Instruction Hub
RCtv: Family, Identity, and Coming-of-Age
Welcome! This Instruction Hub is your one-stop shop for all the links, resources, and instructions your class will need to participate in the livestream.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected] or at 1‑888‑508‑0881 ext. 250.
We hope you enjoy the programme.
Ce Centre d’instructions est également disponible en français. Il suffit de cliquer sur la langue désirée dans le menu supérieur.
If you need to share information about the livestream with parents, feel free to use this template letter.
1. Prepare Your Class
Our livestream lesson plan was designed by educators like you to enrich your students’ learning experience before, during, and after the event. Feel free to use any or all of these included activities:
- Pre- and post-viewing activities
- Guiding discussion questions
- Suggested additional activities
- Student handouts
- Comprehension and discussion questions for the film
We’ll have lots of opportunities for engagement in the livestream itself through our interactive platform, but your students can also get involved with hands-on activities leading up to the livestream.
Here are just a few ideas:
- Send us your video questions and comments, and they might be included in the show.
- Print out this poster to put in your classroom or school to build excitement for the event.
- Design your own event posters.
- Build a creative activity around the film, like a visual art or music prompt.
- Students can help set up the big screen and sound equipment for your group to watch. You can even use the school auditorium or theatre.
- Share any student work based on our lesson plans with the email below.
If your students do get involved, we’d love to hear about it – or even see photos. Write to us at [email protected].
2. Show the Film
Our livestream centres on Mon cirque à moi (My Very Own Circus), so be sure to watch that first. Screen the film for your students between Nov. 19 and Dec. 4, if you can (if not, see note below).
Please make sure to plan the date now. We recommend screening the film and the livestream close together to ensure the content is still fresh in students’ minds.
Mon cirque à moi (My Very Own Circus) is 105 minutes long.
NOTE: You can watch the film and a recording of the livestream any time you’d like, up to the end of the school year. Our interactive platform (described in the section below) will be live all year for students to add their insights, but please note that only questions and comments submitted by Dec. 4 can be included in the show.
The film link will arrive in your email inbox on Nov. 19 – look for the subject line “Instructions #2: Your link for Mon cirque à moi (My Very Own Circus)“. The link will be active for 18 days, from the very first time you hit play.
For those of you teaching remotely, you may share the film link directly with your students, but please make sure to communicate that it is a private link.
If you ordered a DVD, you will receive that in advance of the date you requested.
*Please note: if you’ve requested to preview the film, we will send it to your inbox shortly after you register.
- We highly recommend you test the system beforehand using the same computer, projector, and speakers you’ll be using on the screening day. You can test using this short preshow video.
- Connect your device to the projector or monitor using an HDMI cable or similar setup. This is much more reliable than connecting wirelessly through an application like Chromecast or AirPlay.
- How’s the aspect ratio? If the picture seems distorted, stretched, or squashed, try adjusting the aspect ratio settings on your projector.
- Project the film on the largest screen you can.
- Show the film in the darkest room you can. Draw the blinds or curtains, if possible.
- Be sure to make the video full-screen by double-clicking the centre of the video, or clicking the square full-screen button in the bottom-right corner.
- For detailed instructions and FAQ, please see our Streaming Platform Guide.
Want to extend the discussion after the livestream? These curated films provide additional opportunities for conversation in the classroom, either before or after viewing of the livestream. As completely optional viewing, these films won’t be addressed as part of the livestream, but can provide further entry points into the subject matter. To order a copy, just fill out the form below.
Note: For a personalised form prefilled with your information, please click on the “Order Films” button in any of our monthly newsletters, or write to [email protected].
Film list:
The Girl Who Hated Books (La fille qui détestait les livres) (7 Min)
This animated short about literacy introduces us to Meena, a young girl who hates books even though her parents love to read. Books are everywhere in Meena’s house, in cupboards, drawers and even piled up on the stairs. Still, she refuses to even open one up. But when her cat Max accidentally knocks down a huge stack, pandemonium ensues and nothing is ever the same again.
Me and My Moulton (Ma Moulton et moi) (13 Min)
In this Oscar-nominated short, a seven-year-old girl asks for a bicycle, knowing that her loving yet unconventional parents have other ideas.
Léger problème (9 Min)
French with optional English subtitles
While it’s usually good to be light on one’s feet, it’s best not to get too light! In this visually inventive short, a man struggles to obey the laws of gravity.
Le technicien (The Technician) (7 Min)
French with optional English subtitles
After a customer complains that his television is broken because it only shows bad news, a cable repairman sets out to solve the problem.
Dimanche (Sunday) (10 Min)
No dialogue
A young boy is bored during a visit to his grandparents’ house in small-town Quebec, so he goes outside in search of adventure. Nominated for an Oscar.
3. Participate in the Livestream
We know students love seeing themselves and their peers on the big screen – so we’re offering an exciting opportunity for students to submit their questions and comments by video. We’ll select a handful of your videos for the show, where they’ll be addressed directly by writer-director Miryam Bouchard, and star Jasmine Lemée.
