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Individual in Society (85)
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24 DavidsCéline Baril 2017 2 h 12 minCéline Baril’s latest film takes us across three continents on a quest driven by a simple yet original idea: to shine a spotlight on the inimitable Davids of this world. The 24 Davids in this film are of varying ages and professions, ranging from cosmologist to recycler; together, they construct a playful “ecosystem” of ideas that touches on every sphere of knowledge and carries within it the power to radically transform. 24 Davids offers a melting pot of heady thoughts and politics in a refreshingly freewheeling cinematic format, probing the mysteries of the universe and the challenges of living together. -
21-87Arthur Lipsett 1963 9 minThis short film from Arthur Lipsett is an abstract succession of unrelated views of the passing crowd. A commentary on a machine-dominated society, it is often cited as an influence on George Lucas's Star Wars and his conceptualization of "The Force."
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60 Day CycleColin Jones & Darcy Wittenburg 2020 5 minWhen society shifts abruptly into pandemic low gear, a lone cyclist embarks on a tour that begins with shuttered shops and empty streets, and ends with a city opening up to a new reality.
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2000 mmGeorges Hannan 2021 7 minReady or not, society is in a process of redefinition. What goes through people’s minds in a situation like a toilet paper shortage? The term COVID-19 stands for something invisible, stoking fears strong enough to cause stock markets to melt like snow in springtime. As filmmaker Georges Hannan’s 91-year-old mother puts it, “I’ve never seen anything like this.” It has prompted him to embark on a gradual reflection over time, in a part of the world like any other: Atlantic Canada. Call it a fishing expedition with camera and microphone, into the unknown.
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Here At Home: EvictedManfred Becker 2012 4 minOn the verge of being evicted, Theresa heads out to work panhandling on a familiar patch of concrete in downtown Toronto. Confiding in her caseworker, Bouchra, Theresa blames herself for her eviction and delivers a startling revelation.
This short film is a chapter from Here At Home, a web documentary about mental health and homelessness that takes us inside the Mental Health Commission of Canada's At Home pilot project. -
Here At Home: A Model PersonLynne Stopkewich 2012 2 minMr. MadDogg gives the lowdown on drugs, friendship and the street as he whips up breakfast for 100 fellow residents at the Bosman Hotel.
This short film is a chapter from Here At Home, a web documentary about mental health and homelessness that takes us inside the Mental Health Commission of Canada's At Home pilot project. -
Here At Home: Money Changes YouManfred Becker 2012 4 minAfter more than 20 years on the street, James has doubts about living indoors. Struggling to master the appliances in his new apartment, he reflects upon pizza, cockroaches and the syndromes of modern industrial society.
This short film is a chapter from Here At Home, a web documentary about mental health and homelessness that takes us inside the Mental Health Commission of Canada's At Home pilot project. -
As UsualRaymond Brousseau 1974 13 minImagine a world where everything moves backwards. That's what happens in this short experimental film without words. A man wakes up to the sound of his alarm clock and begins his day, only to find that everything is running in reverse--his electric shaver, the morning paper. Out in the street, people and cars are backing away. He alone of all the crowd seems to move forward normally. The effect on him and the viewers verges on the bizarre.
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And So to BedJeff McKay 1999 57 minThis feature documentary is all about beds: their cultural, personal, psychological, and physical importance is examined by Peabody Award-winning director Jeff McKay. This curious film about a seemingly mundane subject takes us on an unusual odyssey into the world of the commonplace: throughout the film, we visit the beds of families, Nevada sex workers, truckers, a prisoner convicted of murder, artists, an undertaker, a coroner, and a homeless man who remembers his mother tucking him in as a child. We even visit the bed of acclaimed filmmaker Guy Maddin. From the threat of bed bugs to the transient nature of RV and motel beds, this film takes a fresh look at the most familiar of topics.
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Here At Home: A New LeaseSarah Fortin 2012 3 minDetermined to go to NYC to reconnect with a famous actor, Simon is radically altering his life. He’s quit hard drugs, prostitution and crime and is moving into a new apartment.
