Las historias que contamos

20121 h 48 min 30 secFilm: Documentary

G

Direction: Sarah Polley

Production: Anita LeeSilva Basmajian

Produced by the National Film Board of Canada and developed with the assistance of the CFC-NFB Documentary Program.

In this inspired, genre-twisting new film, Oscar®-nominated writer/director Sarah Polley discovers that the truth depends on who’s telling it. Polley is both filmmaker and detective as she investigates the secrets kept by a family of storytellers. She playfully interviews and interrogates a cast of characters of varying reliability, eliciting refreshingly candid, yet mostly contradictory, answers to the same questions. As each relates their version of the family mythology, present-day recollections shift into nostalgia-tinged glimpses of their mother, who departed too soon, leaving a trail of unanswered questions. Polley unravels the paradoxes to reveal the essence of family: always complicated, warmly messy and fiercely loving. Stories We Tell explores the elusive nature of truth and memory, but at its core is a deeply personal film about how our narratives shape and define us as individuals and families, all interconnecting to paint a profound, funny and poignant picture of the larger human story.

Availability


Subject categories


  • Film and Video Arts > DocumentaryWomen
  • Media Education > Documentary Film
  • Family Studies/Home Economics > Family Diversity and Challenges
  • Health/Personal Development > Healthy Relationships

Credits


director
Sarah Polley
producer
Anita Lee
executive producer
Silva Basmajian

Awards


  • Rogers Best Canadian Film AwardToronto Film Critics Association Awards
  • Allan King Documentary AwardToronto Film Critics Association Awards
  • Special Mention for the "Small Stamp" for the Best Film by a filmmaker below the age of 35ZagrebDox
  • Focus Grand Prize- with a cash prize of $5000 and $2500 worth of plane tickets from Air FranceFestival du nouveau cinéma
  • Best Documentary FilmInternational Film Festival
  • Best Non-Fiction Film (Documentary) AwardNY Film Critics Circle
  • Special Jury Prize- with a $50 000 cash prizeFilm Festival
  • Documentary ScreenplayWriters Guild of America
  • Best Documentary Film for 2013International Cinephile Society
  • Ted Rogers Best Feature Length Documentary AwardCanadian Screen Awards
  • Stefan Jarl International Documentary AwardTEMPO Documentary Festival