Good Docs Are Better With Good Company
The Harvard Seal Documentary Film Club is an eclectic social club that meets once a month to watch and discuss documentaries around the city.
Why Join Us?
Post-Film Discussions
We actively support real people having real interactions in an uninhibited environment, and provide the platform for interesting conversations to kick off.
Membership Perks
Enjoy the benefits of being a member when it comes to occasional door prizes, contests and discounted tickets. We like to treat our regulars to crowd-pleasing bonuses.
Meet n’ Mingle
Instigated by the power of film, we get together every month with friends and new acquaintances. Get to know the people who share your curiosity and interest for docs.
Doc of the Month – FEBRUARY 2018
Real Stories, Real People
Travel the globe and visit some of the most gorgeous regions in the world in this ambitious exploration of our human fascination with mountains. An epic adventure scored by the renowned Australian Chamber Orchestra and narrated by Willem Dafoe, Mountain is a one-of-a-kind cinematic experience from director Jennifer Peedom (Sherpa). What compels us to conquer landscapes and to reach unfathomable heights? Mountains capture our imaginations and evoke awe like nothing else in nature." More Info
HS Doc Club Team
These are some of the club's many faces. Look for us, chat with us, tweet at us, tell us your suggestions and give us feedback. This club is for YOU!
Rebecca French
Greg Van De Mark
Jessica Cupola
David Arromba
Ardi Mustafa
Robert John Paterson
Alysia Urrutia
The Docs
Films / Events / Post-Film Discussions
AIM FOR THE ROSES
March 15th, 2018
5 years. 65 events. 1 epic film to celebrate. Join HS Doc Club for our 5-year anniversary screening and party for Aim For The Roses followed by post-film Skype Q&A with director John Bolton. This screening will mark a hiatus for HS Doc Club so we’re making it one to remember! Join us for the[…]
MOUNTAIN
February 26th, 2018
THE FILM: Travel the globe and visit some of the most gorgeous regions in the world in this ambitious exploration of our human fascination with mountains. An epic adventure scored by the renowned Australian Chamber Orchestra and narrated by Willem Dafoe, Mountain is a one-of-a-kind cinematic experience from director Jennifer Peedom (Sherpa). What compels us[…]
UNSEEN ENEMY
January 24th, 2018
Join us for a special screening event this month at TIFF Bell Lightbox. Global Citizen Canada has invited the HS Doc Club to the reception and screening of Unseen Enemy. ~ ~ ~ THE FILM: Written & Directed by Emmy Award winner, Janet Tobias, and narrated by Emmy & Golden Globe award-winning actor Jeffrey Wright,[…]
HUMAN FLOW
December 20th, 2017
“This movie, a testament to the power of seeing, provides a long and uncommonly vivid look at a human crisis that’s changing the face of our planet.” – Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal **94% on Rotten Tomatoes** THE FILM: More than 65 million people around the world have been forced from their homes to escape[…]
JANE
November 15th, 2017
“Now we must redefine ‘tool’, redefine ‘man’, or accept chimpanzees as humans.” – Louis B. Leakey, in response to Jane Goodall’s observations of chimpanzees THE FILM: Famed primatologist and conservationist Jane Goodall is the eponymous subject of “Jane,” a new documentary directed by Brett Morgen (“Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck”). “Jane” is carefully curated from[…]
LONG TIME RUNNING
October 26th, 2017
Following the announcement of Gord Downie’s terminal brain cancer, the final stop on the Tragically Hip’s Man Machine Poem tour was seen by 11.7 million Canadians from across the country. The televised Tragically Hip concert on August 20 was an important moment for many Canadians. How did this event impact you? Join us on October[…]
LET THERE BE LIGHT
September 27th, 2017
Nuclear fusion has been the holy grail of energy for many decades now. So…let’s talk about it. THE FILM: Surely the most ambitious ongoing project on the planet, scientists from the wealthiest countries have gathered in the French countryside to create an artificial sun. The end goal? Energy for the whole world. With time and[…]
EXPO 67: MISSION IMPOSSIBLE
August 23rd, 2017
It’s been 50 years since Montreal hosted Expo 67, an iconic event that brought millions to the city in the span of six months. So…let’s talk about it! THE FILM: Fifty years on, the full story of Expo 67 mania is finally ready to be told. With incredible never-before-seen footage, Expo 67: Mission Impossible gives[…]
BEE NATION
July 30th, 2017
Join HS Doc Club on Sunday, July 30 for Bee Nation at Christie Pits Film Festival! Join the gang early for a pre-film hangout to meet other awesome people who love docs as much as you do. More details coming your way soon! Save the date! THE FILM: BEE NATION, the opening night feature film[…]
IN THE NAME OF ALL CANADIANS
June 28th, 2017
