The Swimming Lesson(NaN)

The Little Refugee(tr)

In 2015, the Syrian boy Aylan appeared dead on the beach in Bodrum, Turkey. The image shocked and alerted the world to the refugee crisis. The film imagines what would have happened to this child until the day of his death, when the boat in which he was with a family heading to Greece turned on the high seas. The story arises from a moment of magical realism, in which Aylan's spirit emerges from his body and wanders back to the world of refugees and those provoked by war, who escape to escape for a better life.

Let Me In(en)

There are more refugees in the world today than at any point in history. And half of them are children. Let Me In is a cinematic experience which reimagines the refugee crisis as if it was happening on America’s shores. Written and directed by Jonathan Olinger, this tale of survival and the remarkable power of the human spirit is inspired by the stories of real refugees. Starring Alicia Keys, the film follows her and her family's quest to survive after they experience unimaginable violence and embark on a journey that will forever change them. Along with thousands of Americans fleeing the conflict in Los Angeles, they must seek safety by attempting to cross the border into Mexico. Guided by their resolute love for each other and utter determination, the refugee family must navigate oceans and desserts in their unrelenting pursuit to find refuge and reunite.

Blood Alley(en)

An American Merchant Marine captain, rescued from a Chinese Communist jail by local villagers, is "shanghaied" into transporting the entire village to Hong Kong on an ancient paddle steamer.

Patients(fr)

After a serious sport accident in a swimming pool, Ben, now an incomplete quadriplegic, arrives in a rehabilitation center. He meets with other handicapped persons (tetraplegics, paraplegics, traumatized crania), all victims of accidents, as well as a handicapped since his early childhood. They go through impotence, despair and resignation, with their daily struggle to learn how to move a finger or to hold a fork. Some of them slowly find a little mobility while others receive the verdict of the handicap for life. Despite everything, hope and friendship help them endure their difficulties.

Arrival(en)

This drama portrays an immigrant family and the mingled feelings of hope and despair that characterize their life in a strange land. An Italian wife joins her husband in a large Canadian city. After two years in Canada the husband feels his dream of a better life is close to realization, but his wife feels that differences of language and custom are insurmountable. How such feelings are dispelled by simple gestures of friendship from Canadian-born neighbours gives a heartening conclusion to the film.

Hell(pt)

In the course of one afternoon, Raphael's paradise turns into a spiral of guilt and paranoia.

Kandahar(en)

After an Afghanistan-born woman who lives in Canada receives a letter from her suicidal sister, she takes a perilous journey through Afghanistan to try to find her.

The Toilers and the Wayfarers(en)

Phillip and Dieter nearly suffocate hiding their sexual identity in the face of puritanical small town values. Joined by a mysterious German relative, the three misfits escape to the big city searching for a place to belong.

Taking the Plunge 2(fr)

Gaby and Fred are preparing for the world swimming championships which will be held in Quebec City this year. Their love will be put to the test when a former love of Gaby's turns up at the championships. Gaby finds herself at a crucial point of her life where she has to choose whether to continue competing or follow another dream that she's cherished forever, but which seems impossible to everyone else—her dream to become an astronaut.

Two Bodies on a Beach(fi)

A woman wakes up on a beach tied in a plastic press wearing only underwear and high heels. “Not again”, she sighs and decides to track down the enemy and strike back. She gets a companion from an older woman, who has been pushed to the borders of society. During their journey through classical cinematic landscapes these nameless women from different generations struggle to connect and understand each other’s perspectives while their passion for men and male attention gets in away.

Tears of the Sun(en)

Navy SEAL Lieutenant A.K. Waters and his elite squadron of tactical specialists are forced to choose between their duty and their humanity, between following orders by ignoring the conflict that surrounds them, or finding the courage to follow their conscience and protect a group of innocent refugees. When the democratic government of Nigeria collapses and the country is taken over by a ruthless military dictator, Waters, a fiercely loyal and hardened veteran is dispatched on a routine mission to retrieve a Doctors Without Borders physician.

Lady in the Water(en)

Apartment building superintendent Cleveland Heep rescues what he thinks is a young woman from the pool he maintains. When he discovers that she is actually a character from a bedtime story who is trying to make the journey back to her home, he works with his tenants to protect his new friend from the creatures that are determined to keep her in our world.

Alpha Dog(en)

Johnny Truelove likes to see himself as tough. He's the son of an underworld figure and a drug dealer. Johnny also likes to get tough when things don't go his way. When Jake Mazursky fails to pay up for Johnny, things get worse for the Mazursky family, as Johnny and his 'gang' kidnap Jake's 15 year old brother and holds him hostage. Problem now is what to do with 'stolen boy?'

Mutants(de)

Thirteen-year-old Paula lives with her mother on a well-kept estate in a small town surrounded by nice neighbours. But Paula's view of normality has been sharpened by her extensive and consistent diet of horror movies.

The Class(fr)

Teacher and novelist François Bégaudeau plays a version of himself as he negotiates a year with his racially mixed students from a tough Parisian neighborhood.

Lorna's Silence(fr)

Lorna is a young Albanian woman in a marriage of convenience with Claudy, a heroin addict. Just as Lorna is about to be granted Belgian citizenship, Claudy finds the strength to detox; this presents a problem not only for Lorna, but for the criminal who brokered the deal.

Crimson Romance(en)

After Fred von Bergen, a German immigrant in America, is forced from his job by anti-German hysteria before the first world war, he and his friend Bob Wilson leave America and join the German air force. There, both men fall in love with ambulance driver Alida Hoffman. When America enters the war, Bob is caught between loyalty to his home country and the threat of execution for desertion and treason to Germany. It remains for his friend Fred to extricate him from the dilemma - but at what cost?

The Strange Ones(en)

A man and a boy, traveling to an unknown destination, find respite in a motel swimming pool. On the surface all seems normal, but nothing is what it seems to be. Short film not to be confused with the 2017 feature film with the same name.

The Day After(en)

In the mid-1980s, the U.S. is poised on the brink of nuclear war. This shadow looms over the residents of a small town in Kansas as they continue their daily lives. Dr. Russell Oakes maintains his busy schedule at the hospital, Denise Dahlberg prepares for her upcoming wedding, and Stephen Klein is deep in his graduate studies. When the unthinkable happens and the bombs come down, the town's residents are thrust into the horrors of nuclear winter.

Sister's Keeper(en)