Joy

Gothix(en)

An innovative and charismatic influencer is suddenly exiled from her community of creative partners and colleagues when she states an opinion that she did not know was “unacceptable” in their eyes.

Best Of Joy: Chapter 1 - Wanna Be Startin Somethin(en)

Michael Jackson, a young and struggling singer, feels overshadowed by the world’s obsession with fame and perfection. When a masked supervillain named Spotlight and his twisted father, Gary Mayor, form the Spotlight Seven to terrorize Los Angeles, Michael must rise beyond his insecurities to stop them. Along the way, he gains unlikely allies: Brad, his witty and stoic bodyguard; Samantha Carpenter, his love interest; and Goku, a misguided martial arts master. Together, they face trials, betrayals, and epic musical showdowns. The journey culminates in a spectacular showdown against the Spotlight Seven, forcing Michael to prove that being a true star isn’t about the spotlight—it’s about the joy you bring to others.

Frances Ha(en)

An aspiring dancer moves to New York City and becomes caught up in a whirlwind of flighty fair-weather friends, diminishing fortunes and career setbacks.

Finding Joy(en)

Joy Brown (Billie Dean) is a 40-something woman with little confidence, less self-esteem and a burning desire to realise her dream of being a singer/songwriter. But she cant sing. When Joy takes in a stray dog, Raffi, her life immediately changes. Her best friend, the tarot card reading Tessa (Janet Watson Kruse), moves in, Joy changes her name to Luna Starr, and she meets Peter Wolfman (Andrew Einspruch). When Peter encourages her to perform with him at the local pizzerias folk music nights, Joy sings sort of hiding behind masks of wigs and silliness. Despite the singing, Peter and Joys relationship blossoms. But there are lots of hiccups along the way -- ex-wives, ex-husbands, frightening performances, and bucket loads of doubt. Set to the backdrop of the folk music scene in an arty country town, the film celebrates universal themes of friendship, low self-esteem, love relationships, and the joy of dogs.

How to hold a cloud to the ground(pt)

When she arrives in a new world, Isabela is tasked with discovering her true essence. Watched by Shadow, the guardian of this ghostly place, Isabela meets other travelers and reevaluates her memories, relationships and emotions.

Inside Out(en)

When 11-year-old Riley moves to a new city, her Emotions team up to help her through the transition. Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness work together, but when Joy and Sadness get lost, they must journey through unfamiliar places to get back home.

Divaguent(fr)

Inside Out 2(en)

Teenager Riley's mind headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions! Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, who’ve long been running a successful operation by all accounts, aren’t sure how to feel when Anxiety shows up. And it looks like she’s not alone.

Seer Was Here(en)

Made for the landmark anthology series, For the Record, Seer Was Here is an example of the bold dramatic programming made at the CBC in the mid-70s, while theatre director John Hirsch was serving as the head of the drama department. Saul Rubinek plays an inmate of a cruel Vancouver prison who brings humour, warmth, a little joy and self-understanding to the fellow prisoners of his cell block. An irreverent satire also featuring Eric Peterson and Martin Short. “Absolutely great, It’s also funny. Very Funny. Very Warm. Very touching… in some ways, a Canadian One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” (Calgary Herald, 1978)

In Sync(nl)

Three queer twentysomethings navigate their daily lives in Utrecht throughout this symmetrically framed mosaic narrative. A colourful slice of life visualising queer joy and celebration.

Confluence(xx)

A mesmerizing showcase of artistic excellence, where intricate choreography and cinematography tell a story of pure, unbridled joy and creativity. Its about honoring the past, recognizing the present and looking into the future.

CRONOPIO(en)

An intimate portrait of Mariano "Cronopio" Gedwillo, an Argentinian clown in Riga, as he transforms ordinary life into wonder through the magic of the circus — and teaches others to do the same, all while battling his own loneliness.

Pressing Buttons(en)

Disability Pride is about recognizing all aspects of the disability experience — including the tough aspects. An authentic representation of disability advocate Sarah Todd Hammer’s life, 'PRESSING BUTTONS: Disability Goes Deeper than What You See' is a compelling mini documentary that opens the doors into her experiences with both disabled joy and disabled grief. From becoming paralyzed from the neck down at age eight to heading off to college, we learn about the challenges Sarah Todd navigates in her daily life. Perhaps the most sobering message of all is that we will never truly understand.

Floating(en)

Floating is a quiet visual journey about impermanence how everything in life drifts, changes, and slowly fades. The film explores dreams that feel real, memories that linger like light in the sky, and the gentle sadness that exists alongside joy. Through simple imagery and atmosphere, Floating captures the feeling of being in between moments not fully here,not fully gone. It reflects on time, emotion, and the beauty of things that cannot stay forever. In its silence, the film finds meaning in movement, softness, and the fragile nature of existence.

Siberian Patrol(ru)

The story of a British POW who converts to communism.

Le Procès de Bobigny(fr)

In 1972 16-year-old Marie-Claire became pregnant after a rape. With help from her mother Michelle and three other women, she underwent a clandestine abortion. Under a 1920 law, the five women were arrested and charged. Supported by a procession of well-known French (eg Simone de Beauvoir), the five were released and the law was adapted.

