Movies Similar to Michel Brault, l'instinct de vue

Back to the Land(1976)

Feature-length documentary as part of Pierre Perrault's Abitibian Cycle. The filmmaker questions the past and present of Abitibi and draws up, face to face, the promises of colonization in the 1930s and the great disappointment caused by the closing of the land in the 1970s. There are witnesses to the heroic era, including the cultivator Hauris Lalancette, as well as extracts from films by Father Maurice Proulx (1934-1940).

Cinéma Vérité: Defining the Moment(2000)

A documentary about direct-cinema from its very beginnings (Nanook of the North) to the fake-direct-cinema of the Blair Witch Project. All the important direct-cinema filmmakers are portrayed and/or interviewed: Leacock, Wiseman, Maysles, Pennebaker, Reisz and others.

Cesar's Bark Canoe(1971)

"This documentary depicts a canoe being built in the traditional manner. Cesar Newashish, a 67-year-old Attikamek of the Manawan Reserve North of Montréal, uses only birchbark, cedar splints, spruce roots, and gum. With a sure hand he works methodically to fashion a craft unsurpassed in function or beauty of design. Building a canoe solely from the materials that the forest provides may become a lost art, even among the Native Peoples whose traditional craft it is. The film is free of spoken commentary but text appears on the screen in Cree, French, and English." - Anthology Film Archives

Little Burgundy(1968)

"This film is one of the first French Unit productions of the “Société Nouvelle/Challenge for Change” program. When an old area of Montréal is to be demolished to make way for a new low-income housing development, is there anything the residents can do to protect their own interests? The film documents such a situation in the Little Burgundy district of Montréal and shows how the residents organized themselves into a committee that successfully influenced the city’s housing policy." - Anthology Film Archives

The Things I Cannot Change(1967)

"This feature documentary is considered to be the forerunner of the NFB's Challenge for Change Program. The film offers in inside look at 3 weeks in the life of the Bailey family. Trouble with the police, begging for stale bread, and the birth of another child are just some of the issues they face. Through it all, the father tries to explain his family's predicament. Although filmed in Montreal, the film offers an anatomy of poverty as it occurs throughout North America." - NFB

Belle famille(1978)

A working class family leaves St-Henri quarter in Montréal to build a new home in the countryside.

Friday: About Cars(1978)

"Montréal under the snow and the cold winter. It is the period of the year when the garage owners strike it rich. The automobile at the service of man? This small opus would rather show the contrary. This is one in a series of eight films titled “Chronicle of Everyday Life,” a project that filmmaker Jacques Leduc took four years to realize, and whose goal was to revisit Direct Cinema at a moment when it was already heavily “contaminated” by mainstream TV." - Anthology Film Archives

Mickey Rourke - Just like a man(2022)

The rise and fall story of a troubling and fragile actor who would eventually be recognized for his talent. The case of Mickey Rourke is a real turning point in the way men have portrayed themselves in American cinema.

Harvey Keitel - Between Hollywood and Independent Film(2024)

Shadows have followed Harvey Keitel wherever he went, from his blasphematory childhood, to the army and his iconic roles in films such as Scorsese’s Mean Streets and Taxi Driver. Treated as an outcast after being fired from the set of Apocalypse Now, he made a triumphant return with directors such as Tarantino and Jane Campion.

Steven Spielberg, the “New Hollywood” Prodigy(2025)

A new light on American filmmaker Steven Spielberg, Hollywood’s greatest director, offering a unique perspective on his work and digging into his personal influences.

Eddie Murphy : Hollywood's Black King(2023)

A popular icon in the 1980s and 1990s and a genius comedian, Eddie Murphy has never stopped challenging America on its identity issues. Coming back after a 25-year hiatus, the first great Black hero of the cinema appears today as a precursor who revolutionized the image of African Americans and opened many doors for his community.

The Human Race(2019)

An inspirational full-length documentary about six runners, all over the age of 50, as they each train for the biggest race of their lives. These six athletes cover quite the spectrum: from a father attempting his very first 5K - with his autistic son by his side, to beloved running icon Kathrine Switzer who, in 1967, became the first woman to officially run the Boston Marathon as a numbered entry, to an 80-year-old running a half-marathon in celebration of her birthday, to a cancer survivor’s attempt to run across all fifty states. We’ll find out what motivates them to keep going, we’ll delve deeply into their various training programs, and we’ll follow them all the way to the finish line - while getting to know their colorful personalities and gaining insight on how running has helped them through various struggles. Make no mistake, this documentary is not "cute. " These runners are dedicated, fierce, competitive. . . and they could probably outrun you.

That's All Folks! Tales from Termite Terrace(2014)

Meet the creators of the Looney Tunes, animation's zaniest and most beloved characters! Join Chuck Jones, Friz Freling and Mel Blanc as they share rare and personal memories about Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, and some of the wildest stories behind your favorite cartoons!

Syrie Mission Impossible(2017)

Harley Queen(2019)

A woman yearns to find her identity through her character:a supervillain, dancer and mother, in the Mena sector, or what they call "the largest ghetto in Chile", in Puente Alto, Santiago.

Jan Cox, a Painter's Odyssey(1988)

Biographical film about the life and work of the Belgian painter Jan Cox. Cox had a tempestuous youth, during which he co-founded the Jeune Peinture Belge group and worked on the fringes of the Cobra movement.

Never Stop: A Music That Resists(2017)

Featuring the pioneers of techno music Juan Atkins, Derrick May, Carl Craig, and Jeff Mills, Never Stop takes us into the fascinating universe of techno labels in Detroit. This film highlights the deep roots of the creation, more than thirty years ago, by each of the African-American pioneers of techno music, of their own record labels.

Viva Marília(2025)

The historical, political, and social context of Brazil in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, and the impact of each decade on the life and work of the acclaimed actress Marília Pêra.

Prinzessinnenbad(2007)

A film about three teenagers - Klara, Mina and Tanutscha - from the Berlin district of Kreuzberg. The trio have known each other since Kindergarten and have plenty in common. The three 15-year-olds are the best of friends; they are spending the summer at Prinzenbad, a large open-air swimming pool at the heart of the district where they live. They're feeling pretty grown up, and are convinced they've now left their childhood behind.

The Big One(1997)

The Big One is an investigative documentary from director Michael Moore who goes around the country asking why big American corporations produce their product abroad where labor is cheaper while so many Americans are unemployed, losing their jobs, and would happily be hired by such companies as Nike.