This short film is a chapter from Here At Home, a web documentary about mental health and homelessness that takes us inside the Mental Health Commission of Canada's At Home pilot project. -
Here At Home: Where I BelongLouiselle Noël 2012 3 minLise has been living with schizophrenia for years, some of them spent in dangerous housing conditions. Now she’s selling her paintings in a Moncton marketplace and celebrating her new home.
This short film is a chapter from Here At Home, a web documentary about mental health and homelessness that takes us inside the Mental Health Commission of Canada's At Home pilot project. -
Here At Home: Not ChosenSarah Fortin 2012 2 minFor every housed participant, another remains homeless. Wandering the empty corridors of his shelter, Valère reveals his struggle with HIV/AIDS, and his longing for a home of his own.
This short film is a chapter from Here At Home, a web documentary about mental health and homelessness that takes us inside the Mental Health Commission of Canada's At Home pilot project. -
Alone, TogetherPaul Émile d'Entremont 2001 24 minIs culture accepting of difference? This is the vital question that Nova Scotia filmmaker Paul Émile d'Entremont asks in his film about difference and identity. Alone, Together charts the quest of two Acadians: Simon, who is trying to come to terms with his sexuality, and Cynthia, who is searching for her biological mother. The filmmaker sees himself in Simon and Cynthia who, each in their own way, is seeking an answer to the existential questions: who am I? where do I belong? In daring to come out with his homosexuality, Simon is also able to assume his Acadian identity. After finding her birth mother, Cynthia finally untangles the various strands of her identity. Alone, Together shows Acadia as a multifaceted society embracing the more open attitudes of the 21st century. Today's Acadians are able to assume their difference and create their own identity. In French with English subtitles.
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As Night DescendsNadine Gomez 2020 10 minIn conversations with passionate sociologist and political thinker Jean Pichette, the filmmaker views the forced downtime stemming from the current crisis as an opportunity to rethink our modes of existence and our relationship to others, nature, science, the economy, art, politics—in short, everything that makes us human.
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Here at Home: Honestly PainfulManfred Becker 2012 3 minHaunted by visions of his father, Mark thought he’d won the jackpot when he discovered he was going to be housed. But now, safe and secure in his apartment, he’s overwhelmed by a new fear – will he lose his home when the study ends?
This short film is a chapter from Here At Home, a web documentary about mental health and homelessness that takes us inside the Mental Health Commission of Canada's At Home pilot project. -
Here at Home: The Wound InsideDarryl Nepinak 2012 3 minLukas makes his rounds as a caseworker, delivering meds, gifts and good cheer to participants while exposing the dark history behind the addiction issues that plague Winnipeg's Aboriginal homeless population.
This short film is a chapter from Here At Home, a web documentary about mental health and homelessness that takes us inside the Mental Health Commission of Canada's At Home pilot project. -
Here At Home: Life Isn't EasySarah Fortin 2012 5 minCovering everything from bug bites to welding to drug use, Dr. Plante counsels participants with a mixture of tough love and compassion in this glimpse of her at work.
This short film is a chapter from Here At Home, a web documentary about mental health and homelessness that takes us inside the Mental Health Commission of Canada's At Home pilot project. -
Here At Home: Will to liveLouiselle Noël 2012 2 minAfter years on the edge, Hector now has a place to live, a job and a beloved dog. Shuttling farm hands to work, he remembers the life he lost and worries about his homeless son.
This short film is a chapter from Here At Home, a web documentary about mental health and homelessness that takes us inside the Mental Health Commission of Canada's At Home pilot project. -
The AfterLifetime of Colm FeoreHannah Cheesman 2019 5 minAfter winning a lifetime achievement award, there’s nowhere left to go but down… into the bowels of the Afterlifetime Achievement Agency, a placement service that helps Laureates find their next gig.
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Being DifferentJulia Murphy 1957 9 minThis short film from the late 1950s looks at peer pressure among adolescents, using the example of a 13-year-old boy who collects butterflies. While the boy adores his passion, his friends laugh at him, making him question whether he should pursue his interest or conform to fit in with the crowd.
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BAMHowie Shia 2015 5 minA modern adaptation of the myth of Hercules, BAM tells the story of a young boxer struggling to negotiate between his shy, bookish nature and a divinely violent temper. Where does this rage come from? Is it psychological or environmental - or is it something altogether more primordial?
