The Benevolents


The Benevolents is a Canadian short documentary film, directed by Sarah Baril Gaudet and released in 2021. 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.

Awards

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]. It was a nominee for Best Short Documentary at the 2022 IDA Awards, and a Canadian Screen Award nominee for Best Short Documentary at the 11th Canadian Screen Awards in 2023.