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. References External links 2021 films 2021 short documentary films Canadian short documentary films 2020s French-language films 2020s Canadian films French-language Canadian films