What Don't You Understand?

Thumbsucker(en)

Justin Cobb, a teenager in suburban Oregon, copes with his thumb-sucking problem, romance, and his diagnosis with ADHD and subsequent experience using Ritalin.

Thumbsucker - Behind the Scenes(en)

Alleen Ik (Only me, me alone)(nl)

Longing for acceptance, a neurodivergent boy taunts the boundaries of his best friend: his brother.

Trying(en)

Meg, a millennial painter with ADHD, navigates her life on the way to a job interview. What starts as a simple task turns into a race against the clock as she encounters society’s stigmas, unlikely allies, and challenges from her past.

All Day Happy Dance(en)

A single mom has one of her identical twin boys assessed and after being diagnosed with ADHD, he shares his medication, leading to adventures and consequences.

Hyper(en)

Jamie is a woman in her 30s who has recently been diagnosed with ADHD. The diagnosis doesn't come as a surprise, in fact it all now makes sense. She's constantly walking on eggshells, always scared of saying the wrong thing. Jamie and Allie are falling in love. Always late, messy and not listening, will Allie lose interest in Jamie?

Me & My Shadow(en)

After turning in his fourth late assignment, Sam is sent to his university's counsellor, Dr Miller. Struggling to focus and sit still, Sam reveals how his love for music and all things practical was neglected by his parents, who eventually pushed him into theoretical subjects he can't excel in. When the counsellor suspects he has ADHD, Sam reveals that he sometimes feels all his annoying impulses could be best described as an irritating "shadow"; a loud, brightly-dressed version of himself who never leaves him alone. She then asks Sam to recount the day when the "Shadow" led him through London, prioritising trivial tasks over his assignment, ultimately leading him to not hand it in on time.

Non Grata(es)

Julia and her son Dani with ADHD attend a birthday party to which they haven’t been invited. Parents seem reluctant to let them in but they end up letting them pass. The party goes on well until an aggression between the kids makes the adults to blame Dani and Julia loses her temper for defending him.

coping.(en)

Three individuals describe their unique ways of coping with everyday stress, anxiety, and mental health. A narrative short film presented as documentary-style interviews, exploring the honest, messy reality of coping mechanisms and neurodivergent life.

The Worst Ones(fr)

The story centres on a group of teenagers street cast in their neighbourhood and selected to play in a feature film during the summer. The film tells the story of this film shoot and of the connections that will be formed during it.

The Selfish Giant(en)

A hyperactive boy and his best friend, a slow-witted youth with an affinity for horses, start collecting scrap metal for a shady dealer.

The Specials(fr)

For twenty years, Bruno and Malik have lived in a different world—the world of autistic children and teens. In charge of two separate nonprofit organizations (The Hatch & The Shelter), they train young people from underprivileged areas to be caregivers for extreme cases that have been refused by all other institutions. It’s an exceptional partnership, outside of traditional settings, for some quite extraordinary characters.

The Star of Therapy(en)

When Kendra is admitted into group therapy, she becomes overly competitive about completing her weekly goals.

The Buzz(it)

Alma (20), who has ADHD, works as a beekeeper but dreams of a life in the city. The day before her university exam, Pietro, her father, expresses his concerns about his daughter’s future. During the test, Alma struggles against the distractions caused by her condition but is interrupted by a tender memory: a bee buzzing around her. This event takes her back in time, to her first encounter with the beehives. What at first seems chaotic reveals itself to her as the most intelligent of natural structures.

Remedial(en)

As Will struggles to cope with the tragic loss of his father, he and his mother resolve to build a new life by relocating to Houston, Texas. At his new school, Will’s social and learning difficulties lead to a false diagnosis of his condition. Inspired by real events, this film observes one of the loneliest disorders that children recovering from life-altering traumas face.

Nebulosa(pt)

Exhausted by the devastation that ADHD has caused to her finances, studies, and friendships, Ana decides to give herself one last chance by participating in a job interview.

plants with spikes or thorns(xx)

An experimental short film about sensory seeking behaviour in childhood. Filmed on VHS.

Blue & White(en)

A man suffering with ADHD struggles to get through his daily routine.

