Directing
The causes underlying the collapse of civilizations are usually traced to overuse of resources. As we write this, the world is reeling from economic chaos, peak oil, climate change, environmental degradation, and political turmoil. Every day, the headlines re-hash stories of scandal and betrayal of the public trust. We don't have to make outraged demands for the end of the current global system - it seems to be coming apart already. But acts of courage, compassion and altruism abound, even in the most damaged places. By documenting the resilience of the people hit hardest by war and repression, and the heroism of those coming forward to confront the crisis head-on, END:CIV illuminates a way out of this all-consuming madness and into a saner future. Backed by Jensen's narrative, the film calls on us to act as if we truly love this land. The film trips along at a brisk pace, using music... Written by Franklin Lopez
A very human tech doc, uncovers the real costs of the platform economy through the lives of workers from around the world for companies including Uber, Amazon and Deliveroo. From delivering food and driving ride shares to tagging images for AI, millions of people around the world are finding work task by task online. The gig economy is worth over 5 trillion USD globally, and growing. And yet the stories of the workers behind this tech revolution have gone largely neglected. Who are the people in this shadow workforce? It brings their stories into the light. Lured by the promise of flexible work hours, independence, and control over time and money, workers from around the world have found a very different reality. Work conditions are often dangerous, pay often changes without notice, and workers can effectively be fired through deactivation or a bad rating. Through an engaging global cast of characters, it reveals how the magic of technology we are being sold might not be magic at all.
How do we influence the world around us? A fluid analysis tool ordinarily used in the laboratory offers new interpretations of human interaction and provides surprising insights about our place in the world.
Alan built a castle in rural Illinois with his late love Adrianne. Facing life alone, he revisits their fantasy through musical reenactments transporting him to the world they shared.
Dr Gabor Maté has become one of the world’s most influential thinkers about addiction, trauma and childhood development on the back of books like In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, The Myth of Normal and When the Body Says No. He’s pioneered the idea of Compassionate Inquiry as a therapeutic approach, and worked for over a decade on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
On August 26th, 2010, fourteen filmmakers followed multiple stories in the Montreal neighbourhood of St-Henri. The result is a touching, funny and fascinating day-in-the-life of this eclectic community.
Moving between a local microcosm and the global oil crisis, H2Oil weaves together a collection of compelling stories of people who are at the front lines of the biggest industrial project in human history: Canada's tar sands. H2Oil is a feature-length documentary that traces the wavering balance between the urgent need to protect and preserve fresh water resources and the mad clamoring to fill the global demand for oil. It is a film that asks: what is more important, water or oil? Will the quest for profit overshadow efforts to protect public health and the environment in Canada's richest province?
Follows stories of people who are creating new relationships with landscapes that have been disrupted by human activity in vastly different parts of the world
The Japanese matsutake mushroom flourishes in formerly logged, second-growth forests, creating a unique human and non-human ecosystem and economy in northern British Columbia.
Part travelogue, part urban allegory – and a fresh perspective on Jozi. Filmmakers Lalloo and Walsh, drawing on a rich tradition of city- centred direct cinema practitioners, bring together a team of women directors, and offer a curious record of life in urban Jozi that de-mystifies the oft-maligned metropolis. Shot over the course of a single day and along the length and breadth of Jeppe, we meet 5 charming characters. Familial love is behind Congolese restaurateur Arouna’s success, nostalgia binds Ravi to his dusty framing shop that has been in his family for over 3 decades, ambition drives JJ’s ruthless property development, tradition is at the heart of acapella singer Robert’s all male Zulu choir, and everyday philosophy gives urban recycler Vusi his momentum. In one day these characters reveal the city’s textures and breathe life into the decayed inner city neighborhood.
