Salvation
This documentary portrays the front-line street workers who serve the needy under the umbrella of the Salvation Army. One of the world's largest social agencies, the Army is a religious …
Saturday Night
A short documentary essay on solitude, filmed in Spanish and narrated by filmmaker Rosana Matecki, Saturday Night offers a poetic and bittersweet snapshot of aging in an urban setting, viewed …
Scared Sacred
Scared Sacred is a feature documentary that asks the question: Can we be Scared into the Sacred? The film takes us on a journey to the pivotal ground zeros of …
Scientifiq Piqniq
An adventure through the cosmic unveiling of the beautiful and strange macro/micro structures that unite us with the Universe.
Produced as part of the 9th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse …
Scratches of Life: The Art of Pierre Hébert
Employing an arresting black-and-white palette punctuated with animated flourishes, Scratches of Life: The Art of Pierre Hébert unwinds the thread of the scratch-on-film technique, guiding us through the inspiring labyrinth …
A Sea Turtle Story
This animated short chronicles the life cycle of the critically endangered sea turtle. Capturing the beauty of the ecosystems that sea turtles inhabit, the film is ideal for all audiences, …
The Secret Order
Phil Comeau shines a spotlight on the Ordre de Jacques-Cartier, a powerful secret society that operated from 1926 to 1965, infiltrating every sector of Canadian society and forging the fate …
Secretariat's Jockey, Ron Turcotte
Secretariat’s legendary jockey Ron Turcotte is one of the few champions to have won the prestigious American Triple Crown. This is the remarkable story of Turcotte’s rise to fame in …
Seeds
Nature awakens and the food self-sufficiency project takes shape. Preserving the region’s ecosystem, however, demands awareness-raising efforts.
Seguridad
In Seguridad, Cuba’s “youngest soldier” uncovers a family secret that compels her to explore her father’s troubled past and its connection to the Cuban Revolution.
Self(less) Portrait
In this feature documentary, 50 people decide to bare all about their personal lives and discuss a multitude of subjects on camera, ranging from funny anecdotes to heartbreaking experiences. From …
A Sense of Touch
The evocative images in this film stimulate associations between visual and tactile information. Vivid close-ups of sensuous activities such as licking a popsicle, stroking a beard and walking barefoot in …
Sessions
Can we fight or even overcome cancer in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility? Filmmaker Danic Champoux believes so and in his documentary, Sessions, he dispels many of the clichés …
Seth's Dominion
This short documentary, part animation and part live action, is a portrait of Canadian cartoonist Seth, best known for his Palookaville comic books. Throughout his works, Seth transforms an poignant …
The Sex Trade
This feature documentary is a study of the sex trade, a reality that has expanded worldwide to become a true industry, both online and off, over the course of the …
Sext Apes
YOUR PHONE IS HAVING MORE SEX THAN YOU. A bleak picture of sex in the digital age.
