Yves Bisaillon

A Canadian documentary depicting Quebec City as it celebrates its 400th anniversary.

A disturbing exploration of what it means to be a man Desert Wind unveils the innermost thoughts of 13 men about their lives and male identity, making a clean sweep of clichés. Their revelations -- a glimpse of the hidden side that few men spontaneously reveal -- are of equal interest for women.

A documentary about the many problems of Colombia, highlighting a leftist politician (the director's brother) who tries to improve the lot of the most vulnerable people in the country.

Zoom-out from a too-tight focus on problems like dropout rates, loss of motivation among students, and depression among teachers. Entering the daily lives of "problem cases" at a Montreal secondary school that sits at the bottom of the school performance rankings, Denys Desjardins sweeps away preconceptions about the quality of teaching in disadvantaged neighbourhoods and the alleged delinquency of the kids who live there. A far-reaching examination of student life that stimulates reflection on the role of school in our society and asks how willing we are to support and finance the school system so that it will not be merely a factory churning out parts for the social machine.

In a quest to rediscover the spiritual values of his own people, an African filmmaker from the Gourmantche tribe of Burkina Faso visits an Aboriginal band, the Atikamekw of northern Quebec. The resulting documentary is a dialogue between those who divine the future in the sand with those who use snow-encased sweat lodges to reconnect with the spiritual world.

A Tibetan immigrant returns to her home country to witness the Chinese occupation.

A Canadian documentary depicting Quebec City as it celebrates its 400th anniversary.

A disturbing exploration of what it means to be a man Desert Wind unveils the innermost thoughts of 13 men about their lives and male identity, making a clean sweep of clichés. Their revelations -- a glimpse of the hidden side that few men spontaneously reveal -- are of equal interest for women.

A documentary about the many problems of Colombia, highlighting a leftist politician (the director's brother) who tries to improve the lot of the most vulnerable people in the country.

Zoom-out from a too-tight focus on problems like dropout rates, loss of motivation among students, and depression among teachers. Entering the daily lives of "problem cases" at a Montreal secondary school that sits at the bottom of the school performance rankings, Denys Desjardins sweeps away preconceptions about the quality of teaching in disadvantaged neighbourhoods and the alleged delinquency of the kids who live there. A far-reaching examination of student life that stimulates reflection on the role of school in our society and asks how willing we are to support and finance the school system so that it will not be merely a factory churning out parts for the social machine.

In a quest to rediscover the spiritual values of his own people, an African filmmaker from the Gourmantche tribe of Burkina Faso visits an Aboriginal band, the Atikamekw of northern Quebec. The resulting documentary is a dialogue between those who divine the future in the sand with those who use snow-encased sweat lodges to reconnect with the spiritual world.

A Tibetan immigrant returns to her home country to witness the Chinese occupation.

Shots in the Dark is a snapshot of the current controversy surrounding vaccination. Although controversy over vaccinations is not new, current childhood immunization schedules include twice the amount of vaccines compared to 25 years ago, with multiple vaccines given simultaneously being the norm. In addition, elements used in the preparation of vaccines such as mercury and aluminum have not been tested for safety in humans since the early 1920’s. These facts, along with the increase in diagnosed cases of autism spectrum disorders and learning disabilities, coupled with the striking similarity in parental and physician post vaccination observations, direct the film’s exploration of the contention between government agencies, legal authorities, watchdog associations, drug companies, physicians, parents, and children.

This feature-length documentary retraces the journey of 4 Canadians who set off to climb the perilous north side of Mount Everest without the use of oxygen or sherpas. The group's ordeal gives us a rare insight into the human condition under stress, and, while immobilized on the edge of the mountain by extreme weather, we share the tensions that afflict the group's solidarity - threatening the dream of attaining the summit itself.

A documentary portrait of aspiring actors from the Conservatoire d’art dramatique de Montréal. Over an extended period, Bachir Bensaddek followed ten students subjected to a rigorous workload and drawn into the endless cycle of auditions. We watch them live their lives as they struggle to carve out a difficult path in a world where solidarity exists alongside competition, and where the playful joy of theatre collides with the urgent need to build a career.

Here in Toronto, four young Somali refugees are finishing high school. What did they bring with them? What did they find in Canada? Their testimonies, about us and about themselves, interspersed with newsreel footage and sequences of a theatrical creation in which they put all their soul, make them immediately endearing and overturn many prejudices held against refugees. A film that makes you want to get to know them better.

This short documentary studies life in the village of Kangirsujuaq, Nunavik. In this community on the edge of the Arctic Ocean, children’s laughter fills the streets while the old people ponder the passage of time. They are nomads of the wide-open spaces who are trying to get used to the strange feeling of staying put. While the teenagers lap up Southern culture and play golf on the tundra to kill time, the Elders are slowly dying, as their entire culture seems to fade away. Elisapie Isaac, a filmmaker born in Nunavik, decides to return to her roots on this breathtaking land. To bridge the growing gap between the young and the old, she speaks to her grandfather, now deceased, and confides in him her hopes and fears. Grappling with isolation, family relationships, resource extraction, land-based knowledges, the influence of Southern culture and the ongoing impacts of colonialism on Inuit ways of life, Elisapie Isaac offers a nuanced portrait of the North.

Drawing inspiration from their unique relationship, Virginie Francoeur explores the journey, work, and imagination of her father Lucien, an atypical creator, an uncategorizable provocateur, and offbeat Dad, worn out by a life of excess.

A blend of drama and documentary, this film follows several people caught up in the turmoil of the modern world. The drama centres on a woman who has burned out and who holds up her own despair – and her attempts to rebuild her life – as a mirror to the rest of us. With a blend of gravity and humour, Sylvie Groulx's film shows the absurdity of a society dedicated to the cult of speed at all costs.

This feature-length film tells the story of the passion between Marie de l’Incarnation, a mid-seventeenth-century nun and God, her "divine spouse." Fusing documentary and acting by Marie Tifo, whom we follow as she rehearses for this demanding role, the film paints an astonishing portrait of this mystic who abandoned her son and left France to build a convent in Canada, where she became the first female writer in New France.