In Spite of Ourselves

Megalopolis facing sea level rise(fr)

Star Wars Kid: The Rise of the Digital Shadows(fr)

Ghyslain Raza, better known as the “Star Wars Kid,” breaks his silence to reflect on our hunger for content and the right to be forgotten in the digital age.

The Plane That Fell From the Sky(en)

On April 4, 1979, TWA Flight 841 came within seconds of crashing following a mysterious nosedive. In an exceptional television documentary, CBS News recounted the events of the flight, the official investigation, and the ongoing controversy over where responsibility lay for what took place. Producers Paul and Holly Fine painstakingly reconstructed the flight, reuniting many members of the crew and most of the passengers for a frighteningly realistic re-creation of their shared nightmare. Distinguished by its fairness, thorough attention to detail and reliance on the facts of the incident as reported by the crew and in subsequent investigations, this program is television documentary at its best. For handling an unusual subject in an informative and riveting manner, a Peabody was awarded to CBS News for The Plane That Fell From The Sky.

Rojek(ku)

After the impressive Gulistan, Land of Roses (VdR 2016), the Kurdish filmmaker Zaynê Akyol returns with these conversations with imprisoned members of the Islamic State, alternating their words with aerial views of the countryside. An unexpected look at a far-reaching current political issue and a film whose subject matter and rhythm create an impressive cinematic object.

Total Trust(zh)

By exploring the relationship between the watched and the watching, our film uncovers the trauma and hope engendered by the Chinese all-surveilling state and lends a voice to those that stand in resilient defiance of such blatant abuse of power.

Seven Years in May(pt)

One night seven years ago, Rafael came home after work and discovered that people he did not know had come looking for him. He immediately fled, without looking back. From that moment on, his life changed, as if that night had never ended. One evening, around an improvised fire near a factory, he decides to confide his journey to a stranger. Rafael’s intimate account meets the collective testimony of an entire nation oppressed by poverty, police repression and institutional corruption.

Just Like You: Anxiety + Depression(en)

10 brave kids, 2 Emmy award winning journalists, 1 clinical psychologist at Columbia University and 1 determined mother take on the fear and stigma plaguing the mental health community, leaving us enlightened, empowered and equipped to either live life or lift up life with these challenging and even life threatening conditions.

What Is a Woman?(en)

Matt Walsh's controversial doc challenges radical gender ideology through provocative interviews and humor.

The Pink Room(en)

After selling herself at fourteen to a brothel inside her home town of Svay Pak, Mien takes an undesired path all over Cambodia for the remainder of her teenage life. At twenty, her path crosses with a group of people fighting to make a difference, bringing her long and onerous journey back to face where it all began. The Pink Room is an intertwined story of the heart-rending, epic battle to end sex slavery, from rescue to prevention, and experiencing first hand, the need to change not just individuals, but the communities they come from. Most documentaries on trafficking only bring awareness to the problem. This film bring awareness to the solutions.

Draw Me Egypt - Doaa El-Adl, A Stroke of Freedom(en)

Doaa el-Adl, the first woman to be awarded the esteemed Journalistic Distinction in Caricature, serves as a catalyst for transformation within the predominantly male-dominated realm of Egyptian political cartoonists. Challenging patriarchal norms, she routinely confronts censorship, harassment, and even threats to her life. In a remarkable fusion of documentary, cartoons, and animation, Egyptian director Nada Riyadh breathes life into el-Adl's most renowned works. This dynamic and fearless presentation delves into the issue of violence against women, stretching the boundaries of freedom of speech in a society often characterized by restrictions. Through her exceptional talent, el-Adl not only champions women's rights but also serves as an inspiration for societal change.

Citizen Shane(en)

A porn-loving, Charles Manson-befriending, Mississippi Republican runs to become the next sheriff.

Pourquoi encore penser ? À l'heure de l'intelligence artificielle(fr)

What the #$*! Do We (K)now!?(en)

Amanda is a divorced woman who makes a living as a photographer. During the Fall of the year Amanda begins to see the world in new and different ways when she begins to question her role in life, her relationships with her career and men and what it all means. As the layers to her everyday experiences fall away insertions in the story with scientists, and philosophers and religious leaders impart information directly to an off-screen interviewer about academic issues, and Amanda begins to understand the basis to the quantum world beneath. During her epiphany as she considers the Great Questions raised by the host of inserted thinkers, she slowly comprehends the various inspirations and begins to see the world in a new way.

Wisconsin Crisis: Why it matters to Alberta(en)

An in-depth look at the early 2011 crisis for public sector unions in Wisconsin, and why it matters in Alberta.

The Jewish-Roman Wars(de)

In the first century, after the death of Herod the Great, Judea goes through a long period of turbulence due to the actions of the corrupt Roman governors and the internal struggles, both religious and political, between Jewish factions, events that soon lead to the uprising of the population and a cruel war that lasts several years and causes thousands of deaths, a catastrophe described in detail by the Romanized Jewish historian Titus Flavius Josephus.

Crownsville Hospital: From Lunacy to Legacy(en)

Crownsville Hospital: From Lunacy to Legacy is a feature-length documentary film highlighting the history of the Crownsville State Mental Hospital in Crownsville, MD.

The Body Politic(en)

With unfettered access, the film follows Baltimore's idealistic young mayor into office, where he puts his personal and political future on the line to save his beloved city from chronic violence.

Napoleon’s James Bond(de)

Charles Louis Schulmeister (1770-1853) was a smuggler and a revolutionary, but also a chief of police and Napoleon Bonaparte's favorite spy. A look back on his adventurous life with the purpose of unraveling the many mysteries of his unique path.

Civil: Ben Crump(en)

Crump's mission to raise the value of Black life as the civil lawyer for the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Black farmers and banking while Black victims, Crump challenges America to come to terms with what it owes his clients.

Liberty: Mother of Exiles(en)

A look at the history of the Statue of Liberty and the meaning of sculptor Auguste Bartholdi's creation to people around the world.