Kahlschlag(de)

Robin is 16 and has had enough: permanent trouble at school and at home. On the run from his dull everyday life, he joins a group of skinheads. The clique strengthens their sense of belonging by beating up foreign youths. This is how the "apolitical" boy slips into the right-wing scene, and it's not easy to get out of it. When they injure a Turkish girl during a robbery, Robin, of all people, is questioned by the police.

Tine(da)

Danish melodrama about a housemaid struggling to find normalcy and love in the midst of war.

The Bang Bang Gang(en)

1930's: Adam and Leroy tries to rob a cafe, but finds out that two girls are already trying to do the same. Instead of arguing with them they join them in a robbery-spree.

A Butterfly in the Night(es)

A prostitute in Paris is taken home to her native Argentina by an in love rich landlord.

The Young One(en)

A jazz musician seeks refuge from a lynch mob on a remote island, where he meets a hostile game warden and the young object of his attentions.

Farming(en)

Based on the writer/director's childhood, FARMING tells the story of a young Nigerian boy, 'farmed out' by his parents to a white British family in the hope of a better future. Instead, he becomes the feared leader of a white skinhead gang.

The Pumpkin Eater(en)

Jo, the mother of seven children, divorces her second husband in order to marry Jake, a successful but promiscuous screenwriter. Though they are physically and emotionally compatible, they are slowly torn apart.

El Chicano(en)

A pair of twin brothers from East L.A. choose to live their lives differently and end up on opposite sides of the law.

Cardboard Boxer(en)

Gentle and broken, a homeless man fights others on video for money but soon finds comfort in an unlikely friend and the lost diary of a young girl.

Hands of Stone(en)

The legendary Roberto Duran and his equally legendary trainer Ray Arcel change each other's lives.

Come Sunday(en)

Evangelist Carlton Pearson is ostracized by his church for preaching that there is no Hell.

The Wasp(en)

Heather bumps into Carla, having not spoken to her in years, and presents her with a very unexpected proposition that could change both of their lives forever.

What Maisie Knew(en)

In New York City, a young girl is caught in the middle of her parents' bitter custody battle.

Girl in the Box(en)

The true story of 20-year-old Colleen Stan, a hitchhiking woman abducted by a young couple and held captive for seven years, during which time she's tortured and forced to live as a slave to her captors.

Salomé(en)

After the lewd and frenetic Dance of the Seven Veils, and with the solemn pledge from the very lips of Herod himself that she could have whatever her heart desires up to half his kingdom, wanton and proud young Salomé comes before her king with an unreasonable demand. Beguiled by John the Baptist, and then scorned for the sake of his god, lascivious Salomé—encouraged by her mother, the vindictive, Herodias—commands that John be executed and his head delivered on a silver platter.

Waiting for Anya(en)

During the harrows of WWII, Jo, a young shepherd along with the help of the widow Horcada, helps to smuggle Jewish children across the border from southern France into Spain.

The River(en)

Tom and Mae Garvey are a Tennessee farming couple battling violent floods to save their land. In addition to natural disasters, the Garveys fight to stop a selfish land developer and a local corporation from foreclosing on their farm. While Mae stays at home to care for their children and tend to the crops, Tom finds work as a scab at a steel mill to preserve his family's property.

Holy Lands(en)

When lapsed Jew and former cardiologist Harry suddenly decides to spend his retirement as a pig farmer in Nazareth, Israel, the move deeply shocks his family and his new neighbours. Back in New York, Harry’s ex-wife Monica is trying to manage the lives of their adult children, Annabelle and David, as well as her own.

Babylon(en)

Drama telling the story of Blue, a young man of Jamaican descent living in Brixton in 1980, as he hangs out with his friends, fronts a dub sound system, loses his job, struggles with family problems and has his friendships tested by racism.

Charm City Kings(en)

Mouse desperately wants to join The Midnight Clique, the infamous Baltimore dirt bike riders who rule the summertime streets. When Midnight’s leader, Blax, takes 14-year-old Mouse under his wing, Mouse soon finds himself torn between the straight-and-narrow and a road filled with fast money and violence.

Home Run(en)

A pro ball player with a substance abuse problem is forced into rehab in his hometown, finding new hope when he gets honest about his checkered past, and takes on coaching duties for a misfit Little League team

Gracie(en)

A teenager faces an uphill battle when she fights to give women the opportunity to play competitive soccer.

The Kindness of Strangers(en)

Clara and her two sons escape from her abusive husband with little more than their car and plan to start over in New York. After the car towed away, the family meets Alice, who gets them into an emergency shelter. While stealing food at a Russian restaurant called ‘Winter Palace’, Clara meets Marc, who has been given the chance to help the old eatery regain its former glory. The ‘Winter Palace’ soon becomes a place of unexpected encounters between people who are all undergoing some sort of crisis and whom fate has now brought together.

Family Romance, LLC(en)

Love is a business at Family Romance, a company that rents human stand-ins for any occasion. Founder Yuichi Ishii helps make his clients’ dreams come true. But when the mother of 12-year-old Mahiro hires Ishii to impersonate her missing father, the line between acting and reality threatens to blur.