Sexy Inc. Our Children Under Influence
Sophie Bissonnette's documentary analyzes the hypersexualization of our environment and its noxious effects on young people. Psychologists, teachers and school nurses criticize the unhealthy culture surrounding our children, where marketing …
Sexy Laundry
How can the flames of desire be rekindled after 25 years of married life? Izabela Plucinska’s erotic comedy, made entirely through the use of modelling clay, delves into the private …
Shaman
This animated short tells the story of a ferocious polar bear turned to stone by an Inuk shaman. The tale is based on emerging filmmaker Echo Henoche's favourite legend, as …
Shameless Propaganda
This feature documentary examines its own genre, which has often been called Canada's national art form. Released in the year of the NFB's 75th birthday, Shameless Propaganda is filmmaker Robert …
Shannon Amen
Shannon Amen unearths the passionate and pained expressions of a young woman overwhelmed by guilt and anxiety as she struggles to reconcile her sexual identity with her religious faith. A …
Shining Mountains - Land of Riches
This documentary from the Shining Mountains series explores the discovery of the Rockies by retracing the footsteps of its earliest European visitors. At first nothing more than an obstacle to …
Shining Mountains - On the Edge
This documentary from the Shining Mountains series asks a hard question: are we loving our mountains to death? In this installment, filmmaker Guy Clarkson examines human encroachment in our mountain …
Shining Mountains - Once and Future Wild
This documentary from the Shining Mountains series focuses on solutions to the conservation issues facing the Rockies. There, business, government and local residents are getting political and joining forces to …
Shining Mountains - The Ancient Ones
This documentary from the Shining Mountains series follows mountain guide, pilot and cinematographer Guy Clarkson on an ecological journey through the Rockies. Clarkson explores the area’s rock, ice, flora and …
Shock Waves
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, murder, rape, armed conflict and the looting of civilians by the military are daily facts of life. In this huge country where chaos and …
Shop Class
This film follows the trials and tribulations of 14 year old Hart Snider. Instead of the home economics class he wanted to take, he finds himself taking Industrial Arts from …
A Short History of the Highrise
Produced by the National Film Board of Canada and the New York Times, A Short History of the Highrise is an interactive documentary that explores the 2,500-year global history of …
A Short History of the Highrise, Part Four: Home
In the final installment, "Home" consists of images from New York Times readers, who submitted personal pictures of their lives in high-rises from around the world. Montreal musician Patrick Watson …
A Short History of the Highrise, Part One: Mud
In the first installment, "Mud" traces the historical roots of the residential highrise, from the biblical Tower of Babel to the tenement buildings of New York. The film is narrated …
A Short History of the Highrise, Part Three: Glass
In the third installment, "Glass" examines the recent proliferation of luxury condos and the growing segregation between the rich and poor. The film is narrated by the singer-songwriter of Cold …
A Short History of the Highrise, Part Two: Concrete
In the second installment, "Concrete" explores how, in New York City and globally, residential high-rises and public housing attempted to foster social equality in the 20th century. The film is …
Shredded
This short film follows a group of teenage boys eager to emulate the muscle-filled bodies of their media heroes. Revealing the lengths these boys are willing to go to achieve …
Sick
The body is a magnificent system. But its harmony can be interrupted, sometimes by subversive agents within. Sick uses stop motion to bring to life a knitted body in a …
Sigwan
Sigwan tells the touching story of a young girl who is comforted and counselled by the animals of the forest. Written and directed by distinguished filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin, the film …
The Silence
Why be silent about the most serious matters? Doesn’t silence perpetuate suffering? From the 1950s to the 1980s, Catholic priests sexually abused many young boys in the francophone towns of …
Silence Is Gold
This feature documentary takes us through the twists and turns of judicial proceedings pitting Canadian mining companies Barrick Gold and Banro against author Alain Deneault, his co-writers and publisher Éditions …
Simulated Life
REALITY IS A CHOICE. An unapologetic poke at the burgeoning age of virtual reality.
The Singing Lumberjack
For nearly 40 years, Charlie Chamberlain was one of the most popular vocalists in Canada—and the most beloved member of the old-time band Don Messer and His Islanders. This five-minute …
A Single Tear
This short animation film is an “epic” adventure and a magical environmental fairy tale. Amy Lockhart uses cutouts, drawings and collage (captured and manipulated as digital multi-plane animation) to conjure …
Sisters & Brothers
In a pounding critique of Canada's colonial history, this short film draws parallels between the annihilation of the bison in the 1890s and the devastation inflicted on the Indigenous population …
The Skates
At the local ice rink, Iris tries out her grandpa’s old skates while a quizzical Cathon looks on. Have you ever wondered what skates looked like before metalblades were developed?
Skin for Skin
Skin for Skin is a dark allegory of greed and spiritual reckoning set during the early days of the fur trade.
