The Benevolents | |
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French | Les Bienveillants |
Directed by | Sarah Baril Gaudet |
Written by | Sarah Baril Gaudet |
Produced by | Sarah Baril Gaudet |
Cinematography | Sarah Baril Gaudet |
Edited by | Justine Gauthier |
Distributed by | Travelling Distribution |
Release date |
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Running time | 16 minutes |
Country | Canada |
Language | French |
The Benevolents ( French: Les Bienveillants) is a Canadian short documentary film, directed by Sarah Baril Gaudet and released in 2021. [1] An exploration of contemporary loneliness and the importance of human social connection, the film is a portrait of various people who are training to become volunteers for Tel-Aide, a crisis hotline in Montreal, Quebec.
The film premiered at the 2021 Festival international du cinéma francophone en Acadie. It was subsequently distributed principally through Op-Docs, The New York Times's streaming platform for documentaries. [2]
At the 2022 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, the film received an honorable mention for the Betty Youson Award for Best Canadian Short Documentary. [3] It was a nominee for Best Short Documentary at the 2022 IDA Awards, [4] and a Canadian Screen Award nominee for Best Short Documentary at the 11th Canadian Screen Awards in 2023. [5]