Back to the Land(1976)

Cinéma Vérité: Defining the Moment(en)

A documentary about direct-cinema from its very beginnings (Nanook of the North) to the fake-direct-cinema of the Blair Witch Project. All the important direct-cinema filmmakers are portrayed and/or interviewed: Leacock, Wiseman, Maysles, Pennebaker, Reisz and others.

Belle famille(fr)

A working class family leaves St-Henri quarter in Montréal to build a new home in the countryside.

Friday: About Cars(en)

"Montréal under the snow and the cold winter. It is the period of the year when the garage owners strike it rich. The automobile at the service of man? This small opus would rather show the contrary. This is one in a series of eight films titled “Chronicle of Everyday Life,” a project that filmmaker Jacques Leduc took four years to realize, and whose goal was to revisit Direct Cinema at a moment when it was already heavily “contaminated” by mainstream TV." - Anthology Film Archives

Cesar's Bark Canoe(fr)

"This documentary depicts a canoe being built in the traditional manner. Cesar Newashish, a 67-year-old Attikamek of the Manawan Reserve North of Montréal, uses only birchbark, cedar splints, spruce roots, and gum. With a sure hand he works methodically to fashion a craft unsurpassed in function or beauty of design. Building a canoe solely from the materials that the forest provides may become a lost art, even among the Native Peoples whose traditional craft it is. The film is free of spoken commentary but text appears on the screen in Cree, French, and English." - Anthology Film Archives

The Things I Cannot Change(en)

"This feature documentary is considered to be the forerunner of the NFB's Challenge for Change Program. The film offers in inside look at 3 weeks in the life of the Bailey family. Trouble with the police, begging for stale bread, and the birth of another child are just some of the issues they face. Through it all, the father tries to explain his family's predicament. Although filmed in Montreal, the film offers an anatomy of poverty as it occurs throughout North America." - NFB

Little Burgundy(fr)

"This film is one of the first French Unit productions of the “Société Nouvelle/Challenge for Change” program. When an old area of Montréal is to be demolished to make way for a new low-income housing development, is there anything the residents can do to protect their own interests? The film documents such a situation in the Little Burgundy district of Montréal and shows how the residents organized themselves into a committee that successfully influenced the city’s housing policy." - Anthology Film Archives

Michel Brault, l'instinct de vue(fr)

Ethnographic Films(en)

These documentary sketches were made when the famed novelist was an anthropology student seeking to preserve a record of African American life in the rural South. Includes Children's games and baptism - Miami, Aug. 1929; Children's games and man with ax - April 1928; Children dancing and girl rocking on porch - Jan/Feb 1929; Baseball crowd and boy dancing capers Jan/Feb 1929.

Welcome to Portishead(en)

Documentary about Portishead, who may not have invented trip-hop, but they were among the first to popularize it. Filmed after the release of their first album, Dummy, it exposes the band on both a professional and personal level.

Kamikazu: A TransWorld SNOWboarding Production(en)

Kamikazu documents some of the best backcountry riding in history, from snowboarders hand-selected by Kazu based on style and originality. Kazu Kokubo’s uncommon vision has carried him to an illustrious place few modern snowboarders have reached. Perspective and unwavering commitment to doing what he wants, how he wants, have cemented his place as one of snowboarding’s modern icons. These traits guide the direction for his well-deserved signature film project. Before gaining recognition as one of the best backcountry freestyle riders of all time, Kazu’s early years were spent in the competitive spotlight, standing on international podiums and competing in the Olympics twice. The anti-authoritarian attitude that catalyzed controversy around Kazu in the contest sphere also defines his approach to this film. Everything about Kamikazu was driven by its star. The film features its eclectic cast deep in the backcountry, where the only rules imposed are by the mountains themselves.

Catholics vs. Convicts(en)

On October 15, 1988, Notre Dame hosted the University of Miami in what would become one of the greatest games in college football history. It was tradition vs. swagger, the No. 4-ranked Fighting Irish versus the No. 1-ranked Hurricanes, one coaching star, Lou Holtz, versus another, Jimmy Johnson. But the name still attached to the contest came from a t-shirt manufactured by a few Notre Dame students: “Catholics vs. Convicts.” As compelling as the tale of Notre Dame’s dramatic victory is—even losing quarterback Steve Walsh calls it “a helluva ballgame”—the backstory is just as riveting.

PlayMe Burlesque(en)

PlayMe Burlesque is a feature documentary debut. It's an intimate vert portrait of some of New York's most colorful burlesque performers.

Britain's Racist Election(en)

Channel 4 documentary Britain's Racist Election follows the controversial 1964 Smethwick election battle between Peter Griffiths and Gordon Walker, fought on grounds of racial denomination

After Spring, the Tamaki Family...(zh)

In an intimate and exciting journey to the root, the film follows a family based in Okinawa, Japan, that visits Taiwan to rediscover their family origins.

Gender Me: Homosexuality and Islam(no)

Gender Me is a road movie about Mansour’s voyage into the world of Islam. It is a personal odyssey through a world of taboos, filled with contradictory images. He explores questions regarding faith and gender in Islam with a special focus on the unusual stories of Muslim gays. Mansour is a homosexual Iranian refugee who has been living in Oslo for the past 18 years where he works as a pharmacist. Now he wants to travel back to Istanbul, where he lived for two years before he was granted asylum in Norway.

Frogs: The Thin Green Line(en)

An examination of the extinction threat faced by frogs, which have hopped on Earth for some 250 million years and are a crucial cog in the ecosystem. Scientists believe they've pinpointed a cause for the loss of many of the amphibians: the chytrid fungus, which flourishes in high altitudes. Unfortunately, they don't know how to combat it. Included: an isolated forest in Panama that has yet to be touched by the fungus, thus enabling frogs to live and thrive as they have for eons.

Astral(es)

'Astral', a 30-meter sailboat built in the 1970s, had always been used as a luxury pleasure boat, until its owner gave it to the NGO Proactiva Open Arms. 'Astral' became a surveillance and rescue boat and set sail for the coast of Libya to carry out its first rescue mission.

The Vote(en)

Strict military rule and international sanctions kept Myanmar sealed off from the world for decades. The Vote observes residents of the bustling city of Yangon as they navigate their first democratic election in over 50 years.

Brillo Box (3¢ off)(en)

Follow a beloved Andy Warhol Brillo Box sculpture as it makes its way from a family's living room to a record-breaking Christie's auction, blending personal narrative with pop culture, and exploring how we navigate the ephemeral nature of art and value.

Zé de Julião, Muito Além do Cangaço(pt)