In post-Soviet Russia there is a phenomenon beyond ice fishing, matryoshkas and vodka: the garage settlement. Seemingly inhospitable tin sheds from the outside, they offer a refuge to a large number of Russians - most of them men. According to their own taste and beyond any rules, with as much ingenuity as tenacity, they create alternative living spaces within a few square metres. Scrap collector Ilja uses the garage as a production site, Roman for his quail breeding, Pavel skilfully carves sculptures of saints and Viktor has added four underground floors to his garage in decades of work. Here you can find everything, and everything seems possible. The garages are an expression of a retreat into privacy, an escape from everyday life. Behind the Arctic Circle, in a rough area dominated by the local mining company as the only employer, the garage remains the last chance for self-fulfillment – and appears as diverse as the dreams of its owners. Content Warning: contains difficult imagery, violence. Language may be offensive to some viewers.

Garage People

Behind rusty doors everything can be found, except cars.

Lean into loneliness — and know you’re not alone in it. Filmmaker Andrea Dorfman reunites with poet Tanya Davis to craft a tender and profound animation on the theme of isolation

How To Be At Home

Garage People & How To Be At Home

Virtual Admission

Bubble Ticket (Since your ticket allows your entire household or social bubble to stream the film, please consider purchasing a Bubble Party Ticket to help support DocFest)

Donation to Belleville Downtown DocFest 

Donate to Belleville Downtown DocFest

These are all the passes tied to your account. Now, use our online schedule to reserve tickets. You can access your tickets via {{my_tickets_link|"My Tickets"}} or via the PDFs attached to each ticket order confirmation email. {{buy_pass_link|Looking to buy more passes?}}

These are all your purchased tickets. Open this page on your phone, and at the door tap the "Show Barcode" button and show your screen to the attendant. Prefer paper? Print the PDF attached to the order confirmation email, or click one of the gears below and select "Download tickets PDF". If purchasing multiple tickets, be sure to print or show each unique ticket barcode.

None available

Passes

Explore our on-demand catalog here and pre-order your films so you won't miss them.

Documentary film festival in Belleville Ontario

Here's what's coming up soon. Can't make it? No sweat. Many live streams will be available for on-demand viewing as well.