Conspiracy of Silence(1993)

The Simulation Hypothesis(en)

Is everything an illusory simulation? Was the world created by a non-physical force that we can communicate with and possibly influence with our minds, thereby participating in the creation of our own reality? These are the grandiose existential questions central to this documentary, which introduces viewers to the concept of the Simulation Hypothesis. Teasing that there are cutting edge physics experiments that imply Simulation Hypothesis could be true, the film begins by reviewing two primary philosophies regarding the nature of life: materialism and idealism. First introduced by Democritus, materialism credits the atom as the basis for all reality, making consciousness the result of a material process. Plato, on the other hand, believed it is the mind itself that gives way to matter; therefore reality is borne from ideas.

The Bloody History of Communism(pt)

Object: Alimony(en)

Ruth Butler, a clerk in an emporium, marries Jimmy Rutledge and thereby greatly displeases his mother, the owner of the emporium, because of Ruth's lowly origins. Renaud Graham, one of Mrs. Rutledge's friends, becomes interested in Ruth, forces his way into her apartment, and attempts to make violent love to her. Jimmy walks in on their embrace and, suspecting the worst, leaves Ruth. In the family way, Ruth finds refuge in a boardinghouse where she meets Al Bryant, an aspiring writer. Ruth tells Al her life story, and he makes it into a bestselling novel and then into a play. Jimmy sees the play and comes to his senses, winning Ruth's forgiveness.

Following Sean(en)

Filmmaker Ralph Arlyck first met Sean while living as a graduate student in Haight Ashbury at the height of the 1960s. The city was awash with the trappings of America’s cultural revolution-the San Francisco State University campus flooded with cops in riot gear, the Haight filled with drifters and idealists, and, on the third floor of Arlyck’s building, a come-one-come-all crashpad apartment. It was from this top floor commune that the precocious 4-year-old Sean would occasionally wander downstairs to visit and talk-and one day Arlyck turned on his camera. Sean’s casual commentary on everything from smoking pot to living with speed freaks was delivered in simple sincerity throughout the soon-to-be famous 15-minute film. This First Child of the notorious decade may have shaken the audience with his simple sentence- “Sure, I smoke pot”-but it was his barefoot impishness which would encapsulate the hope that lay in front of the nation: a promise of infinite possibility.

DERRAMAR(pt)

Don't Worry, the Doors Will Open(uk)

After André Levesque missionnaire, Oksana Karpovych is back at the RIDM with her first feature, which she filmed in her native country, Ukraine. To take the pulse of the country, the filmmaker adopts one of documentary cinema’s most prolific sub-genres: the train film. Filmed entirely in the old, run-down, overcrowded passenger trains used by ordinary Ukrainians, the film captures conversations, observes the landscape, and accompanies several protagonists on their journey; they open our eyes to popular preoccupations in a country that seems perpetually anchored in its highly visible Soviet legacy. A fine lesson in listening and humanity.

Babydyke(da)

Tagged as Babydyke by her older sister and her clique, a teenager delves into the party life of the queer scene. Frede doesn’t like labels, she wants to love and be loved.

Our God's Brother(en)

In this adaptation of an historical play by Pope John Paul II, painter Albert Chmielowski decides to devote his life to helping the homeless.

Angel On Fire(cn)

A beautiful supermodel-turned-gangster double crosses her ruthless partners after the gang steals a precious relic from a Manila museum. now an enterprising young Interpol agent, with the help of a comical taxi driver, must stop the vicious gang and return the relic to its rightful owners.

Love After Love(en)

The video, for a track by Jefre Cantu-Ledesma, was directed by Paul Clipson, who interprets the stuttering ambient composition with busy, bursting edits of a young woman walking on a sun-drenched beach.

Ansh(hi)

This story is about Deputy Superintendent of Police Bhagat Pandey (Om Puri), who is thorough, honest, and has an excellent track record of apprehending criminals. This background creates problems for him with other criminals who are closely connected to powerful politicians. As a result he is transferred to Bombay (now know as Mumbai). He takes charge of his post, and transforms everything to a diligent and honest policing machine. Unfortunately, politicians and criminals alike do not like his diligence, and talk about transferring him to Kashmir, where he will be killed in an encounter by a terrorist. Bhagat also comes in touch with suspended Police Inspector Sukhdev Singh, and gangleader, Rajnath Guru, the son of a freedom-fighter, Dinanathji (Aloknath).

Dark Forest(en)

A weekend camping trip turns into a fight for survival.

Sensitivity Training(en)

A grumpy microbiologist is forced into sensitivity training at work and forms an unlikely friendship with her overly vivacious coach.

Monsieur(fr)

Over the Dark Water(ru)

Leningrad; 60th years; white nights. Walking on Neva Embankment, the charming provincial has met three friends: poet, artist and film director. And each of young people has suggested to marry him.

When Ladies Meet(en)

Mary, a writer working on a novel about a love triangle, is attracted to her publisher. Her suitor Jimmy is determined to break them up; he introduces Mary to the publisher's wife without telling Mary who she is.

