A Fragile Life

Sylvie's Story

January 1986 •English

This short film recreates the experience of Sylvie, a battered woman who seeks shelter in a Montréal transition house. Faced with the threat of violence, loneliness, the lack of financial resources or information about services, the victim is often understandably reluctant to seek help. Emphasizing the importance for women of speaking out, the film also points out the role of the transition house in putting victims of abuse in touch with appropriate legal and social services.

Year of the Dog

January 2022 •English

Follows musician and DJ Simone Marie Butler as she attempts to understand the life of homeless people and their dogs, and how the charity Dogs on the Street has helped them.

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill

October 2003 •English

A homeless musician finds meaning in his life when he starts a friendship with dozens of parrots.

Community First, A Home for the Homeless

March 2019 •English

Community First! Village is designed to lift the chronically homeless off the streets of the Austin, TX, offering them a place to call home, helping them to heal from the ravages of life on the streets, and allowing them to rediscover a purpose in their lives. This documentary explores the events that cause homelessness and the heartwarming stories of being welcomed into a nurturing environment where dignity and self-worth are restored.

Without Mercy

May 2019 •German

The animated documentary - a mix of live-action footage and animation - tells of the brutal everyday life in the orphanages of the 60s / 70s. Often led by Christian orders, more than one million children were physically and physically abused here. The anonymous protagonist tells of her childhood and her very personal struggle against the nuns' arbitrariness and their ruthless authority.

Art From the Streets

June 2006 •English

Award winning feature documentary about an art program for homeless people.

Rompamos con el maltrato

May 2007 •Spanish

Abused by My Girlfriend

February 2019 •English

The remarkable story of Alex Skeel, a 23-year-old man from Bedford who survived an abusive relationship with his girlfriend Jordan Worth

Pablo

November 2013 •English

Documentary that follows Pablo, a man that used to live on the streets in Brazil

Beating Justice: The Martin Lee Anderson Story

January 2011 •English

Uncovers the system of abuse and denial that killed a 14-year-old boy in a Florida Boot Camp.

Seattle is Dying

March 2019 •English

KOMO Anchor Eric Johnson takes an in-depth look at the impact the drug and homelessness problem is having on our city and possible solutions in "Seattle is Dying," a news documentary that aired on KOMO-TV in March, 2019.

Trickle Down Town

October 2018 •English

Tomasz Biernacki’s thought-provoking documentary about the homeless crisis in Seattle. Deftly interweaving in-depth stories of community members who are living the crisis on the streets with interviews of political leaders and community advocates, vivid images of the current state of affairs and a poignant examination of the roots of homelessness in the region, Biernacki paints a picture of a city struggling to come to grips with an unprecedented emergency, and finds a few glimmers of hope.

Holy Water-Gate: Abuse Cover-up in the Catholic Church

July 2004 •English

The film begins as a personal journey of filmmaker, Mary Healey, who was also a Catholic. She films a series of historic events where we meet key players involved in the sexual abuse scandal, including victims, whistle-blower priests and a senior ranking US Cardinal who is called upon by the Vatican to control a waxing maelstrom.

Hand of God

April 2007 •English

In recent decades, more than 10,000 children reportedly were sexually abused by Catholic priests in the US. From behind the headlines, filmmaker Joe Cultrera tells the very personal story of how the crisis affected his family. It is the intimate story of how his brother, Paul, was molested in the 1960s by a priest who also reportedly abused nearly 100 other children. In an emotional film, the Cultrera family tells their story of faith betrayed.

Thieves of Innocence

October 2005 •French

Every year in Quebec, 25,000 reports of children being beaten, sexually abused or abandoned are retained by the Directorate of Youth Protection. And nearly 40% of babies who die in the province to die because of the violence of their parents. This explains the fact that nearly 30,000 children are supported by the DPJ until the age of 18. But this government agency is in a position to meet the needs of young people? Journalist and documentary filmmaker Paul Arcand presents the testimonies of children and adult victims of abuse of all kinds, and interviews politicians, social workers and members of the judiciary on their perception of the problem. In addition, Arcand denounces the carelessness of a bureaucratic system that does not always seem to be concerned about the well-being of those for whom they are responsible.

Det svåra livet

January 2001 •Swedish

This documentary follows Pia, who is homeless. She is struggling with her drug addiction. During the day she (and many other homeless people) sells the newspaper Situation Sthlm.

Det nya livet

January 2004 •Swedish

It has been three years since Tom Alandh made the film "Det svåra livet" about homeless drug addict Pia. This film shows what has happened to her since.

Leva Livet

January 2011 •Swedish

Ten years after documentary filmmaker Tom Alandh started filming homeless drug addict Pia Sjögren, he makes his third and final film about her. Pia was 14 years old when she started smoking cannabis and using drugs. Then it all happened really fast. The heavier drugs, the men who beat, and years of cold nights in basements and attics. Treatment and punishment. Rehabs and prisons. Relapse. Constantly back, at the complete bottom, among shame and guilt. For ten years, Tom Alandh and photographer Björn Henriksson documented Pia's life. Two films were made, this is the third and last film, which shows how she managed to get clean against all odds.

This Beggar's Description

July 2006 •English

It's a sensitive, moving doc chronicling the life of Tétrault's brother Philip , a Montreal poet, musician and diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic. A promising athlete as a child, Philip began experiencing mood swings in his early 20s. His extended family, including his daughter, share their conflicted feelings love, guilt, shame, anger with the camera. They want to make sure he's safe, but how much can they take?

The Salt Mines

October 1990 •English

Explores the lives of Sara, Gigi and Giovanna, three Latino transvestites who for years have lived on the streets of Manhattan supporting their drug addictions through prostitution. They made their temporary home inside broken garbage trucks that the Sanitation Department keeps next to the salt deposits used in the winter to melt the snow. The three friends share the place known as "The Salt Mines".