Přežili(2020)

Tricky Memory(en)

The lastest neuroscience discoveries show surprising results: false memories, distortion, modification, déjà vus. Our memory is affected in many ways, and deceives us every day. The very fact of recalling souvenirs modifies them. The everyday consequences are manyfold. To what extent can we rely on our souvenirs? How much credit can we give them during trials? Even more shocking, scientists have proved to be able to manipulate our memory: creating artificial souvenirs, deleting, emphasizing or restoring them on demand.

Resilience: The Kim LeBel Story(en)

"Resilience: The Kim LeBel Story" follows the remarkable journey of a woman who overcame a violent, abusive upbringing in Alabama and Georgia to serve honorably in the U.S. Navy. After defending herself from a traumatic family life, Kim joined the military, only to face new challenges—gender discrimination, sexual harassment, and the brutal realities of combat in Afghanistan. Despite being shot and witnessing the horrors of war, Kim's indomitable spirit and courage shine through. Her story is a powerful testament to the resilience of women in the military, offering an intimate portrayal of survival, strength, and triumph against the odds.

Hope: In the Aftermath of War(en)

Hope is an intimate portrait of a military family fractured by the invisible wounds of war. At its heart is Catherine, a decorated soldier and mother who returns from deployment profoundly changed—emotionally withdrawn, plagued by guilt, and struggling with addiction. Her daughter, Hope, once protected by her mother's strength, becomes a witness to her unraveling, forced to mature too quickly amid the chaos of relocation, strained family bonds, and a lack of institutional support. As Catherine battles to reintegrate, her marriage collapses, and the military’s absence of post-deployment care deepens her isolation. Her husband leaves, her daughter grows distant, and Catherine is left with the crushing realization that service came at a cost no one prepared her for.

Wartorn: 1861-2010(en)

With suicide rates among active military servicemen and veterans currently on the rise, this documentary brings urgent attention to the invisible wounds of war. Drawing on personal stories of American soldiers whose lives and psyches were torn asunder by the horrors of battle and PTSD, the documentary chronicles the lingering effects of combat stress and post-traumatic stress on military personnel and their families throughout American history, from the Civil War through today's conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Soldiers in Hiding(en)

A portrait of several Vietnam War veterans living "off the grid." Upon returning home from the war, these men found themselves unable to exist in normal society due to the lasting psychological scars from Vietnam, and, subsequently, chose to live a life of solitude and survival in the American wilderness.

Lessons from a School Shooting: Notes from Dunblane(en)

In the wake of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre that took the lives of 20 first graders and their teachers, local clergymen Father Bob Weiss receives a letter from a fellow priest in Dunblane, Scotland, whose community suffered an eerily similar fate in 1996. From across the Atlantic, the two priests forge a poignant bond through the shared experience of trauma and healing.

Tiger(en)

“I want to be a tiger. I am an atheist from Iraq and I am seeking asylum. About my hallucinations… It’s difficult. Horrible monsters. I hope I can help those who need help.” An episode of the animation series Mental images by Antonia Ringbom. The aim of these animated documentary short films is to reduce the stigma toward mental health problems and psychological disorders.

Bouche cousue(fr)

From Shock to Awe(en)

How do we heal our deepest wounds? Two combat veterans, suffering from severe trauma, abandon pharmaceuticals in order to seek healing through psychedelic medicines. Recent scientific research has shown that these substances can help people to recover from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Beyond the personal stories, From Shock to Awe raises fundamental questions about war, the pharmaceutical industry, and the US legal system.

Stress(de)

"The trauma of 9/11, the ideology of violent retribution, military service as a patriotic family tradition, the “unfairness” of today’s warfare – in their voice-overs, five young Afghanistan war veterans first establish familiar foundations. Joe, Torrie, Mike, James and Justin from Pittsburgh are slow to show us their faces. Physically unharmed but full of inner pain they have become the misunderstood upon their return. Their violent experiences speak a language that the people at home don’t understand.

