Michel Brault, l'instinct de vue

Back to the Land(fr)

Feature-length documentary as part of Pierre Perrault's Abitibian Cycle. The filmmaker questions the past and present of Abitibi and draws up, face to face, the promises of colonization in the 1930s and the great disappointment caused by the closing of the land in the 1970s. There are witnesses to the heroic era, including the cultivator Hauris Lalancette, as well as extracts from films by Father Maurice Proulx (1934-1940).

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.

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

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

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

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

Belle famille(fr)

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

Rumba Calling(es)

Celebration of the most representative genre of Cuban idiosyncrasy, rumba. Through interviews and drumbeats by the most emblematic figures and groups of this manifestation, we comment on its origin, the role it plays in national life and the enormous influence it has had on other forms such as son, timba , jazz and rap.

Roots of my Rhythm(de)

In this emotional documentary, Majid Kessab embarks on a moving journey to his Kurdish homeland, where he delves deep into his family history with his father.

Toda una vida(es)

Paco is madly in love with his wife, Trini. Due to a tragic Alzheimer diagnosis, he makes the difficult decision to admit her to a nursing home, where he visits her daily. Through the eyes of Marta, their granddaughter, we see their loving relationship through the years. This documentary filmed for a period of 12 years tries to capture memories and becomes an emotional film about love itself.

Stuttgart Shanghai(en)

A young pair from Stuttgart fly to Shanghai to hop aboard the textile business of his father while she prepares for the birth of their son. A story about the ever more common movement of Germans into the East for professional gain.

Beyond. Above the Water(ru)

More recently, in the middle of the last century, a group of enthusiasts began to develop a sport unique to Russia: water skiing. Very quickly, riding on the water behind the boat became popular: tricks became more complicated, new champions appeared. And a few decades later, water skiing was replaced by modern wakeboarding — with its own unique path and bright characters.

Beyond. Leave a Trace(ru)

Professional mountain bike riders embark on an unusual journey through Kamchatka. They will drive through the volcanoes and hills of the peninsula, opening new spots, using all available and non-standard terrain. The main purpose of the trip will be one of the most active remote and severe active volcanoes — Shiveluch, which recently began to erupt.

Busting the “Paid What You’re Worth” Myth(en)

"Let’s set the record straight: Workers are not 'paid what they’re worth.' "This is a myth peddled by the rich to exploit workers and hoard unconscionable wealth. "It’s designed to make us think that nothing can be done to change what people are paid. "Don’t fall for it."

Cupressus(uk)

With signing visa-free regime in 2017 between Ukraine and European Union the borders become open for the first time in 100 years and 79-years old self-taught artist gets a chance to accomplish his old dream and to set off on his first journey to Greece which he could only imagine from books and movies.

Berchidda Live – A Journey Into Time In Jazz Archive(it)

Collects and processes more than 1,500 hours of archive material filmed over 25 years by Gianfranco Cabiddu and his crew in the various editions of Time in Jazz, a music festival created and directed by Paolo Fresu in his home town of Berchidda, Sardinia.

Wacay, Mujeres del Tabacal(es)

National Geographic: The Volga(en)

Film cameras cruise the Soviet Union's mighty Volga River, providing a view of the Russian people along its 2300-mile length, including looks at the fishing industry, a rural village, a manufacturing town and the wedding of two factory workers.

Believe It or Not (Second Series) #4(en)

Billy falls asleep and dreams Robert L. Ripley takes him on a tour of Believe-It-or-Not land to see many oddities. Vitaphone No. 1320.

Believe It or Not (Second Series) #5(en)

Robert Ripley shows a pretty blond a shrunken head and an iron execution chamber. Vitaphone No. 1336.