
01 Apr 2019

Girl in the Hallway
A story from childhood and an indelible image continue to haunt Jamie many years later.
In an age dominated by the moving image what would it feel like to never see an image of the place that you came from?
The Palestinian Film Archive contained over 100 films showing the daily life and struggle of the Palestinian people. It was lost in the Israeli siege of Beirut in 1982. Here interviewees describe from memory key moments from the history of Palestinian cinema. These scenes are drawn and animated. Where film survives, the artist’s impressions are corroborated. This is a film about reconstruction and the idea that cinema is an expression of cultural identity – that cinema fuels memory.
01 Apr 2019
A story from childhood and an indelible image continue to haunt Jamie many years later.
01 Jan 1998
A 20-minute documentary film about the Kyrgyz people living by the Narym River.
01 Jan 1997
Life in a Kyrgyz aul (village) in the mountains connected to the rest of the world by a cable bridge, and the teenage boys who are constructing the rope of the bridge. A rope bridge which the locals call “The devil’s bridge” forms part of each and every event which takes place in a small village lost in the mountains of the Kyrgyz Republic. A platform driven by a huge winch which they have to pull with their own strength to cross the torrent is their only link with the outside world. But the director of the documentary wondered something else: “Does this bridge unite or does it actually separate?” Through the mist and over the thrashing waters, the inhabitants of the area glide along their ropes. A film, in the director’s own words, about ordinary people who live in an extraordinary place.
16 Apr 2006
How to combine modernity and fundamentalist Islam. "Saudi Solutions" is a unique and revealing documentary about the lifestyles and attitudes of ambitious career womenin conservative Saudi Arabia - the only country in the Arabworld where women are obliged to cover themselves inabayas and aren't allowed to drive cars. Because of the strong influence of fundamentalist Islam on society, filmingis severely restricted in Saudi Arabia. With unique access to the Kingdom, Backlight had the opportunity to film the daily routines of Saudi working women. This documentaryfeatures a top gyneacologist, a TV news anchor woman, a photographer, and a university professor. It also introducesthe wealthy Prince Al-Waleed, who passionately promotes the acceptance of women into the workforce. He kindly invitesBacklight to his luxury desert camp, but there are no women to be found - only thousands of men.
25 Jan 2017
Find Fix Finish delves into the stories of three US-Drone pilots revealing the clandestine operational strategies practiced by the US Government.
04 Feb 1987
Welcome to the circus arena, where all the characters are made of white paper.
04 Feb 1974
Short humorous sketches. The first is called "solid character", and it describes the history of a tough chick, which was brought to a hairdresser for the first time. The second is about the uncomplicated life of a bird, which, however, did not prevent her from publishing own memoirs. The last story, "Fathers and Sons" tells of the relationship of adults and offspring.
04 Feb 1978
The leader of a flock of geese talks about the cruelty of people, but not all of them.
01 Jan 1971
The old Cossack had a dunce son. And one day he decides to send him for training and re-education to the wizard Okh for a whole year.
04 Feb 1970
A Grandpa Owl lived in a forest. He had his favorite tree to which birds flew and animals came running when they needed help in solving life's problems and challenges. The Grandpa Owl helped everyone without exception, sharing his wisdom. And one day his grandson, a little owl, decided that the grandfather’s glasses were magic and took them away...
04 Feb 1986
Based on an episode from Victor Hugo's novel "Les Miserables".
04 Feb 1983
Away from people, animals, forests and fields stood a very tall tree. It did not need anyone, it was completely indifferent to everyone. Once a cat wanted to learn the style of life of the tree, which has allowed her to stay near it, so that she could take over its attitude to everything around. But eventually the cat affects the tree as well...
15 Sep 2007
This documentary captures the sounds and images of a nearly forgotten era in film history when African American filmmakers and studios created “race movies” exclusively for black audiences. The best of these films attempted to counter the demeaning stereotypes of black Americans prevalent in the popular culture of the day. About 500 films were produced, yet only about 100 still exist. Filmmaking pioneers like Oscar Micheaux, the Noble brothers, and Spencer Williams, Jr. left a lasting influence on black filmmakers, and inspired generations of audiences who finally saw their own lives reflected on the silver screen.
03 Jun 2017
A woman's mythological journey into a dystopian world.
11 May 2006
The life and times of the mexican pianist Julieta García Rello, as told by her granddaughter.
31 Dec 1999
Throughout the Islamic world, each year hundreds of women are shot, stabbed, strangled or burned to death by male relatives because they are thought to have “dishonoured” their families. They may have lost their virginity, refused an arranged marriage or left an abusive husband. Even if a woman is raped or merely the victim of gossip, she must pay the price. Crimes of Honour documents the terrible reality of femicide – the belief that a girl’s body is the property of the family, and any suggestion of sexual impropriety must be cleansed with her blood. We meet women in hiding from their families, a brother who describes his reasons for killing the sister he loved, and a handful of women who have committed themselves to the protection of young women in danger of losing their lives.
13 Feb 2008
One winter, a ravenous ogre terrorizes the land of King Balthasar. Meanwhile, a blizzard is brewing in Léon’s heart. Braving the cold, this adopted bear cub runs away from home. Léon has many an adventure during his travels. He befriends a hedgehog and an elephant, confronts an ogre, and sets Princess Molly Gingerbread free. His courage and integrity eventually lead him back to his family. In the end, the cub earns everybody’s respect.
20 Jun 2019
Gaza Fights for Freedom depicts the ongoing Great March of Return protests in the Gaza Strip, occupied Palestine, that began in 2018.
14 Aug 2022
The Korean legend of Ungnyeo, a bear reborn as a woman, becomes a percussive and mesmerizing riff on the themes of transformation and quarantine. Produced as part of the 13th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship.
14 Aug 2022
The distinctive three-note chime of the Toronto subway kicks off a zippy tale of bike theft and survival in an unfamiliar new town. Produced as part of the 13th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship.