animals are free to roam, protected by stringent legislation. This film reveals many facets of this beautiful park, which has been declared a protected zone by UNESCO.

Minoritaires offers an insider perspective on the Mouvement des Insoumis and its members’ political actions from 2011 to 2016. Following the Parti Québécois’ proposed Quebec Charter of Values in 2013, the Insoumis focused their attention on issues around identity, and their concerns crystallized into a fear of the ‘Islamization’ of Quebec. The group’s ideological contradictions and confusion are slowly revealed before the camera, but so is a troubling familiarity.

After 'Communicating Vessels' (FID 2020), the artist-filmmaker duo Annie McDonell and Maïder Fortuné are back. Once again, the question is that of art, its teaching, the painful articulation between thought, practice and the living shell that embraces and brings it to life. An affair as ancient as the first Romantic period, its complexity fully intact, the challenge here is multiplied by the study of an extremely singular and insufficiently known figure of 20th century history: Lee Lozano. Painter, particularly radical conceptual artist and then recluse, for many years this woman filled similar small coloured spiral notebooks with her thoughts and plans for her work.

Documentary about the social and environmental consequences of the rapid growth of hog operations .

A documentary about the Canadian documentary filmmaker Frank Cole.

Hassan Agha (Mr. Hassan) is a retired municipal employee and a flâneur who enjoys sharing stories about his hometown, Yazd, with strangers. He often references a personal collection of what he calls "documents"—though we gradually discover they are not always reliable. As the film unfolds, it becomes difficult not to see a part of Hassan Agha in ourselves.

In an urban backyard on Canada’s West Coast, a window salesman has created a living laboratory for investigating hummingbird behaviour. The Bird in My Backyard follows citizen scientist, Eric Pittman, as he documents the journeys of two female Anna’s hummingbirds as they attempt to raise their young in his urban garden. It’s a story about the childlike curiosity in all of us, the wonders it can reveal and the doors it can open if we just lean in a bit closer.

Diagnosed with ALS, Gloria Taylor publicly fought for the legal right to die with dignity. BC filmmaker David McIlvride chronicles her perseverance, day-to-day struggles and their growing bond.

Glaciers are not simply isolated in the mountains, they are at the heart of British Columbia. They provide us drinking water, electricity, and they are vital to the ecosystems that have lived here for thousands of years. With climate change expected to destroy up to 80% of our glaciers by 2100, this issue cannot be ignored. This groundbreaking film deals with climate change on a personal level. Three just-graduated boys take the road to learn first-hand what we can do to save our glaciers. Working closely with glaciologists and community members across BC, Melt is truly a film powered by the people of this province. Re-discover the beauty of BC through an inspiring story about hope, community, and being a young person in this world.

'And all I did was sing' -

A documentary which revisits the Quebec referendum of May 20, 1980, looking at both the Non/No and Oui/Yes sides.

“It’s not how it used to be.” The words of Cézar Néwashish resonate throughout this short documentary that explores the history of the Atikamekw community of Manawan, Quebec. Less than a century old in name, Manawan embodies the experiences of so many Indigenous communities across Canada. Where once they practised their customs freely on a vast territory, the arrival of the Europeans would eventually mean the restriction of their cultural practices and confinement to a reserve named Manawan.

A film maker's journey to bring together her gay brother and devout Catholic parents to openly discuss their conflicting beliefs for the first time.

A short documentary by David Shortt and the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition highlighting the root causes of queer and trans poverty in British Columbia.

A 1973 recording of Glenn Lewis' multi-media synchronized swimming performance.

Albert Ward was a highly regarded Mi'kmaq Elder from Eel Ground First Nation and a very dear friend and teacher to my family. This recording was the last time we spoke to him, and the first time I had met him since infancy.

A short documentary and character study about a woman's complex relationship with religion and family.

An intimate look into the journey of non-binary artist and drag performer; Mike Hooves, as they navigate their new life and identity after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

The cultivation of flax, long and complicated, requires constant precautions and care. This document describes the different stages of this culture, from tillage and fertilization of the soil to uprooting, retting, braying, stacking, retting and, finally, shipping to the factory.

In a powerful exploration of her Greek Canadian heritage, Jaime Leigh Gianopoulos embarks on an introspective journey through the depths of her heart, akin to traversing a black hole, in search of the gifts hidden within her wounds. Guided by the presence of the plantain, a resilient plant often referred to as "white man's footprints" due to its association with European settlers, she unravels the fragmented threads of an ancient myth and pre-Hellenic ceremony. Through this profound exploration, she seeks to rediscover the art of navigating the loss of identity and the cyclical nature of life's transitions.

Echoes in the Rink: The Willie O'Ree Story is a documentary on the triumphal life story of the first Black player in the National Hockey League. Like Jackie Robinson in professional baseball, O'Ree faced many obstacles to achieving his dream; but unlike Robinson, his achievement would go unnoticed for forty years.

In India, three women are pioneers of urban sustainability by addressing waste management issues. Despite working in male-dominated fields, these figures transform waste into construction materials, assemble community members to restore rivers and produce zero-waste personal care products. With their stories woven together, we see that waste is filled with potential for repurposing.

An indepth account of Maria Altmans pursuit of Gustav Klimt's, "Portrait Of Adele Bloch-Bauer I", from the Republic Of Austria.

The work of mathematician Donald Coxeter, who continued in the study of geometry when it was being put aside in favour of algebra. An inspiration to both M.C. Escher and Buckminster Fuller.

As far as skate videos go, the Dimestore ones are probably as sick as they get. The comical dimension is at least as entertaining as the skating and with parts from guys like Charles Rivard or Antoine Asselin, that says a lot. Just like in their previous videos, Dime Turd Season transports you to the grimy streets Montreal with its crackheads and street fights, whilst staying loyal to their trademark recurring images and their unpredictable soundtracks. It just goes to show that the best skate videos come from the guys who don’t take themselves too seriously, no matter how talented they are.