Skeptic Films
Creative production company based in Montreal · Founded by director Benjamin Nicolas. Films include A Quiet Storm, Wanda, Beast, A Better World, Broken Dreams. Currently developing the feature drama Amber and the feature documentary Avant le Silence.
Director
Parisian-born and Montreal-based, Benjamin Nicolas was trained as an actor before stepping behind the camera. His films move between intimate documentary and observed narrative; movement is his language, authenticity is his compass.
Films
A Quiet Storm
Documentary · Short · 2025 · 29 min · Canada / Japan
Maïto, a 14-year-old Krump prodigy from suburban Tokyo, channels the unspoken weight of his mother's sacrifices through the raw force of his dance. Raised alongside his sister Ayumu, who has Down syndrome and is deaf, Maïto translates music into something she can see and feel. Awards include Best Film & Best Cinematography at Sapporo Intl. Short Film Festival; Jury Special Prize at Athens; Official Selection at Hot Docs 2026, SFFILM, Krakow, REGARD, RIDM.
Wanda
Short Film · 2018 · 17 min · 16mm · Canada
A disturbed twelve-year-old girl flees her alcoholic mother. Framed as a police interview, the film unfolds as a stark recount of the events leading up to the investigation. Vimeo Staff Pick · Short of the Week. Proof-of-concept for a feature adaptation of the novel by Wendall Utroi.
Beast
Short Film · 2020 · 11 min · Canada
Christmas Eve in Montreal. Martin drives passengers in his rideshare when, without warning, his body begins to move on its own. A poetic descent into madness, blending narrative and experimental form. Lead performance by contemporary dancer James Viveiros. Vimeo Staff Pick · Prends Ça Court Prix Studio Canal.
A Better World — Ebinum Brothers
Music Video · 2024 · Bronze, Clio Music Awards 2025
A profoundly spiritual, poetic journey toward self-reconstruction with the Nigerian dance duo Ebinum Brothers — from a misty hillside to a London pie-and-mash shop, with the scarab beetle as recurring image of the cycle of life.
Broken Dreams
Short Film · 2025 · Released 26 March 2025
A meditation on innocence, conflict, and the quiet persistence of hope. Imane, a ten-year-old girl from the Kamed refugee camp in West Bekaa, Lebanon, narrates her story over shattered-glass artwork by Montreal-based artist Olivier Monfet. The artwork is auctioned in support of Baroudeur de l'Espoir.
Uncoded
Short Film · 2025
Nike — Tiny Giants
Commercial · 2024 · Nike
Amber
Feature Film · Drama · 120 min · Canada / France / China · In Development
Feature drama in development. Written by Inna Pan and Benjamin Nicolas. A co-production between Canada, France, and China.
Avant le Silence
Feature Documentary · In Development · Co-production with Disamare
Feature documentary in development. Working English title: Before the Silence.
Contact
Skeptic Films · Montreal, QC, Canada
Direct: benjaminetnicolas@gmail.com
US / UK Representation: Sibling Rivalry
Canada: Spy Films / Produced by Denim
France: Kids Paris