The Invisible War(en)

An investigative and powerfully emotional documentary about the epidemic of rape of soldiers within the US military, the institutions that perpetuate and cover up its existence, and its profound personal and social consequences.

Hidden Battles(en)

Dramatic and deeply personal film about the psychological impact of killing on the lives of five soldiers. Representing a cross section of nationalities, gender, class and race, these soldiers reveal intimate memories about the central act of war, the killing of another human being. How do these individuals make sense of what they have done? What happens when time challenges their carefully constructed stories? Consciously apolitical but deeply psychological, Hidden Battles examines the strength and struggles of men and women who kill and how they create a life for themselves afterward.

Obaida(en)

OBAIDA, a short film by Matthew Cassel, explores a Palestinian child’s experience of Israeli military arrest. Each year, some 700 Palestinian children undergo military detention in a system where ill-treatment is widespread and institutionalized. For these young detainees, few rights are guaranteed, even on paper. After release, the experience of detention continues to shape and mark former child prisoners’ path forward.

The Wounded Platoon(en)

Frontline investigates the violence, depression, and stress exhibited by a platoon of Iraq War veterans whose members who have committed murder, assault, and suicide. Since the Iraq War began, soldier arrests in the city of Colorado Springs have tripled. FRONTLINE tells the dark tale of the men of 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 1st battalion of the 506th infantry, and how the war followed them home. It is a story of heroism, grief, vicious combat, depression, drugs, alcohol and brutal murder; an investigation into the Army’s mental health services; and a powerful portrait of what multiple tours and post-traumatic stress are doing to a generation of young American soldiers.

Endangered Species(en)

We have volunteered for the Earth Conservation Corps to restore the Anacostia river and the Washington wasteland where we live and often meet an early violent death. We are striving to return our nation's bird,the bald eagle, to our Nation's Capitol. If the eagles survive maybe we can too. We began filming this documentary in 1992 to show people our America. "Endangered Species" is our story. - Written by Antoine Woods

Surviving 9/11(en)

9/11 was perhaps the defining historical event of the postwar era. Broadcast live around the world like horrifying theatre, it was a moment in history imprinted onto people's memories. But what was it like to actually live through, and how easy is it to move on from a day that society wants to go on remembering? Twenty years on, this film brings together 13 ordinary people who were caught in an event they weren't able to fully comprehend at the time and which they are still working through.

Five Came Back(en)

The extraordinary story of how Hollywood changed World War II – and how World War II changed Hollywood, through the interwoven experiences of five legendary filmmakers who went to war to serve their country and bring the truth to the American people: John Ford, William Wyler, John Huston, Frank Capra, and George Stevens. Based on Mark Harris’ best-selling book, “Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War.”

The Jock: A Montford Point Marine(en)

"The Jock: a Montford Point Marine" unveils the harrowing yet inspiring journey of an American Marine from the segregated boot camp of Montford Point, North Carolina. Raised on the tough streets of Philadelphia, Dave Culmer is drawn to the Marines, enchanted by the impeccable attire and imposing stature of a local Marine. After being dismissed from high school, he finds his path leading him not to the widely known Parris Island boot camp, but to the lesser-known Montford Point. His path to becoming a Marine is fraught with discrimination and grueling trials that push him to his physical and mental limits. Amid the struggle, he learns resilience, embodying the relentless spirit of Montford Point that drove these men to exceed expectations set by a society that predicted their failure.

PTSD911(en)

First Responders sign up to serve; they risk their lives and their mental health to respond to someone’s worst day. Who will rescue them? PTSD911 is a documentary film about real people: normal, average human beings who have chosen to work in professions that require above average heroism, fortitude, and resolve. These men and women have jobs that require a willingness to face things that most of us can’t even imagine, yet maintain a high level of dignity and professionalism. First responders in fact repeatedly see and experience things that most of us will never see, causing compound issues related to post-traumatic stress injuries and disorders.

To Be of Service(en)

A documentary film about veterans with PTSD who find that, after other treatments fall short, a service dog helps them return to an independent feeling life.