NFB

Beauty explores the lives of five gender-creative kids, each uniquely engaged in shaping their own sense of what it means to be fully human. Whether it’s dealing with bullies, explaining themselves to their parents, or navigating the uncharted waters of relationships, Bex, Lili, Fox, Tru, and Milo talk about their experiences and struggle to live in authenticity.

Ballet is so fascinating because of its grace and elegance. Behind its remarkable lightness, however, are long hours of work, suffering and discipline. It is an especially difficult art for children and teens who are just starting out. Christine Chevarie-Lessard shows us the training of young girls and boys, ready to give their all to fulfill their ambitions once accepted to the École supérieure de ballet du Québec. This affectionate look at their world shows us what feeds their passion, as well as the obstacles they face. Spanning the gamut from enchantment to disenchantment, the filmmaker beautifully captures the clash of strength and fragility going on in the minds and bodies of these stars in training.

A group of civilians embark on 12 weeks of intensive training that will see them gradually transformed into soldiers of the Canadian Armed Forces. For the third installment in his documentary series about the different stages of life, Jean-François Caissy offers a compelling portrait of the military experience, charting the paths of young adults who have made this singular career choice.

In Kenya, one in three girls will experience sexual violence before the age of 18, yet police investigations are rare. But 160 girls, including Alice, banded together with a multinational legal team led by Canadian lawyer Fiona Sampson and Kenyan social worker Mercy Chidi Baidoo to make legal history.

In 1963, Lena Wandering Spirit became one of the more than 150,000 Indigenous children who were removed from their families and sent to residential school. Jay Cardinal Villeneuve’s short documentary Holy Angels powerfully recaptures Canada’s colonialist history through impressionistic images and the fragmented language of a child. Villeneuve met Lena through his work as a videographer with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Metamorphosis is a compelling and visually stunning feature documentary that takes the pulse of our “shapeshifting” earth. Personal stories from front line climate crisis survivors and surprising perspectives from artists, authors, psychologists, and scientists give fresh insight into how humanity is being transformed by the ecological crisis we have created. You have never seen a climate change film like this.