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Between: Living in the HyphenAnne Marie Nakagawa 2005 43 minAnne Marie Nakagawa's documentary examines what it means to have a background of mixed ancestries that cannot be easily categorized. By focusing on 7 Canadians who have one parent from a European background and one of a visible minority, she attempts to get at the root of what it means to be multi-ethnic in a world that wants each person to fit into a single category.
Finding a satisfactory frame of reference in our 'multicultural utopia' turns out to be more complex than one might think. Between: Living in the Hyphen offers a provocative glimpse of what the future holds: a departure from hyphenated names towards a celebration of fluidity and being mixed. -
ChairmenJean-Thomas Bédard 1978 13 minThis short animated film presents an allegorical portrait of a society where men have lost their autonomy in the struggle to be recognized by the very society that restricts their freedom. In the film, chairs are a symbol of success; without one, every man becomes a social outcast. Highly critical of power, privilege, and the weight of social norms, the film questions our present and our future. This technically and formally innovative film is accompanied by a sombre, hypnotic soundtrack and contains no dialogue.
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ChameleonStefan Anastasiu 1984 7 minAn animated allegory densely packed with fast-moving images, this film is about fear. A dissenter masks his true colors. Chameleon-like, he blends in with his surroundings. Because he lacks the courage to act on his beliefs, he cheats himself and others. He dies as he has lived, unnoticed.
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Carts of DarknessMurray Siple 2008 59 minMurray Siple's feature-length documentary follows a group of homeless men who have combined bottle picking with the extreme sport of racing shopping carts down the steep hills of North Vancouver. This subculture shows that street life is much more than the stereotypes portrayed in mainstream media.
The film takes a deep look into the lives of the men who race carts, the adversity they face and the appeal of cart racing despite the risk. Shot in high-definition and featuring tracks from Black Mountain, Ladyhawk, Vetiver, Bison, and Alan Boyd of Little Sparta. -
CollectorKassia Ward 2019 1 minA pair of unlikely travellers encounter a young man on the highway who seems to have forgotten that he can be seen. Collector explores the concept of semi-private spaces and how we act when we forget that we might be being watched.
Produced as part of the 12th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship. -
Captive Minds: Hypnosis and BeyondPierre Lasry 1983 55 minFrom stage hypnosis to group and individual therapies and long-term conditioning, Captive Minds: Hypnosis and Beyond explores the power of suggestion and its ability to influence behaviour--sometimes for life. By focusing on such disparate institutions as an Indian ashram, a United States Marines training camp, a monastery, and the Moonie cult, the film reveals the striking similarities in the indoctrination methods each uses to achieve long-term effects. It is a film that serves as a reminder that we are all vulnerable to persuasion, and one that provokes serious consideration of the far-reaching implications of any form of psychological manipulation.
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Centre-Sud ChroniclesRichard Suicide 2021 0 sFrom his shabby apartment in Montreal’s Centre-Sud borough, a writer finds inspiration in observing his neighbour Piton, who navigates poverty with some incredible ingenuity. Through this wildly funny pseudo-scientific allegory, graphic novelist turned filmmaker Richard Suicide draws us into the surreal, chaotic world of his book Chroniques du Centre-Sud, delivering a powerful portrait of a neighbourhood in the midst of a full-blown transformation. Produced by the NFB, this film is part of the Comic Strip Chronicles collection.
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CaterpillarplastyDavid Barlow-Krelina 2018 5 minA prescient, grotesque sci-fi satire that lifts plastic surgery to another level. Set in a state-of-the-art clinic, in a world where advanced technologies have given rise to new standards of beauty and prestige, Caterpillarplasty offers its sardonic take on a social obsession with beauty that’s spiralled out of control.
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DominoesDaniel Schorr 2006 10 minDominoes animates the tiles of this age-old game to illustrate an oddly shaped domino's struggle to belong. Set to tunes inspired by Brazil's chorinho music, the film gives a new spin to the old domino theory as the characters ultimately learn about openness, flexibility, cooperation... and sharing one's dots.
This film is part of the ShowPeace series of lively animated films about conflict resolution. This series has received support from UNICEF and Justice Canada.
