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.

Films
  • Last Chance for Justice

    Human rights activist Azimjan Askarov was imprisoned in Kyrgyzstan in 2010 for a crime he says he did not commit. Ever since then, his wife Hadicha has campaigned tirelessly for his release. Now she sees one last chance for justice, in an appeal hearing at the country's supreme court. But as Hadi...

Extras

  • The Dream of Karabakh

    In The Dream of Karabakh, refugee and mother-of-five Shushan is living in Armenia after losing her home in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region during a war with Azerbaijan. She is grieving a double loss: her husband died in a car accident six months prior to the conflict.

    Shushan reminisces abo...

  • The Soul of a Teacher (Jiwa Pendidik)

    How does a veteran teacher help prepare the first batch of pandemic online-learning students to sit for the SPM exams (Malaysian Certificate of Education) in the under resourced Perimbun Secondary School? Teacher Rusmiyana and other veteran teachers find strength to learn and teach virtually, and...

  • Vida: Love, Hope and Justice in Exile

    In August 2021, a trial began in Stockholm, accusing an Iranian national, Hamid Nouri of murder and war crimes. Nouri was an Assistant Prosecutor at Gohardasht Prison in 1988 in Iran, a year when thousands of prisoners were killed for their political beliefs.

    Among those killed was Vida Rostamal...

  • Utapata Mwingine (You Will Get Another One)

    Utapata Mwingine (You Will Get Another One) is a documentary about the impact of stigma and silence surrounding Pregnancy and Infant Child Loss (PAIL) in Kenya. The film follows the founder of Empower Mama, Vivian Gaiko, a young Kenyan woman who lost her two-week old daughter after a sudden illne...

  • Big Dreams: A Tale of Resilience

    This story follows the life of Jerry, an innovative young Nigerian son of a farmers who strives to achieve his dream of building a fast car. A dream his parents saw as a waste of time, to achieve his dream He started to fabricate farm machines for his father and farmers in his community as he con...

  • Mas Prep (Moko Jumbies)

    Mas Prep (Moko Jumbies) is a captivating and immersive journey into the vibrant and under-appreciated world of traditional mas makers in Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean. This docu-series offers viewers a rare opportunity to witness the intricate process of creating breathtaking mas co...

  • Pizza, Democracy and The Little Prince

    Profound discoveries and new friendships take place during a conversation between Syrian children seeking refuge in Istanbul, and international students, volunteering in Turkey over their summer holidays.

    Directors: Alessandro Leonardi and Elena Horn
    2018 | 9 min
    Turkey
    Subtitles: English

    Filmm...

  • Queer Possibilities: A Conversation on Intergenerational Solidarity

    Queer Possibilities is a short film capturing a discussion between Sammie Ablaza Wills & Vince Crisostomo, two trans and queer Asian and Pacific Islander activists of different generations. In this mini-documentary, Sammie and Vince connect over the power of intergenerational solidarity, mistake-...

  • World and Me

    The boy who takes the water with difficulty, gives the water back to nature.

    Director & Producer: Eldor Kudratillayev

    2021 | 2 min

    Uzbekistan

    Languages: None

    Subtitles: None

  • Return of The Rhino

    An epic feat of community transformation—that’s how the local community brought the iconic Greater One-horned Rhino back to Manas National Park. The rhino, a pivotal species in the region, was lost to poaching and habitat destruction following Assam’s tumultuous Bodoland movement in the 1980s and...

  • War and Priest

    In the last two years over 25,000 young men in Georgia have become priests. But they haven’t found God; they’ve found a loophole to avoid mandatory military service. ‘War and Priest’ follows the Church of Biblical Freedom, formed by ground-breaking political party, Girchi. Armed with it’s own 7 c...

  • A Plastic Ocean

    A Plastic Ocean begins when journalist Craig Leeson, searching for the elusive blue whale, discovers plastic waste in what should be pristine ocean. In this adventure documentary, Craig teams up with free diver Tanya Streeter and an international team of scientists and researchers. They travel to...

  • Abuelos

    Separated by years of immigration policy, a young girl dreams of meeting her grandmother for the first time. Thanks to the bi-national cooperation of governments on both sides of the US/Mexico border, her grandmother embarks on a once-in-a-lifetime journey to reunite with her undocumented loved o...

  • Minerita

    Life and survival is incredibly difficult in the bleak Cerro Rico mining district in Potosi, Bolivia. This is true for the men risking their lives going down into the mine shafts looking for silver ore, but especially so for the women, who are viewed by the men as fair game.

    This powerful and br...

  • Free To Care

    A single mother with a passion for nursing, Lisa Creason wanted the freedom to pursue her dreams. When an unjust law prohibited her from doing so, she took the fight into her own hands and ended up opening doorways for thousands like her.

    Director: Chris Temple
    Producers: Jenna Kelly & Jo Jensen...

  • Angola Do You Hear Us? Voices From A Plantation Prison

    The story of Liza Jessie Peterson's shutdown performance of her play The Peculiar Patriot at Angola, America’s largest prison-plantation. The documentary examines what led to the shutdown, the material that confronted a system and the impact of her visit after it was erased by prison authorities....

  • Last Day Of Freedom

    When Bill Babbitt realizes his brother Manny has committed a crime he agonizes over his decision- should he call the police? Last Day of Freedom, a richly animated personal narrative, tells the story of Bill’s decision to stand by his brother in the face of war, crime and capital punishment. The ...

  • Tashi and The Monk

    On a remote mountaintop a brave social experiment is taking place. Former Buddhist monk Lobsang was trained under the guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and has created a unique community in the foothills of the Himalayas which rescues orphaned and neglected children. Five-year-old Tashi is ...

  • UnBroken

    Youth turn to Side by Side when others have given up on them. Facing a variety of challenges in their lives–whether gang violence, emotional disabilities, or aging out of the foster care system–each program tailors their approach to address every client’s specific needs. Three youth find themselv...

  • UNESCO We Teach Here, Uganda

    This video shows the experiences of local Ugandan and refugee teachers in a refugee camp in Uganda through professionally filmed footage and user-generated content where the teachers film their daily experiences themselves, allowing the viewer to share their daily experiences up close. Dedicated ...

  • Testimony of Ana

    Anaben Pawar is an elderly tribal woman accused of witchcraft in rural India. Through Ana's story, we delve into a deep-rooted culture of patriarchy and examine one of the most monstrous attacks on women's bodies in modern India: the witch-hunt.

    Director: Sachin Dheeraj Mudigonda

    Producers: Jan...

  • Forest, Indigenous People, and Industry

    Indonesia has the largest tropical rain forest on Earth. Therefore, Indonesia has long been known as the ‘lungs’ of the world. Forests has an important role in maintaining climate balance. But for indigenous peoples in Tanah Papua and the Maluku Islands, forests are not only as ‘lungs’. For them,...

  • Farmer's Footprint

    This film features the trials, learnings and victories of the four generation Breitkreutz family from Stoney Creek Farm transitioning from conventional farming to regenerative agriculture in Redwood Falls, Minnesota. Using conventional methods they saw their soils degrade and their input costs ri...

  • From Gangs to Gardens

    Organic gardener and vegan chef Ietef Vita is an award winning international recording artist and activist who uses Hip-Hop culture to inspire young people to connect to the earth by teaching them how to grow food, and cultivate healthy eating habits. Through his lyrics and gardens, Ietef is plan...