Le pouvoir nuit-il gravement au cerveau ?(fr)

Ancient Aliens and Jesuits(en)

Is God an alien being from another planet? This is a question that has been puzzling mankind ever since Erich von Daniken popularized the Ancient Astronaut theory. Undeniably showing proof of aliens and high technology in ancient times von Daniken has shifted the perception of the God described in scripture to an extraterrestrial being. But is that really the case? Is “God” the creator of the universe or just an alien pretender using high technology to confuse mankind? Is there ancient scripture that would settle this argument and once and for all reveal not only the true identity of God but of the alien beings as well? And is von Daniken’s concept his own or are there dark powers at work?

Au cœur de Notre-Dame(fr)

The Mighty Spirit(pt)

An overview of brazilian spirituality and religions.

The Most Holy Brotherhood(es)

The High Holy Brothers is a documentary on a mysterious Messianic cult formed by peasants who fled the violence of the forties/fifties in Colombia and are admitted to live in the mountains of southern Tolima. Its members dress in sacks, they have their own dialect and regard everything as “Blessed”, minus the right side of the body, which castrated covering it with the “holy coat”. This group rejects all elements of the consumer society, established institutions, the state, church and political parties.

43(es)

43 young male students were abducted from a Mexican college on September 26, 2014. They have yet to resurface. This documentary probes the disturbing event, how it shook a community, and the troubling search for the missing students.

Son of God(tl)

The directors want to shoot a film about a man known as the son of god. But what starts out as a practical joke, extends to become a curious portrait of what could either be a petty fraud or the world’s most secret miracle. A film crew tracks his bizarre pilgrimage as magic and religion, faith and doubt, real and unreal blur and melt to the point that one of the director becomes one of the characters. The film traverses all descriptions, before ending as both an affirmation of faith for the faithless and a criticism of faith for the overly faithful.

Feral(es)

The mountains of Oaxaca harbor the remains of a ravaged and burnt shelter, once home to a psychoanalyst priest who used it to look after savage children, trying to re-integrate them into society. Through videotape diaries and interviews, the truth of what happened is shockingly revealed.

Minerva(ar)

Severely battered from the Beirut Port Explosion on August 4th, Minerva passed away eight days later. Her son Joseph, while still grieving for his loss, sunk into a long and absurd bureaucratic path through the inept system that disowned his mother as a victim of the blast. Minerva is gone. The explosion has snatched her soul, and the city walls have not yet recognized her as a martyr. There is no poster of her smiling face among those of the victims. Their faces are memories that will haunt us for the rest of our lives. Perhaps her son, devastated by her passing, seeks to etch her image into the city's memory. Perhaps he is seeking some confession to the crime. This is a place that casts out its children, whether dead or alive.

A Message from the East(en)

The story of Muhammad Iqbal, a turn of the century poet/philosopher from South Asia. Through Iqbal's work we open a dialog between the East and West, refute the notion of a class of civilizations and discover our shared humanity.

Alien Chronicles: USOs and Under Water Alien Bases(en)

USOs are repeatedly seen in our oceans, lakes and seas. The military has documented several undersea encounters and are baffled by their capability to speed through the water at unfathomable speeds as if they are defying our current laws of physics, prompting the same bewilderment as with UFOs. The real concern is who are they and what do they want on planet Earth?

Bellingham’s Belief(en)

1954 - Panic erupts when the citizens of Bellingham, Washington notice strange cracks in their car windshields. What is causing this mysterious phenomenon?

Papa s'en va(fr)

Pauline Horovitz has been filming her father since 2009. In this new chapter with hints of a bittersweet documentary comedy, the hero, a former doctor “programmed” to work, takes advantage of his retirement to become an actor. Following the first steps of this liberating new life, the daughter-filmmaker watches her “creature” escape her…

Lazarus' Hunger(pt)

In the Brazilian countryside, the village of Monteiros hosts a unique event every year. When a person’s prayers are granted, they offer the village’s dogs a feast. Between religious celebration and popular belief, Lazarus’ Hunger powerfully documents a community coming together.

God & Country: The Rise of Christian Nationalism(en)

Examines the implications of Christian Nationalism, how it distorts not only our constitutional republic, but Christianity itself, and asks the question: What happens when a faith built on love, sacrifice, and forgiveness grows political tentacles, conflating power, money, and belief into hyper-nationalism?

Um Crime Entre Nós(pt)

A Cop Movie(es)

This documentary walks the line between fact and fiction, delving into corruption in the Mexican police through the experiences of two officers.

Terrorstorm(en)

Throughout history, regimes have used terror attacks as a means of control over their populations, and for the last 100 years, Western governments have employed the same measures.

New Heights Church: The Journey(en)

Ten years after establishing New Heights, the pastors, their families, and other influential members of the church sit down for roundtable discussions to look back on the past decade and forward toward their future plans for the congregation.

Boy Scout's Honor(en)

8-year-old Aaron Averhart was just a year shy of being able to move up from Cub Scout to Boy Scout when he received a special request from an admired Boy Scout leader, William (Bill) Sheehan. As Aaron rose up the Boy Scout ranks, he slowly became aware of Sheehan’s grooming techniques and began to realize he had much more sinister intentions in store for him. If Aaron’s parents had known that since the 1920s the Boy Scouts of America had been keeping hidden files on dangerous pedophiles in their ranks while failing to warn the public, the police, the scouts, their parents, or even fully removing them from the Boy Scouts program, they would have never allowed young Aaron to be part of such a complicit and corrupt organization.