Submitting videos is totally optional, but it’s a great way to get students even more engaged in the programme. Either way, there will still be plenty of opportunities to share written comments and questions using our interactive platform (see the next section).
Sending a video is a great option for classes that are watching the livestream recording afterwards, rather than participating live.
All videos must be received by Thursday, November 27. See here for more details.
We’ve created an engaging and easy-to-use platform for students across the country to interact with one another, and with our special guests Miryam Bouchard and Jasmine Lemée.
Whether you’re joining live or watching a recording of the livestream, this is an important way to get your students participating through discussion boards, quiz questions, chat, and of course, asking questions.
It’s really easy – your students simply go to this link to participate: www.reelcanada.ca/Conversation2025
If you’re watching the livestream on December 4:
Use Meeting Pulse during the livestream to engage, share, and interact in real time.
If you’re watching the livestream as a recording after December 4:
There are two opportunities to participate:
- For a chance to have your students’ comments included in the livestream, make sure to watch the film and engage on Meeting Pulse BEFORE December 4. You can log on right after watching the film. *Activities will be available starting November 18.
- Then, connect again on Meeting Pulse for new activities while you’re watching the livestream recording.
Students can use Meeting Pulse individually at their seats or as a class on one screen at the front.
And don’t worry, everything on Meeting Pulse is anonymous, and all discussions will be moderated by our team.
🔴 TIP: Be sure to test out the interactive platform beforehand using your school network. If Meeting Pulse is blocked by your school board, please put in a request with your board to have it unblocked for a few days.
The livestream airs on Thursday, December 4. If you’re watching live, make sure to check the time in your region, and if you’re planning to watch the recording, it will be available immediately afterwards at all the same links below.
Here are your links to participate:
A. Watch the Livestream:
www.reelcanada.ca/Diffusion2025
B. Use the Interactive Platform:
www.reelcanada.ca/Conversation2025
C. Livestream & Interactive Platform side-by-side on one screen:
www.reelcanada.ca/Combo2025
🔴 TIP: For the best experience, make sure students use our interactive platform while watching.
Note for Ontario Schools: Last year, the Ontario Ministry of Education issued new guidelines about guest speaker presentations, specifically for events involving entire schools or multiple classrooms. However, there is no need to worry! Some schools may only ask teachers to inform parents about guest speakers in advance. Please feel free to use this flyer, which includes all the details about the livestream and our guests.
About The Guests:
Miryam Bouchard, Co-Writer and Director of Mon cirque à moi (My Very Own Circus)
Miryam Bouchard is an award-winning writer and director of many feature films, documentaries, shorts and TV series. Her work includes M’entends-tu?, L’Échappée, Mon ex à moi, and 23 Décembre. Her debut feature, Mon cirque à moi (My Very Own Circus), was awarded at festivals such as SCHLiNGEL: the International Film Festival for Children and Young Audiences, and the Kids Kino International Film Festival. In 2025, Bouchard is serving as a director for the TV remake of Canada’s highly anticipated Bon Cop Bad Cop.
Jasmine Lemée, Star of Mon cirque à moi (My Very Own Circus)
Jasmine Lemée has been acting for over ten years, including roles in Le Mirage, Paul à Québec, La Collecte, and Mon cirque à moi (My Very Own Circus). She has worked with directors such as Xavier Dolan, Podz, Ricardo Trogi, and Miryam Bouchard. In 2024, Lemée reunited with Bouchard on the Radio-Canada series Mea Culpa, in which she starred as Zoé, and she is currently filming season two. She also appears on the popular youth series Premier Trio (First Line) in season three, on ICI TOU.TV and Radio-Canada. Jasmine Lemée is represented by Alias Talent Agency.
Ali Hassan, Host
Ali Hassan is an accomplished Canadian comedian, actor and broadcaster. He currently hosts CBC Radio’s hit shows Laugh Out Loud and Canada Reads. Among his numerous film & TV credits, he has appeared in Odd Squad, Murdoch Mysteries, French Immersion, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. He has received Canadian Screen Award nominations for his roles in Run The Burbs and Sort Of. Hassan is currently touring his one-man comedy show, Does This Taste Funny?, across Canada and internationally.
REEL CANADA’s livestreams are generously supported by funders like the Youth Take Charge Program, who want to hear what your students have to say about the event. Help keep this programme free by having each student complete a short feedback form right after watching the livestream.
You should receive a package of printed feedback forms from REEL CANADA in the mail. After watching the livestream, please have each student complete one form (they’re anonymous). Then send them all back to us using the pre-paid return envelope provided.
Please note: You may experience a delay in receiving your package due to the recent Canada Post labour action, but we appreciate every effort to fill and return the forms as soon as you are able. If you have already received the forms, please have your students fill them out as soon as you are finished with the programme.
If you haven’t received your package yet, please keep an eye out over the next several days, as they should arrive shortly!
If you need to print more forms, or forms in a different language, you can use these links:
In the package, you’ll also find a printed teacher feedback form for you, or you can complete an online version instead.
Thank you for your understanding and flexibility!
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to write to [email protected]
Or give us a call toll-free at 1-888-508-0881 ext. 250