Technique: Cut-out animation -
Dans la vie...Pierre Veilleux 1972 5 minHere the film animator gives vivid expression to his own memories of a child's first encounter with elementary school--at that tender age when grown-ups seem ten feet tall, a monster lurks in every corridor, and the very walls have eyes. Feeling, but not understanding, the regimentation imposed on him, the child seeks, in spite of it all, to be himself. A film without words; titles in French.
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Dialogue(s)Philippe David Gagné 2016 6 minAir force pilots, a heavy metal band and two fans of modified cars are the unlikely focus of a deadpan film essay on language. Through a clever, unpredictable edit, Philippe David Gagné takes great delight in revealing the strange ways that men communicate.
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East Side ShowdownRobin Benger 1999 46 minThis feature documentary is a portrait of the downtown Toronto neighbourhood of Dundas and Sherbourne, where the gap between rich and poor is growing wide. There, middle-class homeowners, angry radicals, desperate drug addicts and people simply looking for a place to lay their head are embattled in a bitter struggle for space. Angel, a prostitute and drug addict, dodges the law. Bed-and-breakfast owner Renée rails against the sex and drug trade. Community organizer John Clarke advocates direct action in defence of the poor. And at the eye of this storm is Reverend Jeannie Loughrey, whose drop-in centre provides much-needed help for the poor, yet homeowners accuse the centre of harbouring criminals and are lobbying to shut it down. Contains coarse language and scenes of drug use.
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Examined LifeAstra Taylor 2008 1 h 28 min
“The unexamined life is not worth living.” —Socrates
Examined Life pulls philosophy out of academia and classrooms and puts it back on the streets.
In Examined Life, filmmaker Astra Taylor accompanies some of today’s most influential thinkers on a series of unique excursions through places and spaces that hold particular resonance for them and their ideas.
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The End of PinkyClaire Blanchet 2013 8 minThis short animation adapted from a short story by Heather O’Neill, who also narrates the film, follows three fallen angels seeking companionship in Montreal’s red-light district. The survivor of traumatic childhood experiences, Johnny is a handsome thief who finds himself drawn to Mia’s fragile beauty. Both have a soft spot for Johnny’s best friend and partner in crime, Pinky. But when one of Pinky’s endearing quirks sets off a tragicomic chain of events, Johnny plots his revenge with methodical detachment. Peopled with characters living on the margins of society, this film casts light on the frailty of human relationships. The film features hand-drawn pencil and pastel animation rendered in stereoscopic 3D.
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Each Day That ComesGraham Parker 1966 27 minA glimpse into the nature of loneliness. Frances Hyland plays the part of a small-town girl who enjoys position and respect in her community as the owner of a successful dress shop, but who wonders if marriage might not have been a better choice. Disturbed by thoughts of what might have been, she resolves to live each day as it comes.
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EdgeCode: Sayonara Super 8Pia Yona Massie 2006 5 minPia Yona Massie's Sayonara Super 8 uses personal archival footage to ask questions about the fragile nature of memory, human relationships and the foibles of the medium itself.
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FleeRosa Aiello 2012 1 minA man wakes in a sea of sand dunes. He clutches a metal suitcase as if it holds something of great value. In the distance looms a distorted and inhuman city from which the man has apparently fled. An experiment in science-fiction/mystery, Flee wonders how many possible histories and possible futures can be implied in a single minute.
Produced as part of the 8th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship. -
Home SecurityJohn Weldon 2004 4 minIn attempting to secure his domicile against perceived external threats, our protagonist manages to create a more dangerous internal environment. Home Security uses humour to illustrate that problems can arise when freedom is sacrificed for safety, and alludes to the issue of liberty vs. security in a greater context.
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Hard LightJustin Simms 2012 54 minThis feature film uses Michael Crummey’s seminal piece of Newfoundland literature to examine cultural change and modern relationships. As in Crummey’s collection of poems and stories, there is a decisive theme of the artist investigating his ancestors to discover himself. Filmmaker Justin Simms offers viewers a timely reflection on compassion, storytelling and identity.
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The House that Jack BuiltRon Tunis 1967 8 minA humorous animation film about a fellow who builds his house in the best suburb he can afford. He has a picture bride, a picture window and a garden as pretty as a picture, but he wanted something special and, like Jack and the Beanstalk, he finally got it! What he got is a moral for all.
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Hairy LegsAndrea Dorfman 2024 16 minHairy Legs, an animated short film, documents a 13-year-old girl’s small yet life-changing act of rebellion on the road to womanhood and feminism. Deciding not to shave her legs led filmmaker Andrea Dorfman to question and ultimately defy society’s expectations.
With charm, warmth and humour, Hairy Legs captures the universality of girls exploring gender, curiosity and freedom as they evolve from spending exuberant, carefree days on their bicycles to facing and defying stereotypes. -
The Hangman at HomeMichelle Kranot & Uri Kranot 2021 14 minThe animated film invites you into five interwoven stories featuring people caught in a pivotal moment: they are fragile, playful, terrified, contemplative, confused, curious. We watch their intimate deeds in a reflective state, and they gaze back, transforming us from spectators to witnesses. The film is not about hanging people, but about the awkward intimacy that comes with being human, and the connection between spectator, witness, and accomplice. The Hangman at Home reveals that we are all alike in these moments, while also raising questions of responsibility.
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I Am HereEoin Duffy 2016 4 minThis short film from Eoin Duffy introduces a mysterious traveler journeying across time and space in search of the origin of life, God, and the universe. Looking for answers, he arrives at a devastating realization, yet the earth continues to spin. Through sharp modernist shapes and a riveting score by Menalon, I Am Here takes a curious and contemplative approach to dark and complex themes. Featuring the voice of Nicholas Campbell (Da Vinci's Inquest), the film is a thoughtful and open-ended exploration of existence itself.
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In the ShallowsArash Akhgari 2024 4 minWalking down the street or sitting on a commuter train, few of us can resist the siren song of that small, illuminated device in our pockets. Through a carefully choreographed collision of hand-made sculptural collages and ink and paint animation, In the Shallows, by first-time NFB filmmaker Arash Akhgari, takes us on a deep dive into the shallow and fragmented world of news, entertainment and ads, where we can easily drown in the dangerous allure of mass media intoxication.
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In Deep WatersSarah Van Den Boom 2014 11 minFrom the moment they are conceived, twin babies forge a close bond in their mother’s womb. But when one twin dies in utero, the surviving twin is left with a deep feeling of grief that may last a lifetime.
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June NightMike Maryniuk 2020 4 minWorking in sublime self-isolation during the strange pandemic spring of 2020, avant-garde filmmaker Mike Maryniuk composes a surreal ode to rebirth and reinvention. Juxtaposing archival imagery with handcrafted animation, he conjures up a shimmering utopian dreamscape, a post-COVID world shaped by the primordial forces of nature—haunted by the genial spectre of Buster Keaton.
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Lonesome Monsieur TurgeonJeanne Crépeau 2001 13 minMr. Turgeon is a lonely bachelor. When his fantasies about a female companion fail to materialize, he tries to fill the void with an overabundance of consumer goods. There is nothing in his life but the raucous music of his neighbours. A digital urban tale with the naïve style of paper cut-outs, Lonesome Monsieur Turgeon is an amusing but sympathetic portrait of a man who feels all alone in the world. If only he could connect with the people around him. A film without words.
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Lady Fishbourne's Complete Guide to Better Table MannersJanet Perlman 1976 5 minThis short animation features four guests of curious demeanour who commit unforgivable acts at the dining table. Food flies everywhere while the guests prop their feet up and talk with their mouths full. Thankfully, Lady Fishbourne’s eating etiquette instructions will show these dinner party misfits the error of their ways.
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Living TogetherHalima Elkhatabi 2024 1 h 15 minIn a series of captivating encounters, several young people try to find the ideal roommate, that rare gem with whom they can share their space—and their values. A complex and engaging picture of a generation accustomed to playing all their identity cards, Living Together maps a mosaic of cultures and ideas, with explorations of community, individualism and the right to housing in constant interplay.
