Garry Beitel

Chez Schwartz takes us inside a year in the life of Schwartz's Deli - the unique 75-year-old landmark on Montreal's historic Main. Filmed through changing seasons, from the quiet of early morning preparation to the frenetic bustle of packed lunch times and never ending line-ups, to the more relaxed ambiance late at night - Chez Schwartz is an evocative, cinematic portrait of a small spunky deli known worldwide equally for its atmosphere and smoked meat.

This feature documentary follows three newly arrived people in Canada and their experiences with the Canadian Refugee process. As claims are assessed and paperwork is double checked, we begin to examine exactly who can be considered a refugee.

This film takes us inside the world of cricket and the daily life of Montreal's Parc Extension - one of Canada's poorest yet most vibrant immigrant neighbourhoods.

This touching documentary follows a cast of blind and visually impaired actors as they prepare Dancing to Beethoven, a play about blindness. The film takes us deep into the lives of the actors. We hear stories of their shock and disbelief at first losing sight and of their struggles coping with a life without it. We hear them talk about grieving and pining for the visual world. They tell the moving story of how this play is itself a victory, a type of salvation, for each of them. By opening night, at the renowned Place des Arts in Montreal, they are a close-knit cast, well-honed and ready to step out of the wings and into the light.

In Pursuit of Peace follows four Canadians on the front lines of international peace initiatives - in South Sudan, Turkey, Congo and Iraq. We experience the challenges of their work, exploring how their peace building strategies are put to the test in this new 21st century paradigm of conflict resolution.

In the small Montreal municipality of Outremont, two very different communities live side by side: Hassidic Jews and their French-Catholic neighbors. This award-winning film examines the complex dynamics involved in this clash of cultures.

Socalled, aka Josh Dolgin, is the most supreme klezmer hip-hop funk artist in the world. A pianist, singer, rapper, accordion player, and magician, he's a demented Renaissance man and a multi-cultural mixmaster. THE SOCALLED MOVIE is a kaleidoscopic portrait which compiles 18 short films that display his electrifying craft and deep-rooted sense of history. Combining traditional Yiddish songs with funk, rap and everything in between, his tunes are densely layered tapestries of dizzying complexity. His encounters with legendary trombonist Fred Wesley (a key member of James Brown's bands) and klezmer hero David Krakauer are revelatory meetings of the mind, while his re-discovery of pianist Irving Fields turns the elder statesman into a YouTube phenomenon. With offbeat wit, intimacy and virtuoso performances, THE SOCALLED MOVIE is an enthralling documentary that shows how music can break down the boundaries that divide our world.

No description available.

An intimate portrait of a 48-year-old Montreal woman, born with cerebral palsy. Warm, good humored, acutely sensitive and keenly intelligent, the protagonist is wheelchair bound and unable to speak. She has learned to communicate through an intriguing system that uses subtle eye movements and slight facial gestures. Supported by a loving Greek family, she spends her days at an educational program for adults with similar disabilities. The film explores her unique relationships with family and caregivers, her dreams of love and travel, the poetry of her eyes and words.