Freshman's Ballad(en)

The story of a lonely, emotional and almost psychotic freshman’s in his first year of High School.

Focus(en)

A 1-minute cart ride through the mental shopping mall of attention deficit disorder. Inspired by found sound of a shopper’s vlog, hand-drawn without a light table, and produced as part of the 10th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship.

A Mouthful of Air(en)

Julie is a new mom and children's book author, who escapes into the bright Crayola-colored world of her creation in order to leave behind the darkness caused by her post-partum depression.

The Most Hated Woman in America(en)

The true story of Madalyn Murray O'Hair -- iconoclast, opportunist, and outspoken atheist -- from her controversial rise to her untimely demise.

Girl in the Box(en)

The true story of 20-year-old Colleen Stan, a hitchhiking woman abducted by a young couple and held captive for seven years, during which time she's tortured and forced to live as a slave to her captors.

Iron Jawed Angels(en)

Defiant young activists take the women's suffrage movement by storm, putting their lives at risk to help American women win the right to vote.

Adam(en)

Adam, a lonely man with Asperger's Syndrome, develops a relationship with his upstairs neighbor, Beth.

Blue Chips(en)

Pete Bell, a college basketball coach is under a lot of pressure. His team isn't winning and he cannot attract new players. The stars of the future are secretly being paid by boosters. This practice is forbidden in the college game, but Pete is desperate and has pressures from all around.

Call Me Crazy: A Five Film(en)

A psychotherapist helps a law student cope with schizophrenia in one of five interconnected tales dealing with mental illness.

Come Sunday(en)

Evangelist Carlton Pearson is ostracized by his church for preaching that there is no Hell.

Starving in Suburbia(en)

When seventeen-year-old Hannah stumbles upon a website about Thinspiration--an online community devoted to anorexia as a life choice--she becomes an obsessive follower of the site founder, ButterflyAna. By the time Hannah's family realizes what is happening and get Hannah the help she needs, the disease has fully taken hold and Hannah is refusing to eat. Will this family be able to exorcise the demon of anorexia from their lives?

Almost Friends(en)

A man in his mid-20s, still living at home with his mother and stepfather, puts all his eggs in one basket: the girl who works at his local coffee shop. The problem is, she has a serious boyfriend. As they become closer, the line between friendship and intimacy is blurred, and the situation forces both to examine where they are in their lives.

All Day and a Night(en)

While serving life in prison, a young man looks back at the people, the circumstances and the system that set him on the path toward his crime.

Father of the Bride(en)

A father comes to grips with his daughter’s upcoming wedding through the prism of multiple relationships within a big, sprawling Cuban-American family.

Embattled(en)

The eldest son of a ruthlessly tough MMA champion must fight his way out of the abusive cycle his father has continued.

Hungry Hearts(en)

The relationship of a couple who meet by chance in New York City is put to the test when they encounter a life or death circumstance.

The Longshots(en)

The true story of Jasmine Plummer who, at the age of eleven, became the first female to play in Pop Warner football tournament in its 56-year history.

Driving Lessons(en)

A shy teenage boy trying to escape the influence of his domineering mother, has his world changed when he begins to work for a retired actress.

Where the Red Fern Grows(en)

Billy Coleman works hard and saves his earnings for two years to achieve his dream of buying two red-bone coonhound pups. He develops a new trust in life as he faces overwhelming challenges in adventure and tragedy roaming the river bottoms of Cherokee country with his dogs, Old Dan and Little Ann.

Eleanor the Great(en)

94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein tries to rebuild her life after the death of her best friend. As a result, she moves back to New York City after living in Florida for decades.

A Dry White Season(en)

During the 1976 Soweto uprising, a white school teacher's life and values are threatened when he asks questions about the death of a young black boy who died in police custody.

The Whole Wide World(en)

In 1930s Texas, pulp fiction master Robert E. Howard is introduced to Novalyne Price, a teacher with aspirations of becoming an author herself, and they begin a unique relationship filled with conversation and imagination. Although the possibility exists for romance, Howard's obsession with his work and dedication to his sick mother leads Price to look elsewhere for love, leaving Howard feeling betrayed and alone.