The Universal Language

Language Matters with Bob Holman

January 2015 •English

There are over 6,000 languages in the world. We lose one every two weeks. Hundreds will be lost within the next generation. By the end of this century, half of the world's languages will have vanished. Language Matters with Bob Holman is a two hour documentary that asks: What do we lose when a language dies? What does it take to save a language?

Chasing Voices: The Story of John Peabody Harrington

April 2021 •English

For 50 years, controversial ethnographer John Peabody Harrington crisscrossed the United States, frantically searching and documenting dying Native American languages. Harrington amassed over a million pages of notes on over 150 different tribal languages. Some of these languages were considered dead until his notes were discovered. Today tribes are accessing the notes, reviving their once dormant languages, and bringing together a new generation of language learners in the hope of saving Native languages.

The Anti-Vax Conspiracy

June 2021 •English

Who are the people behind the international anti-Covid-vaccine movement and why are they doing it? This journey inside the astonishing world of the anti-vaxxers finds out.

Making Dances: Seven Post-Modern Choreographers

October 1980 •English

Made in 1980, this film explores the contemporary dance scene through the work of seven New York-based choreographers. They discuss the nature of dance and the evolution of their own work. Filmed at rehearsals, performances, and during interviews, the film is a unique primary source. The artistic roots of these seven artists can be found in Martha Graham's concern with modern life as a subject for dance and in Merce Cunningham's emphasis on the nature of movement. In the 1960s, the interaction of art forms generated choreographic innovations. Especially influential was John Cage, whose radical ideas served as a point of departure for much of the new choreography. Each of the choreographers in Making Dances draws inspiration from the Graham/Cunningham tradition, yet each makes a highly distinctive statement. Structure, movement in non-fictive time and space, and the nature of movement itself are recurring themes.

The Sketch

April 2023 •French

Upon his arrival in Paris, filmmaker Tomas Cali immerses himself in learning French, as well as the language of sketching. In an art studio, he meets transgender life model Linda Demorrir, who helps him to connect with himself and his new city in a profoundly different way.

Pidgin: The Voice of Hawai'i

October 2009 •English

What if you are made to feel ashamed when you speak your "mother tongue" or ridiculed because of your accent? "Pidgin: The Voice of Hawai'i" addresses these questions through its lively examination of Pidgin - the language spoken by over half of Hawai'i's people.

Kampen om Grønland

March 2020 •Kalaallisut

The world's largest island has been part of Denmark since 1721, but a significant majority of the 56.000 inhabitants now want independence. They feel their culture and language is threatened and is the main reason for the many suicides among young people. But the Danish speaking Greenlanders feel discriminated and want to keep the ties to Denmark. The film follows four strong young Greenlanders, who each in their own way insist on taking responsibility for the future of their country. The documentary explores the difficult balance between the right to self-determination and xenophobic nationalism. Between traditional culture and globalization.

Mom n' Me

June 2010 •English

The filmmaker traces the loss of her ancestral language over three generations of her family, and her own desire to recover it.

Tonite Let's All Make Love in London

September 1967 •English

Peter Whitehead’s disjointed Swinging London documentary, subtitled “A Pop Concerto,” comprises a number of different “movements,” each depicting a different theme underscored by music: A early version of Pink Floyd’s “Interstellar Overdrive” plays behind some arty nightclub scenes, while Chris Farlowe’s rendition of the Rolling Stones’ “Out of Time” accompanies a young woman’s description of London nightlife and the vacuousness of her own existence. In another segment, the Marquess of Kensington (Robert Wace) croons the nostalgic “Changing of the Guard” to shots of Buckingham Palace’s changing of the guard, and recording act Vashti are seen at work in the studio. Sandwiched between are clips of Mick Jagger (discussing revolution), Andrew Loog Oldham (discussing his future) – and Julie Christie, Michael Caine, Lee Marvin, and novelist Edna O’Brien (each discussing sex). The best part is footage of the riot that interrupted the Stones’ 1966 Royal Albert Hall concert.

Who Saw the Men in Black

November 2021 •English

Who are the Men in Black? Many have reported their own Men in Black experiences and eye witness accounts since the beginning of the UFO cover-up history. Walk through the true history of Men in Black events from the 1940s until now.

One Piece - En route vers l'épisode 1000

November 2021 •French

The Unseen Realm

August 2019 •English

Rebellion in God's council. Spirits of dead giants. Rival gods creating chaos. These are the things of myth and fairy tales, right? The Bible tells a different story. In the documentary The Unseen Realm, a light is cast on the strange and enigmatic plane of the supernatural that lies within the pages of Scripture. And what we discover are two distinct worlds—with vastly different inhabitants—created and ruled by one loving triune God. Based on the book by Michael Heiser. Featured exclusively at: faithlifetv.com/the-unseen-realm

Cree Code Talker

October 2016 •English

CREE CODE TALKER reveals the role of Canadian Cree code talker Charles 'Checker' Tomkins during the Second World War. Digging deep into the US archives it depicts the true story of Charles' involvement with the US Air Force and the development of the code talkers communication system, which was used to transmit crucial military communications, using the Cree language as a vital secret weapon in combat.

Those Who Come, Will Hear

June 2018 •Inuktitut

The documentary proposes a unique meeting with the speakers of several indigenous and inuit languages of Quebec – all threatened with extinction. The film starts with the discovery of these unsung tongues through listening to the daily life of those who still speak them today. Buttressed by an exploration and creation of archives, the film allows us to better understand the musicality of these languages and reveals the cultural and human importance of these venerable oral traditions by nourishing a collective reflection on the consequences of their disappearance.

The Yes Men Fix the World

January 2009 •English

THE YES MEN FIX THE WORLD is a screwball true story about two gonzo political activists who, posing as top executives of giant corporations, lie their way into big business conferences and pull off the world's most outrageous pranks.

Colours of the Alphabet

February 2016 •English

It is estimated that 40% of the world’s population lack the opportunity to be educated in their own language. In Colours of the Alphabet we get an insight into the challenges this poses as we follow a group of first graders in Zambia – a country with 72 local languages where education is primarily offered in English.

The Making of Jurassic World VelociCoaster

December 2021 •English

An inside look at the creation of Universal Orlando Resort's new Jurassic World VelociCoaster.

Grape Soda in the Parking Lot

May 2023 •English

Taqralik Partridge asks what if every language that had been lost to English — every word, every syllable — grew up out of the ground in flowers? Taqralik’s grandmother’s Scottish Gaelic and her father’s Inuktitut unfold in memories of her family, of pain, and of love.

On the Trail of Bigfoot: The Discovery

November 2021 •English

The biggest breakthrough in the search for Sasquatch has just been found in Northern Washington. Documentarian, Seth Breedlove heads to the Olympic Peninsula where he finds the Olympic Project; a Bigfoot research group who have found the best evidence for the existence of the creature. Breedlove and members of the Olympic Project head deep into the forests of the Pacific Northwest to learn more about the infamous “Nest Site”. A location that holds the key to understanding what people are encountering around the United States. Along the way they find that the evidence they seek might not be the only thing waiting for them in the shadowy woods… On the Trail of Bigfoot: The Discovery promises to make you question the way you look at the subject of unknown creatures in America.

Cree Way

January 1977 •English

This short documentary examines an innovative educational program developed by John and Gerti Murdoch to teach Cree children their language via Cree folklore, photographs, artifacts, and books that were written and printed in the community. Made as part of the NFB’s groundbreaking Challenge for Change series, Cree Way shows that local control of the education curriculum has a place in Indigenous communities.