Films

Films

Watch over 200 films curated from 140 countries around the globe, and featuring over 40 languages. SIMA Academy offers you unprecedented access on any device to authentic global perspectives and visually engaging current affairs media. Plus a constantly refreshed selection of international productions from independent distributors.

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Films
  • Can I Hug You? *Viewer Discretion Advised*

    In the city of Qom, the most restricted city in Iran, there are many restrictions on human rights such as mandatory hijab to assure sexual safety; Hossein (M, 30) grew up in this environment and experienced multiple sexual assaults by men, despite these measures. Due to stereotypes around masculi...

Extras

  • The Happiness Shop

    THE HAPPINESS SHOP is more than just a retail shop in the streets of Vietnam - it’s a beacon of empowerment and inclusivity. Founded with a unique mission to provide meaningful employment opportunities for women with disabilities. Through their work crafting souvenirs from recycled materials, the...

  • Hush Now

    HUSH NOW. offers a bluntly intimate look at world leaders during some of their everyday moments, pondering what’s in their minds when the world mourns, what they think about when they're alone, in their moments of relaxation, or what they dream about during their power naps.

    Director(s): Laen Sa...

  • Forward

    While navigating a myriad of life challenges, Anjelica turned to the outdoors to improve her mental health only to discover a noticeable lack of other plus-size women of color on trail. By posting a simple flyer looking for more women to hike with, Anjelica created a community she never could hav...

  • Burnt Country

    Could Australia’s past help secure its future? 65,000 years in the making, BURNT COUNTRY is about fighting fire, with fire. Exploring the profound knowledge and wisdom of First Nations, this film is an invitation to connect to country and community.

    Director(s): Kirsten Slemint
    2024 | 18 minute...

  • At the Salty Water

    In Cape Town's V&A Waterfront, a dedicated team works to protect urban wildlife amid the hustle of crowds and a busy harbour. They strive to resolve conflicts, safeguard species, and promote harmony between people and animals. Their efforts reflect compassion, aiming for a future of coexistence i...

  • Adidas Owns the Reality

    Prankster activists perform an elaborate hoax to improve conditions for garment workers in the Adidas supply chain. Staging a shocking runway show at Berlin Fashion Week, they use humor and mischief to make the world pay attention to labor and environmental abuses that the massive sportswear bran...

  • A Hand to Hold *Viewer Discretion Advised*

    In the heart of Los Angeles, two members of an innovative Street Medicine team devote their livelihood to helping their unhoused patients receive care, hope, and connection.

    Director(s): Reed Martin
    2023 | 22 minutes
    United States |
    Language(s): English
    Subtitles: English

  • We Exist in Memory

    How do you rebuild home from nothing but memories? We are thrust us into the intimate conversations between Maria and her grandchild, Marucha: two Indigenous refugees living in displacement. To Maria, the Venezuelan delta is her home. To Marucha, refugee camps are all she knows. Through the rhyth...

  • Strangled *Viewer Discretion Advised*

    Garment worker Veasna bets big on her husband’s barber shop, providing her family’s land title as collateral to obtain a microfinance loan and finance his business. Soon after opening, the business goes bust and her husband runs off with his mistress, leaving her alone to face credit officers. Ph...

  • The Last Ice Age

    For storyteller Andri Snær Magnason, climate change is so big, it’s larger than language. Retracing his grandparents’ annual spring journey to Iceland’s Vatnajökull glacier to witness the loss of Europe’s largest ice cap with his son, Andri Snær Magnason searches for the stories that can help him...

  • Mourning Sunshine

    In their new album, the Catalan group Xiula delves into death and mourning. As both musicians and therapists and educators, they decide to spend a weekend in the countryside with families who have lost loved ones and are willing to share their experiences to collectively create a song. This poign...

  • Eternal Father

    26 years older than his wife, Nasar has started a family late in life. Afraid that he won't be around to see his children grow up, he decides to be cryogenically frozen upon death in the hope of coming back to life. As his family grapples with what it means for their lives, and whether they shoul...

  • Radio Dadaab

    Dadaab, the world’s second largest refugee camp, faces a new influx of refugees. Fardowsa, a stateless journalist born and raised in the camp, becomes a voice for the voiceless through the camp’s radio station, amplifying stories of climate, migration, and hope.

    Director and Producer: Environmen...

  • Ocean's Harbor House

    Since 1988, Ocean’s Harbor House in New Jersey has offered refuge, aid, and intervention for vulnerable youth and families. Through their transitional living program, one determined young woman found solace, leading to a transformative journey from hardship to newfound strength. Her experience ig...

  • Grey Power

    Meet some of Tasmania's retired professionals who are making some noise about issues close to their hearts; proving that getting older doesn't always mean staying safe or slipping into invisibility. In fact, sometimes, it can bring with it great power.

    Directors: Lara van Raay
    Producer: Lara van...

  • Empowerment In Action: The Eco Spanish School Story

    This documentary will take you on an inspiring journey through the lives of Maria and Benedicto, two extraordinary individuals whose determination, resilience, and dedication have turned adversity into opportunity. Their Eco Spanish School, once a humble dream, has blossomed into a thriving succe...

  • Colorful Souls

    Colorful Souls spotlights Alma de Colores, a unique restaurant and store that predominantly employs individuals with disabilities, providing them with a sense of dignity and community through the opportunity to work. At the center of the narrative is Marta, a deaf cook at Alma de Colores. Through...

  • Waking Up In Silence

    Ukrainian children are confronted with their past as they explore their new home in Germany: a former Wehrmacht military barracks.

    Directors and Producers: Mila Zhluktenko and Daniel Asadi Faezi

    2023 | 18 min

    Ukraine | Germany

    Languages: Ukrainian, German

    Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
    ...

  • Jack and Sam

    Jack and Sam is poignant documentary about two Holocaust survivors miraculously reunited after 80 years. Now in their late 90s, they are spending the precious time they have left rekindling their friendship and educating others about the dangers of hatred.

    Director: Jordan Matthew Horowitz
    Produ...

  • Into The Blue

    12-year-old Tatheer embarks on a week-long Police boot camp for girls from a social housing estate in Copenhagen. Far from home, deep in the woods, she navigates grueling rituals, elusive social dynamics, and personal setbacks to find her place in this tender and revealing coming-of-age story.

    D...

  • Between Earth and Sky *Viewer Discretion Advised*

    For her entire professional life, renowned ecologist Nalini Nadkarni pioneered climbing techniques to study "what grows back” after an ecological disturbance in the rainforest canopy. Now, after surviving a life-threatening fall from a tree, she must turn her research question onto herself in ord...

  • Ifine (Beauty)

    Set in the Kono district of Sierra Leone, this documentary film captures the beauty of blackness through the lens of the youth coming of age amid a skin-bleaching epidemic.

    Director: Adisa Septuri, Ebony Gilbert
    Producer: Adisa Septuri, Ebony Gilbert

    2022 | 30 min

    Sierra Leone

    Languages: Sier...

  • The Ruth Brinker Story

    The life of legendary AIDS activist Ruth Brinker and her legacy of healing people through meals with love in San Francisco.

    Director: Apo Bazidi
    Producer: Burn A Light Productions

    2022 | 23 min

    USA

    Languages: English

    Subtitles: English, Spanish

  • Taking Flight

    In an area where traditional education fails students, one Mayan woman starts her own school in order to rebuild her community from the ground up. Through her integral education, which includes meals for students and workshops for their parents, Ingrid Villaseñor strengthens her home of Panajache...