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Love, ScottLaura Marie Wayne 2018 1 h 16 minWhile walking on the street one night in a small town in Canada, Scott Jones, a gay musician, is attacked and paralyzed from the waist down; what follows is a brave and fragile journey of healing and the transformation of a young man’s life. From the first raw moments in the hospital to a disquieting trip back to the place he was attacked, Scott is constantly faced with the choice of losing himself in waves of grief or embracing love over fear. Filmed over three years by Scott’s close friend, Love, Scott is an intimate and visually evocative window into queer experience, set against a stunning score by Sigur Rós.
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My Tribe Is My Life - Pierre-Luc, The Dark SoulMyriam Verreault 2011 5 minHe's a longtime metal fan who expresses his dark impulses online without worrying about how he offends. As a future language teacher, he's never at a loss for words.
My Tribe is My Life is an interactive documentary that plunges us into the worlds of 8 music fans and shows how the Internet has helped them forge their identities. -
MetadataPeter Foldès 1971 8 minThis short experimental film from Peter Foldès (Hunger) hails from the very early days of computer animation. Created entirely on a computer belonging to the National Research Council of Canada, it registered hundreds of movements to produce a fluid, evolving effect with images seamlessly morphing into one another.
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Multiple Choices - CommunityAlison Burns 1995 12 minWhile the idyllic image of the community may have disappeared in the whirlwind of urban living and the accompanying fragmentation of our lives, new communities develop, crossing boundaries of space, time and distance. As one participant puts it, "We are the community." Participants discuss different types of support networks inside and outside the family, the perceived stigma associated with asking for help from community services, and the changing definition of community.
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My Tribe Is My Life - Patrick, The Solitary GothMyriam Verreault 2011 6 minPatrick comes alive at night, when he can interview other vampires.
My Tribe is My Life is an interactive documentary that plunges us into the worlds of 8 music fans and shows how the Internet has helped them forge their identities. -
My Tribe Is My Life - Janis, The Colourful DJMyriam Verreault 2011 6 minA bank counselor by day, Janis goes for electro music and neon colours by night.
My Tribe is My Life is an interactive documentary that plunges us into the worlds of 8 music fans and shows how the Internet has helped them forge their identities. -
My Tribe Is My Life - Jimmy, The Abitibi MCMyriam Verreault 2011 6 minWhen he's not fishing for northern pike, Jimmy prepares for his next MC Battle.
My Tribe is My Life is an interactive documentary that plunges us into the worlds of 8 music fans and shows how the Internet has helped them forge their identities. -
My Tribe Is My Life - Sébastien, The Japanese-Inspired Gothic LolitaMyriam Verreault 2011 7 minHe seems to be the only boy in Quebec to flaunt this particular style. And from the comments he gets, he seems to pull it off fabulously.
My Tribe is My Life is an interactive documentary that plunges us into the worlds of 8 music fans and shows how the Internet has helped them forge their identities. -
My Tribe Is My Life - Laurianne, Goth in the GaspéMyriam Verreault 2011 5 minLaurianne knew she was likely to shock people who live in her neck of the woods with the way she dresses. She also knows that there are idiots everywhere, including among goths.
My Tribe is My Life is an interactive documentary that plunges us into the worlds of 8 music fans and shows how the Internet has helped them forge their identities.s. -
My Tribe Is My Life - Shana, The Emo KidMyriam Verreault 2011 6 minFrom her home on Quebec's North Shore, Shana speaks "emoticon" like a second language.
My Tribe is My Life is an interactive documentary that plunges us into the worlds of 8 music fans and shows how the Internet has helped them forge their identities. -
My Tribe Is My Life - Heythem, The Reggae ManMyriam Verreault 2011 6 minReggae. Just reggae. Heythem, aka The Reggae Man, organizes at least 40 concerts a year.
My Tribe is My Life is an interactive documentary that plunges us into the worlds of 8 music fans and shows how the Internet has helped them forge their identities. -
Be CoolChris Landreth 2017 41 s2/3 OF US DON’T KNOW WE’RE ASSHOLES. An unapologetic poke at the self-consumed selfie culture.
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Not So DifferentDon Arioli 1985 6 minA fable set in the Land of Same, where the law of the land is SAMENESS. Everyone has to behave the same, wear the same clothes, live in the same houses. Everything runs smoothly until some Different people arrive.