In 1823, the Governor of the largest fur-trading company …
Sleeping Tigers: The Asahi Baseball Story
This feature-length documentary tells the story of the Asahi baseball team. In pre-World War II Vancouver, the team was unbeatable, winning the Pacific Northwest Championship for five straight years. After …
Snow Warrior
Snow Warrior is a love letter to the splendour of winter. It captures the beauty of a northern city through the eyes of a bicycle courier named Mariah. We see …
Soaring Highs and Brutal Lows: The Voices of Women in Metal
Soaring Highs and Brutal Lows celebrates the stories of eight female vocalists in the heavy metal genre. Through personal interviews, behind the scenes insights, and concert footage, these women describe …
The Socalled Movie
This feature-length documentary is a dynamic kaleidoscopic portrait of Socalled (aka Josh Dolgin), a multi-disciplinary musician and artist whose unique blend of klezmer, hip hop and funk is blasting through …
Society of Clothes
When morning arrives in Society of Clothes, a shirt and a pair of pants step outside the closet, transforming into a human figure. In this world, everyone exists only …
Soif
A woman plays out her existence on the screen of her life. Alcohol is the essence of her being. She imbibes her youth and becomes completely absorbed by the desire …
Solid Ground
Solid Ground is a poetic and sound-rich travelogue—a personal journal that reveals the thoughts of an expatriate returning to her native land. Employing the rarely used monotype animation technique, Solid …
Someone Like Me
TRIGGER WARNING: This film contains scenes depicting homophobia and violence, which may be disturbing to some viewers.
Someone Like Me follows the parallel journeys of Drake, a gay asylum seeker …
The Song and the Sorrow
The Song and the Sorrow follows Catherine as she journeys to understand her father and face her own struggles with mental illness. Through archival footage and intimate interviews with friends, …
Song for Cuba
This short experimental documentary about memory and music follows a young Cuban couple charting a new course for their lives on an island in the North Atlantic. The film features …
Soup of the Day
Set to a rollicking doo-wop song by Canadian songwriter Alexander “Zander” Ary, this animated short tells the amusing story of the dilemma a husband and wife face every time they …
Sovereign Soil
Set in the northern wilds surrounding the tiny sub-Arctic town of Dawson City, Yukon, Sovereign Soil is an ode to the beauty of this ferocious, remote land and the wisdom …
Spare Change
This animation short by Ryan Larkin (Walking, Street Musique, etc.) recounts some “comical experiences” Larkin had during his many years as a panhandler in Montreal. It tells …
Speakers for the Dead
This documentary reveals some of the hidden history of Blacks in Canada. In the 1930s in rural Ontario, a farmer buried the tombstones of a Black cemetery to make way …
Special Delivery
In this Oscar®-winning animated short, Ralph's day gets off to a bad start when he dismisses his wife's orders to clear the snow from the front walk. When he comes …
The Spine
In this animated short, Oscar® winner Chris Landreth returns with a poignant story of redemption that takes us into the relationship between a man and a woman trapped in a …
Square Roots
In this short animated film a robot rambles about frenetically, receiving countless electronic messages through his antenna every second. Despite his fatigue and stress, he never slows down. The only …
The Squirrel Next Door
This stop-motion animation is about a spider who professes its love for a squirrel. An interspecies courtship unfolds between the two doe-eyed neighbours. This short film is a testament to …
The Stamp
Iris wants to send her grandfather a birthday card. Touching, right? But Cathon doesn't want her friend to raid her collection looking for a stamp. Did someone really once pay …
Standing on the Line
TRIGGER WARNING: This film contains the following subject matter: Suicide and self harm.
