2021 | United Arab Emirates | 10 mins

Director: Nadia Durry

VIEWING REGION: Canada

An Ethiopian woman’s embrace of her identity through the color of her skin.

2022 | Belgium | 19 mins

Director: Sébastien Pins

In a small rural village, a young boy befriends Fernand and Andrée, a farmer couple who, at 80 years old, find themselves in trouble feeding their remaining livestock. The boy doubles his efforts to help them but can’t avoid the inevitable: they are forced to take the terrible decision to first give up their donkey, then their cherished cows, sold to the livestock market.

2022 | USA | 21 mins

Director: Ben Proudfoot

Told by her daughter Wendy, MINK! chronicles the remarkable Patsy Takemoto Mink, a Japanese American from Hawaii who became the first woman of color elected to the U.S. Congress, on her harrowing mission to co-author and defend Title IX, the law that transformed athletics for generations in America for girls and women.

2022 | USA | 6 mins

Director: Gabriel Diamond

A group of activists—all strangers—from more than 15 countries meet online in the midst of a global pandemic. In this touching short documentary we see how people can connect with each other in surprisingly profound ways, despite being strangers in different countries living very different lives.  This is a life affirming testament to how the power of human connection can transcend language, distance, a global pandemic, and technology limitations, and shows how humans anywhere can be united by their common urge to create a better world.

2021 | Iraq | 26 mins

Director: Maythem Ridha

Guided by his grandmother’s haunting Sumerian lament, 9-year-old orphaned mute Ali takes his favourite sheep for sacrifice. Over a 400km journey they bear witness to the beauty and unravel the ills of Iraq. Can both boy and sheep survive the hardship and accept their fate? A lyrical tale about the loss of childhood against the harsh realities of adult life.

2020 | Singapore, Germany, UK | 17 mins

Director: Hannes Rall

An animated documentary about the relevance of Shakespeare’s classical works for digital natives in Singapore: with live action and animation combined. The film was created in close collaboration with the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Director: Jessie Posthumus

Austen is a mathematics student, a marathon-runner, and a terrible artist. His paintings are awful, but he couldn’t care less; they aren’t for anyone but him. In a culture that habitually rewards perfection and performance, Austen is a whimsically poignant story about a young man who sucks at his hobby — painting — and finds joy in it anyway. Failure is wrapped up in so much baggage — anxiety, stress, intimidation, and social pressure. This short doc is about embracing failure and unlocking a powerful and innovative tool for supporting mental health — letting go of judgment and sucking at what you love.

Director: Sindha Agha

Plagued by overwhelming anxiety about climate change, a filmmaker decides to start seeing a climate psychologist in hopes that she can find some peace of mind at what she’s pretty sure is the end of the world. The resulting documentary is an intimate, strikingly candid self-portrait of the intersection between climate change and mental health, an emotional journey which weaves in and out of fear, helplessness, guilt, anger and ultimately healing.

Director: Amy Bench

One night at her home in southeastern Congo, 14-year-old Mugeni awakes to the sounds of bombs. As her family scatters to the surrounding forests to save themselves, Mugeni finds herself completely alone. From there, she sets out on a remarkable solo journey across the globe, determined to reunite with her lost loved ones and lift up the Banyamulenge people. Despite unimaginable obstacles, Mugeni’s story is ultimately a portrait of hope, love, and family bonds.