A Common Experience

The Eyes of Children(en)

Christmastime at the Roman Catholic-run Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia.

My Mother(fr)

Having suffered incest from her father from the age of eight to the age of twelve, at forty-five, Beatrice filmed, with two cameras, a long meeting with her mother to try, with the viewer, to understand their story.

Guaxuma(pt)

Tayra and I grew up on a beach in the north east of Brazil. We were inseparable. The sea breeze brings me back happy memories.

Au loin(fr)

My Astonishing Self: Gabriel Byrne on George Bernard Shaw(en)

Award-winning Irish actor Gabriel Byrne explores the life, works and passions of George Bernard Shaw, a giant of world literature, and - like Byrne - an emigrant Irishman with the outsider's ability to observe, needle and puncture.

Ripple(en)

Rae Ripple, a welder from the outskirts of West Texas transforms neglected metal into works of art and in the process finds healing from her traumatic past.

Toto the Hero(fr)

80-year-old Thomas recounts his childhood and middle age through a series of flashbacks and dream sequences. Thomas believes he’s been taken away from a better life at birth; following a hospital fire, he vividly recalls being swapped with another new-born, and subsequently grows up in a poorer neighbouring household.

Girly(en)

10 year old Maude is too young to understand why her mother disapproves of their new butch neighbour. But Maude does understand she can’t be the girly girl her mother wants her to be. When the neighbour agrees to give Maude a haircut, Maude’s mum explodes and Maude runs away.

Beaten by My Boyfriend(en)

Stacey Dooley goes behind closed doors and speaks to the now younger face of domestic violence. She questions victims and abusers to try and understand how deep the issues surrounding domestic abuse are for those who have survived and those currently experiencing the abuse.

Groomed: A National Scandal(en)

Five young women who survived unimaginable abuse and rape tell their stories of a gang grooming spanning 20 years. Failures of police and social services continue to this day.

Távolodó hegyek emlékezete(hu)

Fragments of memories of a boy's time spent with his sister and their grandfather in a remote mountain village. As events unfold, the grandfather comes of age, takes no food and disappears one dawn. Eventually, the daughter leaves the deserted village, leaving the son alone and recalling divorcing memories.

Who in the Hell Is Regina Jones?(en)

Before Rolling Stone, there was Soul Newspaper. Behind Soul, there was Regina Jones. Against all odds, Regina blazed her own path, and at 80 has found herself again.

Small Things Like These(en)

In 1985, while working as a coal merchant to support his family, Bill Furlong discovers disturbing secrets kept by the local convent and uncovers truths of his own; forcing him to confront his past and the complicit silence of a small Irish town controlled by the Catholic Church.

The Art of Nôm(en)

The Art of Nom explores an ancient and nearly extinct Vietnamese script called Chu Nom and the five scholarly artists known as Zenei, Gang of Five. The beauty, heritage and emotion of the Chu Nom characters inspire Zenei’s art. The film also examines Vietnam’s culture, history, customs, and the social impact of rapid modernization in a changing world. Art of Nom follows Zenei through their research and explorations that takes them far off the beaten path. They enter hidden library chambers of Buddhist pagodas to examine original Nom scriptures and woodblocks preserved by monks through the centuries. Led by renowned artist Le Quoc Viet, Zenei is a collective of avant-garde calligraphers forging a new path, merging contemporary visual expression with a nearly extinct script. Zenei elevates art and history to a new level of experience.

Holy Water-Gate: Abuse Cover-up in the Catholic Church(en)

The film begins as a personal journey of filmmaker, Mary Healey, who was also a Catholic. She films a series of historic events where we meet key players involved in the sexual abuse scandal, including victims, whistle-blower priests and a senior ranking US Cardinal who is called upon by the Vatican to control a waxing maelstrom.

Temporary Identity(he)

What does it mean to belong to a place, a country? In a south Tel Aviv elementary school, that question is addressed head-on by a fourth-grade class and their teacher. The children are asylum seekers whose families mostly do not have a legal status in Israel, yet learn, sing and play in Hebrew all the while examining their identity and sense of belonging.

Chica(es)

After being attacked by the police, Katya, a trans sex worker, is given the opportunity to publicly denounce the assault in a television report. She decides not to do so, despite her desire to make a change, to prevent his mother from learning about her true occupation.

Whispers of Yesterday(en)

A young woman rediscovers childhood letters, prompting a journey to align present struggles with past dreams. Through challenges and self-discovery, she learns that embracing her unique path is the key to happiness.

The Labyrinth of Loss(ar)

unwelcome visit to Hamoud's abode, where ancient wounds are reopened, exposing the complexities of the past's influence on the present, amidst a conflict between healing and nostalgia.

Sin Bin(en)

A male nurse in a mental hospital witnesses one patient killing another, but struggles with his loyalties and his conscience to come forward.