In both amateur and professional sports, being gay remains taboo. For some athletes, the pressure to perform …
Star Wars Kid: The Rise of the Digital Shadows
In this Mathieu Fournier documentary on the first viral phenomenon of the digital age, Ghyslain Raza (the “Star Wars Kid”) breaks his silence and reflects on his story for the …
Stateless
n 1937, tens of thousands of Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent were exterminated by the Dominican army on the basis of anti-black racism. Fast-forward to 2013: the Dominican Republic’s …
Status Quo? The Unfinished Business of Feminism in Canada
Feminism has shaped the society we live in. But just how far has it brought us, and how relevant is it today? This feature documentary zeroes in on key concerns …
Staying Real - Teens Confront Sexual Stereotypes
A documentary geared to 11 to 13-year-olds in which preteens and teens discuss the adverse effects of the sexual stereotypes they're bombarded with. They talk about how hard it is …
A Step Towards the Arctic - Reflections and Visions of the North
In this feature documentary, Swiss citizen Yves Delaunay seeks to understand how the Inuit are coping with the mutation of the Arctic as it is caught in the violent sway …
Stolen Time
A compelling call for justice, Stolen Time follows charismatic elder rights lawyer Melissa Miller as she takes on the corporate for-profit nursing-home industry—an industry notorious for its lack of transparency …
Stories Are in Our Bones
In this layered short film, filmmaker Janine Windolph takes her young sons fishing with their kokum (grandmother), a residential school survivor who retains a deep knowledge and memory of the …
Stories We Tell
Stories We Tell is an inspired, genre-twisting film by Oscar®-nominated director Sarah Polley, and produced by Anita Lee for the NFB. Her playful investigation into the elusive truth buried within …
The Storm
A doctor as well as a filmmaker, Monica Kidd finds signs of hope in an uncertain pandemic universe. With The Storm, she collaborates with animator Duncan Major, employing sparsely …
Strange Invaders
This film is a must-see film for parents of young children and a cautionary tale for those planning a family. Part science-fiction, part autobiography, Strange Invaders is another irrepressible comedy …
The Strangest Dream
This is the story of Joseph Rotblat, the only nuclear scientist to leave the Manhattan Project, the U.S. government’s secret program to build the first atomic bomb. His was a …
Strings
This animated film paints a vivid portrait of two strangers intimately linked by the shared ceilings, floors and plumbing of their apartments. When an unexpected problem arises, these comfortable connections …
Subconscious Password
In the middle of a crowded bar, Charles is feeling increasingly desperate. The cause of his misery is his old friend... you know... what’s-his-name... Directed by Chris Landreth, the filmmaker …
The Subject
An animator dissects his own body, extracting memories, emotions and fears that will nurture his work. As he cuts into his skin with a scalpel, various symbolic objects recalling his …
Submerge: Kami No Yu
This short animation film is a “water poem,” set in a Japanese ofuro hot bath. It explores water as a medium and repository for collective stories and was created in …
A Sufi Tale
This animated film is based on an old Persian parable. The inhabitants of a village learn to overcome their fear of the unknown. The benefit of their new-found knowledge is …
Sunday
In keeping with their Sunday tradition, after mass a family flocks to grandma and grandpa’s house, where the chaotic discussion soon begins to resemble a raucous gathering of crows on …
Survival of the Fittest
FEELS GOOD TO BE KIND. A reminder that there is power in small acts of kindness.
Surviving Progress
This feature documentary connects the financial collapse, growing inequity and the Wall Street oligarchy with future technology, sustainability, and the fate of civilization itself. Inspired by Ronald Wright's bestseller A …
The Sweater
In this animated short, Roch Carrier recounts the most mortifying moment of his childhood. At a time when all his friends worshipped Maurice "Rocket" Richard and wore his number 9 …
Sweet Childhood
In this animated short, cartoonist Zviane comes across an old audiocassette while packing up before a move. Just the sight of the tape plunges her back into her childhood fantasies …
Sweet Jesus
This film discusses topics of sex and masturbation; viewer discretion is advised. What happens when masturbation has its “come to Jesus” moment? This animated short takes a light and humorous …
Swims
In this animated short a figure floats in landscapes and spaces without a ground plane. There is only water. The reflected skies are endless and mirrored interiors are doubled in …
The Swimsuit
Iris and Cathon are at the beach, and they both have new swimsuits. Cathon makes fun of her friend’s choice of beachwear. You’ll learn a lot about the origins of …
System Error
This short animation film is a pithy critique of society's commercialization of water, abetted by an utter disregard for the future. The film is a mixed media whirlwind of hyperactive …