In celebration of Canada’s big birthday, Hot Docs has put together a series of documentary shorts by Canadian filmmakers…and guess what? It’s FREE. ~ ~ ~ THE FILMS: Hot Docs will commemorate Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation with the commissioning of In the Name of All Canadians, a compilation of six short documentaries inspired by[…]
CITIZEN JANE
May 29th, 2017
Toronto, it’s time to talk about our city. Join us on May 29 to watch CITIZEN JANE: BATTLE FOR THE CITY and later discuss Jane Jacob’s vision, citizen activism and protecting our neighbourhoods. ~ ~ ~ THE FILM: Writer and urban activist Jane Jacobs fights to save historic New York City during the ruthless redevelopment[…]
THE WAR SHOW
March 8th, 2017
In Ban This Series, The Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema presents a documentary from each nation whose citizens were denied entry into the U.S. due to a presidential executive order issued on January 27, 2017. THE FILM: Replace the expert-led and distant views of the revolution in Syria with this deeply affecting doc—screening here in[…]
FRANCA: CHAOS AND CREATION
February 9th, 2017
New York Fashion Week, one of the most notable fashion weeks around the world, starts February 9 so… let’s talk about it. THE FILM: Editor-in-chief of Italian Vogue, Franca Sozzani, has been continuously pushing boundaries of fashion, beauty and art for nearly 30 years. Never shy of mixing fashion and politics, Sozzani is famous for[…]
THE SKYJACKERS TALE
January 24th, 2017
After being convicted in a notorious murder trial, Ishmael Muslim Ali hijacked an American Airlines plane and diverted it to Cuba. Ever since, Ali has resided in exile and maintains his innocence of the grisly murder of eight people in a wealthy country club in the US Virgin Islands. Veteran director Jamie Kastner (The Secret[…]
JINGLE BELL ROCKS
December 21st, 2016
Join the Harvard Seal Documentary Film Club for their first holiday gathering with a screening of Jingle Bell Rocks! Doc, Mitchell Kezin’s tribute to some of the most enduring holiday songs of all time. Kezin hits the road to uncover the stories behind these grooves, tracking down musicians, deejays, record execs, radio hosts, composers, critics,[…]
AMERICA VOTES
November 8th, 2016
Come join the HS Doc Club as we watch the election night coverage at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema. 5:15 PM: Pregame Dinner at Paupers Pub We have made a small reservation for anybody who wants to grab dinner and discussion before we go the theatre. Between 6:30 – 7:00: Head into Hot Docs[…]
ANGRY INUK
October 30th, 2016
In her film Angry Inuk, Inuit director Alethea Arnaquq-Baril joins a new tech-savvy generation of Inuit as they campaign to challenge long-established perceptions of seal hunting. Though most commercial sealing is conducted by Inuit in the Arctic, anti-sealing activism has created a perception of the industry that denies their central role in the sealskin market.[…]
COMMAND AND CONTROL
September 26th, 2016
Near the end of the Cold War, human error nearly caused a nuclear warhead to explode in Arkansas. The event was kept secret until only recently and, if the warhead had combusted, its power would have been three times that of every bomb dropped in WWII combined. This retelling of the chilling and Dr. Strangelovian[…]
LO AND BEHOLD: REVERIES OF THE CONNECTED WORLD
August 25th, 2016
Keeping in tone with the popular German New Wave filmmaker’s oeuvre, Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World is in equal parts a technical dissection of the Internet’s functionality as it is a ludicrously philosophical brain-teaser whose 70-something-year-old narrator seems highly unequipped to tackle such depths of the World Wide Web. Through a wide variety[…]
MY PRAIRIE HOME
July 3rd, 2016
Looking to wind down after a long week in this summer heat? Join the HS Doc Club on July 3rd at 6 PM for a casual outdoor screening of My Prairie Home (2013) that welcomes regular park goers and curious strollers alike, brought to you by the Christie Pits Film Festival. Building on the weekend’s celebratory[…]
WEST OF MEMPHIS
June 23rd, 2016
The HS Doc Club Presents is a three-part series that consists of some of our personal favourite docs handpicked for our members and any of you who would like to join us! Following our monthly screening etiquette, we’ll be bringing special guests to speak with us afterwards and share their unique insights on a topic raised by[…]
THE PUNK SINGER
May 19th, 2016
The HS Doc Club Presents is a three-part series that consists of some of our personal favourite docs handpicked for our members and any of you who would like to join us! Following our monthly screening etiquette, we’ll be bringing special guests to speak with us afterwards and share their unique insights on a topic raised by[…]
WINNEBAGO MAN
April 21st, 2016
The HS Doc Club Presents is a three-part series that consists of some of our personal favourite docs hand picked for our members and any of you who would like to join us! Following our monthly screening etiquette, we’ll be bringing special guests to speak with us afterwards and share their unique insights on a topic[…]
WE ARE LEGION
March 30th, 2016
Ever wondered who could be powerful enough to shut down Visa, force a standoff with Mexican drug cartels and take on the Church of Scientology–to name a few of their “ultra coordinated motherfuckery”? Join the Harvard Seal Doc Film Club on March 30th at 7:00 pm. for a private screening of We Are Legion–a documentary that follows the[…]
THE RUSSIAN WOODPECKER
February 17th, 2016
‘Tis our pleasure to announce that this month’s doc night features a politically charged and bitterly gripping story that fuses tantalizing conspiracies, personal drama, and a great deal of historical investigation in this 81-minute debut film by Chad Garcia. The Russian Woodpecker borrows its name from a Soviet broadcast radio antenna whose tormenting clicking sound haunts nearby[…]
FRACTURED LAND
January 28th, 2016
Driven by an urgency to address and correct the violent disregard for the endangerment of our planet, Fractured Land is a documentary that offers an insightful and though-provoking study of the inhumane systems and processes that have caused severe climate change. Filmmakers Fiona Ryder and Damien Gillis follow the rise of an unexpected star, Caleb[…]
SECRET SCREENING
December 10th, 2015
This December, the HS Doc Club brings a special treat that you won’t want to miss! On Thursday, December 10th at 7:00 pm we will be gathering at the White House Studio Project (277.5 Augusta Avenue) to unveil the curtains and discover an incredible story that has yet to be told theatrically. Following secret screening etiquette,[…]
THE REFLEKTOR TAPES
November 19, 2015
This month’s selection features a visually provocative documentary that follows the iconic Canadian band Arcade Fire– granting its audience a unique access to get up close and personal with its influential musicians. The hallucinatory musical séance directed by award-winning Kahlil Joseph, is more than a music video, more than a concert film, and more than[…]
THE BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION
October 15, 2015
Our next event features a politically charged documentation of America’s coming-of-age, bringing to the spotlight one of its most crucial histories of insurrection. Director Stanley Nelson explores the life and complex history of a movement that radically revolutionized the system – a story filled with poignant and visceral violence marked by its opposition to authority and[…]
UNBRANDED
September 28, 2015
Sixteen mustangs, four men, 3000 miles and the adventure of a lifetime. Top audience favourite at Hot Docs 2015, Unbranded follows Ben Masters, Jonny Fitzsimons, Ben Thamer and Thomas Glover as they ride border to border, from Mexico to Canada. Their companions on this trek are adopted wild horses, perfectly suited to the rocky and[…]
THE MAN IN THE MACHINE
August 24, 2015
In his signature black turtleneck and blue jeans, shrouded in shadows below a milky apple, Steve Jobs’ image was ubiquitous. But who was the man on the stage? What accounted for the grief of so many across the world when he died? From Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney, ‘Steve Jobs: The Man In The Machine’ is[…]
THE LOOK OF SILENCE
July 29, 2015
Having watched ‘The Act of Killing’ years ago as a part of the Harvard Seal program, we are especially excited for the upcoming event featuring Joshua Oppenheimer’s companion piece ‘The Look of Silence’. Reopening unforgotten wounds and forcing the perpetrators out of the suffocating silence behind which they’ve been hiding for the past fifty[…]
SUNSHINE SUPERMAN
June 11, 2015
Sunshine Superman is a heart-racing portrait of Carl Boenish, the father of the BASE jumping movement, whose early passion for skydiving led him to even more spectacular feats of foot-launched human flight. Experience Boenish’s jaw-dropping journey in life and love, including the pinnacle of his achievements when he and wife Jean broke the BASE jumping[…]
THE WOLFPACK
April 26, 2015
Despite their nickname, the Angulo brothers were not raised by wolves, but by movies. Remember when your parents used to tell you not to watch too much TV? They don’t. Confined by the walls of their Lower East Side, New York apartment, these extremely creative young individuals were able to transform their playground into an[…]
RED ARMY
March 15, 2015
From Oscar® nominated and Emmy award-winning filmmakers, RED ARMY is a feature documentary about the Soviet Union and the most successful dynasty in sports history: the Red Army hockey team. Told from the perspective of its captain Slava Fetisov, the story portrays his transformation from national hero to political enemy. From the USSR to Russia,[…]