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Out: Stories of Lesbian and Gay Youth (European Version)David Adkin 1993 50 minOut: Stories of Lesbian and Gay Youth is an intimate exploration of the struggles and victories of gay and lesbian youth in Canada in 1993. Delving into the emotional, social and family conflicts that these young people often face, the film breaks the damaging silence surrounding sexual orientation and expression. Through explicit interviews with youth from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, the film sensitively addresses issues of discrimination as well as the compounding problems of confronting racism and sexism. Out provides awareness, understanding and hope—to 2SLGBTQIA+ youth, parents, counsellors and educators.
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Our HomeRichard LeBlanc 2012 22 minThis short documentary recounts the story of a man in search of a lost paradise. At times his life seems thankless, unmanageable and repetitive, even a cause for shame. Because of his debts, Richard has given up on some of his dreams, and he thinks back. He was four when his parents left their mobile home and fell on hard times. But he was still a carefree little boy, and that is the age and stage he would like to rediscover. Returning to Acadia, he sets out to track down the family’s trailer. By comparing his memories with those of his siblings, he tries to regain his strength and learn to live again. Or perhaps his goal is to break his streak of bad luck.
This documentary short was produced as part of the Tremplin program, which enables young Francophone filmmakers to make a first production in a professional context. In French with English subtitles.
This documentary was made as part of the Tremplin program, with the collaboration of Radio-Canada. -
PFFFSusan Wolf 2012 1 minA revolution is kicked off when one little cloud has enough of the sun’s tyranny.
Produced as part of the 8th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship. -
The PedlarAllan Kroeker 1982 54 minThe Pedlar is a dramatic film based on the short story by W.D. Valgardson, A Place of One's Own. Tired of the rootless, lonely existence of a travelling merchant, a man searches for a place to settle down, and someone to share his life.
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The Pacifist Who Went to WarDavid Neufeld 2002 51 minThis documentary is the story of two Mennonite brothers from Manitoba who were forced to make a decision in 1939, as Canada joined World War II. In the face of 400 years of pacifist tradition, should they now go to war? Ted became a conscientious objector while his brother went into military service. Fifty years later, the town of Winkler dedicates its first war memorial and John begins to share his war experiences with Ted.
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RumorsGroupe Kiwistiti & Francis Desharnais 2003 6 minThis short animation begins with a mysterious man lying unconscious on the ground in the middle of a bustling metropolis. A crowd of passers-by forms around him, each person attempting to guess what is going on. While the crowd's babbling feeds the rumour mill, it never occurs to any of the onlookers—not the scientist, or the cop, or the businessman, or the punk, or the old lady—to just go and help the poor guy. Rumors is a wickedly funny and biting social satire from the Groupe Kiwistiti, a Quebec-based auteur animation group.
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Race Is a Four-Letter WordSobaz Benjamin 2006 55 minIn this personal documentary, director Sobaz Benjamin introduces us to an interesting group of people: a black woman who wants to be considered iconically Canadian, a white man who is culturally and psychologically black, and a black woman who decides to leave “Canada’s racial cold war.” He also exposes himself, a black man who grew up trying to bleach his skin. In the end, Race Is a Four-Letter Word teaches us that the soul has no colour. Yet, we also learn that race is a marathon we are all forced to run.
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Road's End ChronicleNicolas Paquet 2020 11 minThe shore of a lake. A dam. Myriad testimonials that go right over our heads, just like everything else. Camped out in his car, a filmmaker stares out at the landscape through the raindrops coating the windows. Encounters emerge one by one. Voices multiply, at times validating each other, later contradictory. The filmmaker moves from worry to optimism. Only one question remains: Is there a right answer?
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Reviving The RoostVivek Shraya 2019 6 minFilmmaker and bestselling author Vivek Shraya’s ode to a popular Edmonton gay bar that closed in 2007. With pulsating neon-light animation, Reviving the Roost is a story about community complexity and longing, and an elegy to a lost space.
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Street Health StoriesKaterina Cizek 2007 9 minThis short film from the Filmmaker-in-Residence project puts a human face on the statistics in the Street Health 2007 Report. Four photographers who have experienced homelessness - Adrienne, Jess, Keneisha, and Meghan - document the stories of 28 homeless men and women through audio recordings and portrait-photography.
