Band of Exile

Stranger at the Gate(en)

A U.S. Marine plots a terrorist attack on a small-town American mosque, but his plan takes an unexpected turn when he comes face to face with the people he sets out to kill.

Toronto Jazz(en)

Toronto is regarded as the third largest jazz centre in North America. This film features a cross-section of jazz bands of that city: the Lenny Breau Trio, the Don Thompson Quintet and the Alf Jones Quartet. Their styles show creative self-expression, hard work, and improvisation.

heroes(en)

Displaying the faces and voices of transgender youth, the documentary short shows the authenticity of queer and trans people living in Toronto, while simultaneously discussing the struggles for self-acceptance that people who do not conform to cisgender and heteronormative ideals of gender face. Andy Nguyen, trans director and film student, captures his trans friends in their natural state on 16mm film shot on a Bolex h16 camera. Accompanied by narration written and recited by Salem Rao, this film represents that trans people exist and this is what we look like. Regardless of the obvious everyday transphobia, trans people find community and uniqueness within each other and themselves.

STARTING FROM ZERO(en)

STARTING FROM ZERO documents the journey of three refugees — a female boxer, a TV personality and a journalist — caught in the crosshairs following the U.S. military’s sudden withdrawal from Afghanistan. Fleeing for their lives, they are transported to an unlikely luxury compound in Qatar before making their eventual journey to the United States and Germany, where they must restart their lives and confront the deferment of their dreams.

Inuuvunga: I Am Inuk, I Am Alive(iu)

In this feature-length documentary, 8 Inuit teens with cameras offer a vibrant and contemporary view of life in Canada's North. They also use their newly acquired film skills to confront a broad range of issues, from the widening communication gap between youth and their elders to the loss of their peers to suicide. In Inuktitut with English subtitles.

The Hearing(fr)

After crossing 11 countries irregularly to seek asylum in Canada, Peggy, Simon and their three children are waiting for the hearing that will determine whether they get refugee status or not. Having fled political repression in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the family tries to rebuild a peaceful life in Montreal, in spite of the constant threat of deportation. Between ghosts from the past, hopes for the future, a complex legal maze and seemingly endless trial, the film delves into the struggle of the Nkunga Mbala family to remain in Canada. Offering unprecedented access to their hearing before the Immigration and Refugee Board, the film unveils the opaque process of claiming asylum in Canada.

American Teen(en)

A documentary on seniors at a high school in a small Indiana town and their various cliques.

FEELING EVERY SUNSET(en)

During summer of 2023, a group of friends spent their free time filming a surfing video in Punta Hermosa, Perú. This is the end product.

Q's Barbershop(da)

A colourful, upbeat tale from Vollsmose about the resourceful and funky hairdresser Qasim, who instils dignity, inspiration and hope in young people through something we can all relate to – a cool haircut!

On Our Doorstep(en)

On Our Doorstep delves deep into an aspect of the refugee crisis that rarely reached the press. With NGOs being blocked by red tape and the absence of any positive action by French or British authorities, the film is a behind-the-scenes look at the unprecedented grassroots movement that rose to aid the refugees in Calais, and the community that sprang up there, before it was forcefully demolished. This is the story of what happens when young and inexperienced citizens are forced to devise systems and structures to support 10,000 refugees; and are left unguided to face the moral and emotional conflicts, blurred lines and frequent grey areas of giving aid to vulnerable people. People who do not want to be there. It questions whether the aims of the volunteers were met, and whether these aims ultimately served the refugees' needs.

Refugees: Enemies or Victims?(en)

The Syrian Civil War has created one of the greatest humanitarian crises in the last 60 years. REFUGEES: ENEMIES OR VICTIMS? investigates the very important question of whether the United States is doing enough to uphold its long tradition of helping those in need.

Refuge(e)(en)

Refuge(e) traces the incredible journey of two refugees, Alpha and Zeferino. Each fled violent threats to their lives in their home countries and presented themselves at the US border asking for political asylum, only to be incarcerated in a for-profit prison for months on end without having committed any crime. Thousands more like them can't tell their stories.

Golden Globe - Kanada Highlights(de)

The Catastrophe Garden(en)

It is a daring idea: to grow food from old mattresses in a desolate camp at the edge of a war zone. When a refugee scientist meets two quirky professors, they must confront their own catastrophes - and make a garden grow. Short film now streaming on Waterbear.com.

I Am Rohingya: A Genocide in Four Acts(en)

"I Am Rohingya" is a chronicle of the journey made by 14 young refugees, who share their endeavouring experiences amidst the Myanmar internal genocide in the Burma region, with Rohingya muslisms being the target. Sharing their personal lives and showing the struggles in the adjusting process of starting a new life in Canada, the children will be tasked with depicting on stage the horror of real life events. It's upon these youth to share the stories of their people and be sure no one forgets about them.

Across This Land with Stompin' Tom Connors(en)

Stompin' Tom performs live at the Horseshoe Tavern on Queen St. in Toronto.

kid 90(en)

As a teenager in the '90s, Soleil Moon Frye carried a video camera everywhere she went. She documented hundreds of hours of footage and then locked it away for over 20 years.

Embrace Kids(en)

Explores the world of body image through the eyes of children and covers topics including diversity, social media, photoshopping, the influence of media and positive role models.

It Ain't Worth It: Athletes For Abstinence(en)

It ain't worth it is a long form music/documentary video with some of today's hottest athletes talking straight about the potential hazards of pre-marital sex.

Mauvaises filles(fr)

Disobedients, rebels, misunderstoods or simply unpopulars. As many other french women, Édith, Michèle, Éveline and Fabianne had been put in a juvenile detention center during their teenage years. Nowadays, with an incredible strength, each of them relate their story, and unveil the deeply moving fate lived by these « bad girls » until the late 70's.