North American Premiere
Named after a medieval Islamic philosopher and an iconic civil rights activist, Averroès and Rosa Parks are psychiatric units of the Esquirol Hospital in Paris. Their therapeutic model focuses on supporting patients with mental illness as they re-enter society. Like the hospital’s namesakes, these patients often resist and thoughtfully critique the system, discussing Nietzsche and philosophy with the staff, self-advocating for human affection and connection rather than clinical conversations with caregivers. These frank discussions provide a window into the deep inner lives of people usually ignored and dismissed by society.
After his Golden Bear winner On the Adamant (2023), Nicolas Philibert continues to document the Paris Central Psychiatric Group with a gentle, humane emphasis, structuring this film around a series of candid counseling sessions between patients and caregivers so that it feels like a collaboration with its subjects. It’s a powerful, thought-provoking film emphasizing the humanity of people suffering from mental illness while subtly examining the systems that constrain them.
Supported by
Media Partner
Community Partner
France
2024
In French with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Producer
Miléna Poylo, Gilles Sacuto, Céline Loiseau
Cinematography
Nicolas Philibert
Editor
Nicolas Philibert
Nicolas Philibert
Nicolas Philibert, born in 1951 in Nancy, France, is a renowned documentary filmmaker. After studying philosophy, he co-directed his first documentary His Master’s Voice (1978) with Gérard Mordillat. Philibert’s notable works include Louvre City (1990), In the Land of the Deaf (1992), and To Be and to Have (2001), which won the Prix Louis Delluc. Since 2002, more than a hundred tributes and retrospectives of his work have taken place around the world.
Filmography: Louvre City (1990); In the Land of the Deaf (1992); To Be and to Have (2002); La Maison de la radio (2013); On the Adamant (2023)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Time and Water
Sara Dosa (Fire of Love) turns her attentions from volcanoes to glaciers in this singular, personal collaboration with the Icelandic writer Andri Snær Magnason, who ruminates on the loss of ties to family and to landscape.
Mistura
This foodie film from Peru tells the story of a newly single socialite reinventing herself — and the local cuisine — after her husband has left her for a younger woman. Along the way, she finds support from unexpected places...
Hanami
On the volcanic island Cape Verde, young Nana is on the cusp of self-discovery. When her long-absent mother returns, the lyricism and magic of Nana's childhood take a different shape. Winner of the Best Emerging Director Award, Locarno Film Festival.
Everybody to Kenmure Street
This rousing documentary (100% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) never puts a foot wrong as it recreates a tense, prolonged stand-off between the police and the citizens of Glasgow when an Immigration Enforcement squad attempt to arrest two men from their homes.
Another World
This hit anime from Hong Kong gives us an unpredictable, sometimes darkly karmic tale taking place on either side of the afterlife involving a headstrong princess with bad karma and the spirit guide who tries to help her get on a better path.