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SpinnolioJohn Weldon 1977 9 minIn this animated short, the traditional folklore tale of Pinocchio takes a wry turn. This time around, the hero, a carved wooden puppet named Spinnolio, is totally devoid of mobility and human consciousness. Noted for his "cool head" and unruffled personality, he makes a totally passive, though quite successful go at life, until his employer decides to replace him with a computer. A reflection on consciousness, the work ethic, interpersonal relationships and the citizen in society.
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Society of ClothesJeong Dahee 2024 15 minWhen 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 as clothes. They wander into the streets, bodiless and faceless, performing absurd daily tasks
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Standing on the LinePaul Émile d'Entremont 2018 1 h 20 minTRIGGER 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 is compounded by the further strain of deciding whether or not to come out of the closet. They set out to overcome prejudice in the hopes of changing things for the athletes of tomorrow. -
The Trembling Veil of BonesMatthew Talbot-Kelly 2010 12 minIn this animated short, a lone clockmaker named Bones sits inside a darkened studio filled with the sounds of ticking clocks. He parcels out his time in teaspoons and shadow, until the arrival of a mysterious package propels him to leave his refuge.
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ThursdayGalen Johnson 2020 15 minThursday, shot from filmmaker Galen Johnson's high-rise apartment during COVID-19 “lockdown” in Winnipeg, captures people going about their daily routines in the city's eerily empty streets, yards and parking lots, on their balconies and on the riverbanks. The extreme distance and the diminutive scale of humans is paired with sound close-ups—a combination that embodies the strange, heightened intensity of feeling of the time, knowing an era-defining tragedy is happening yet being so physically removed.
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Tomorrow's CitizensGordon Weisenborn 1947 11 minThis film examines contemporary educational methods and policies in the light of an age that has released new natural energies, to be used for or against mankind. It reiterates the question sociologists ask: is the development of social responsibility in today's children keeping pace with their technical knowledge?
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ThomasPedro Pires & Robert Lepage 2014 29 minThis short fiction is part of Robert Lepage's three-piece cinematic work Triptych, itself an adaptation of Lepage's own epic nine-hour theatre play. Like his namesake in Caravaggio's iconic painting, Thomas is doubtful of everything: his marriage, his profession, and even the city where he lives. Marie, a jazz singer from Montreal, is devastated by the news that she must undergo brain surgery and finds herself desperately in search of comfort.
Bathed in dreamlight, London is the half-fantasized, half-real backdrop for the improbable but fateful meeting of these two troubled souls. Beneath Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel fresco and on the chilly docks of the Thames, the singer and the brain surgeon seek, find and then lose each other in this existential urban fable.
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When the Day BreaksWendy Tilby & Amanda Forbis 1999 9 minIn this animated short, Ruby the pig seeks affirmation in the city around her after witnessing the accidental death of a stranger… and finds it in surprising places. With deft humour and finely rendered detail, When the Day Breaks illuminates the links that connect our urban lives, while evoking the promise and fragility of a new day. Winner of over 40 prizes from around the world, the film also features singer Martha Wainwright.
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What is Democracy?Astra Taylor 2018 1 h 47 minFeaturing a diverse cast—including celebrated philosophers, trauma surgeons, factory workers, refugees, and politicians—What Is Democracy? connects past and present, emotion and the intellect, the personal and the political, to provoke and inspire. If we want to live in democracy, we must first ask what the word even means.
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Where the Land EndsLoïc Darses 2019 1 h 29 minAgainst the backdrop of the camera’s meditative wandering through the places that created Quebec, Where the Land Ends explores and questions the historical narrative, as a group of young people who were not old enough to vote in the 1995 referendum express their views. They seem to have decided, on their own, to create a new “Terre des Hommes” (Man and His World).
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What Walaa WantsChristy Garland 2018 1 h 29 minRaised in a refugee camp in the West Bank while her mother was in an Israeli prison, Walaa is determined to become one of the few women in the Palestinian Security Forces—not easy for a girl who breaks all the rules. Following Walaa from the ages of 15 to 21 with an intimate POV, What Walaa Wants tells the compelling story of a defiant young girl who navigates formidable obstacles, disproving the negative predictions from her surroundings and the world at large.
