Here is a list of films you might be interested to check.
They are related to the weekly screenings by their topic or their visual
treatment. Many of them can be found at the JAC library (check the catalog), at your
neighborhood video club, on pay-per-view services (Netflix, AppleTV, etc.), or
online. The list will be (hopefully) continuously updated throughout the
semester.
DOCUMENTARIES ABOUT
WAR
A look at the war in Iraq, its
reasons, and it political consequences.
An adrenalin rush. Two filmmakers
are embedded with a unit fighting in the most dangerous valley in Afghanistan.
Be there with them, live the stress, the hardships, the violence. Decide what
you think of it.
A terrible and unforgiving look at
the practice of torture by the United States and their allies since the attacks
on the World Trade Center. Very hard to watch, very hard to accept, yet
absolutely essential.
Why do people torture other people?
What happened at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq? Who is to blame for the torture
that happened? Errol Morris interviews the very people who were condemned for
torture and gives us an inside view on their motivations.
An enlightening look at the start of
the second War on Iraq through the eyes of Al-Jazeera, the Arab world news
channel, and the US military Central Command. A true lesson in propaganda.
Interviews with one of the most
influential military advisors of the history of the United States. A brilliant
man with a troubling vision of the world.
DOCUMENTARIES BY
MICHAEL MOORE
In the wake of President Obama's
attempts to reform the health care system in the USA, Michael Moore
investigates the current state of the health industry in the United States and
compares it to many other countries, among which Canada.
When General Motors closes its
factories in Flint, Michigan, leaving thousands of employees without a job, Michael
Moore sets out to meet the CEO of GM to ask him about his reasons.
In this film, Michael Moore looks at
the actions and motivations of US President George W. Bush in the wake of the
attacks of September 2001 on the World Trade Center.
POETIC DOCUMENTARIES
The -qatsi trilogy, by Godfrey
Reggio, consists of three films created between 1983 and 2002. They all try to
present our relationship to the world around us through images and music (the
music is by Philip Glass).
From Ron Fricke, the maker of Baraka, Samsara brings you on a journey
of self and world discovery. The images are stunning, and the music is
hypnotizing. Watch it on the biggest screen you have access to.
A very unsettling and
completely original look at our contemporary methods of food production. With
only images and ambient (mechanical) sounds, this film shows us how detached we
have become from the food chain, and how we rely more and more on machines and
robots to deal with the life forms that allows us to live and grow.
DOCUMENTARIES ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY
The Times of Harvey Milk
A touching portrait of the first gay man elected in public office in the United States. Harvey Milk was a San Francisco City Supervisor who inspired millions of people and got assassinated for doing what he believed to be right. His story was also made into a fiction film with Sean Penn.
Paris is Burning
A look inside the New York City gay community, more specifically the drag queen balls very important to many Black and Latino men. This exploration of race, gender, and sexuality offers a unique glimpse of the height of an era.
Trembling Before G_D
A frank and touching look at how religious morality often conflicts with non-heterosexual sexual orientations. This film shows the hard choices of gay Hassidic and Orthodox Jews as they struggle to reconcile their faith and their desires.
After Stonewall
This film documents the gay and lesbian liberation movement from the riots at the end of the 1960s to the achievements of the turn of the millenium. It offers an insightful look into the sexual politics of the era and a history lesson about civil rights struggles.
MUSIC DOCUMENTARIES
Searching for Sugarman
This is the winner for best documentary at the last Academy Awards. An American singer, unknown at home, became an icon in apartheid South-Africa. But who is he? Why did he disappear? How did he die? The film is built like a police investigation and it keeps us well engaged. Don't even watch the trailer: the surprises are worth it!
Buena Vista Social Club
A group of forgotten Cuban musicians is rediscovered and they set out to conquer the music world... in their old age! This amazing film offers a very human view of Cuba, its culture, and its inhabitants. Very uplifting.
Dont Look Back
A masterpiece of observational documentary filmmaking, this film follows young singer Bob Dylan while on tour in England in 1965. The Direct Cinema approach really allows us to enter the intimacy of the singer and his entourage.
DOCUMENTARIES ABOUT HEROES AND QUESTS
Witness the famous “Rumble in the Jungle” when Mohammad Ali went to Zaire for an epic boxing match against George Foreman. Includes a great soundtrack of various soul artists.
In this thriller documentary, a group of environmental activists seek to stop the slaughter of dolphins in Japan. Very one-sided, yet very entertaining.
Follow young Black men from a poor neighborhood as they try to use their talents in basketball to get into a good school and, hopefully, eventually play for the NBA.
DOCUMENTARIES ABOUT TRADITIONS AND HISTORY IN QUEBEC
A mosaic of portraits and daily scenes building a portrait of life in the poor borough of Saint-Henri in the 1960s.
Entirely built from archival footage, this film documents the rise and slow disappearance of a central figure in the life of the 20th century: the phone operator (almost always a woman).
This seminal documentary explores the domination of English-speaking bosses over French-Canadian workers in the textile industry throughout the 1970s. The challenges faced by unqualified Québécois workers are exposed as the companies make decisions based only upon economical imperatives. (you can watch the English version through the Library website under Cotton Mill, Treadmill)
A candid and warm portrait of a once important figure all over Montreal: the owner of the corner convenience store (more than a simple dépanneur).
DOCUMENTARIES ABOUT IDEOLOGY
The capitalist ideology has established that corporations are in fact social persons. If it is so, what profile of person do they answer to? Through careful analysis, this film shows how corporations behave like psychopaths.
Showcasing Al Gore, former Vice-President of the United States, this film highlights how climate change is affecting our world.
Through intimate portraits tied to the transformation of the Yangtze River in China, this film shows how modern capitalism is challenging traditional farm-based ways of life.
Where does the food we eat come from? What control do we have over the food we buy and consume? What is the impact on the planet of our way of nourishing ourselves? This film answers these questions and raises many more. You will not see what you eat the same way.
Noam Chomsky, an American intellectual and social critic, explains how the media does not play its role in our democratic societies, and how it even serves the dominant ideologies by manipulating people.
DOCUMENTARIES ABOUT UTOPIA
A man, the last man, speaks to us from the future, explaining how our ignorance of all the signs sent to us by nature has brought about the downfall of humankind. This film shows us the opposite of a utopia; that is a dystopia, a world where everything has gone wrong.
To bring hope of a better future to the oppressed Tibetan people, Canadian filmmakers secretly bring them a recorded message of their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.
DOCUMENTARIES ABOUT FIRST NATIONS
The NFB has played an important role to document the lives of the First Peoples of Canada. The Aboriginal Peoples section offers a good selection of those to watch online.
Young Mohawk filmmaker Tracey Deer is part of the new generation of Native filmmakers documenting the challenges faced by her community in the 21st century, specially from women’s perspectives.
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