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
Shadow of a Doubt
In our latest film studies series, FRAMEWORK, Michael van den Bos explores the work of Alfred Hitchcock across four monochrome masterworks. This week: smalltown US thriller Shadow of a Doubt (1943), one of the director's personal favourites.
La Bola Negra
A big, old-school historical melodrama gets a thrillingly modern, queer makeover from Spanish duo Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, who artfully juggle three gay protagonists across stories set in 1932, 1937, and 2017. Winner: Best Director, Cannes. Screening on 35mm.
The History of Concrete
After attending a workshop on pitching saccharine Hallmark movies, John Wilson tries to apply all the same best practices to his documentary about concrete. Frequently absurd and endlessly entertaining detours, asides, and digressions ensue.
NAZA
NAZA is a codeword euphemistically used by Israeli intelligence to indicate the number of civilians it expects will be killed in an airstrike. This chilling documentary exposes the policy and process of state-sanctioned mass killings.
The Best Years of Our Lives
One of the finest films to come out of WWII, The Best Years of Our Lives sympathetically conveys the difficulties returning veterans faced in readjusting to life at home. It won 7 of the top Academy Awards including Best Picture, Director and Actor.
Ray Gunn (Special Advance Screening with Brad Bird)
In an alternate future as seen from 1939, a private eye (Sam Rockwell) is drawn into a case involving aliens, murder, and a multimedia star (Scarlett Johansson). Followed by a moderated discussion with director Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille).