Agatha's Almanac
Director Amalie Atkins, Agatha’s niece, filmed her aunt over the course of six years on her remote family farm in Manitoba. Shot on 16mm, with a cinematic eye for every beautiful and often humorous detail, the film pulls you into her almost meditative rhythm of sowing, harvesting, preserving, and eating — and repairing things with duct tape, lots of duct tape.
Amid all the greenery, Agatha speaks with disarming matter-of-factness about her life: about the quilts she makes, her resourcefulness, and the choices that have shaped her. She reflects on how some seeds have been passed down through generations, forming a tangible connection to the ancestors who worked this land before her. More sensitive topics are also touched upon. But even when life isn’t easy, Agatha sees it as a privilege.
Amalie allows her aunt to shine in all her fragile strength. Agatha’s steadfastness is enviable, her down-to-earth perspective often surprisingly funny, and the world she has built around herself is rich and vibrant in color and texture.
A tender and loving portrait of a woman who single-handedly sustains an entire world. Winner of Best Documentary at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, one of the largest documentary festivals in the world.
- Direction
- Amalie Atkins
- Duration
- 86 min
- RELEASE
- Thu 28 May
- Year
- 2025
- Country
- Canada
- Language
- English
- Subtitles
- Dutch