Thousands of Indigenous people enlisted and fought for Canada in World War II, even though they could not be conscripted. While they fought for the freedom of others, they were being denied their rights back home. 

As a reward for service, veterans were allowed to buy land at a cheap price. However, many Indigenous soldiers were never told about the land entitlement, and some returned home to find the government had seized parts of their reserve lands to compensate non-Indigenous veterans.

Narrator Tootoosis gives a historical overview, while Indigenous veterans share their poignant and unforgettable war memories, and the ways in which they have healed.

After decades of working tirelessly to advocate for the Jane and Finch community in Toronto, Winston LaRose decides to run for Toronto City Council at 81 years old. Beloved by those in his neighbourhood – who have affectionately dubbed him “Mr. Jane and Finch” – LaRose’s grassroots campaign gains traction until an unexpected and controversial change to the size of the council doubles his field of competitors and presents an insurmountable challenge.

Mr Jane and Finch is a thoughtful profile of the life and work of an inspiring Black community leader and also offers a fascinating in-depth look at an election campaign with unique challenges and issues.

Billy Tipton, a 20th Century jazz musician became a trans icon after his death, and his legacy continues to be carried forward by trans artists to this day. Featuring a unique documentary structure, the film uses an audition session for a proposed biopic about Tipton as a jumping off point for a group of contemporary trans artists to explore what Tipton has meant to them, and to share stories about their own lives and experiences.

Also featuring interviews with Tipton’s family, Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt’s remarkable tribute to a misunderstood artist was named one of Canada’s Top 10 in 2020.

"Approaching Tipton’s story with the free hand of an improvised jazz set, No Ordinary Man is an elegant riff on a classic progression that arrives at something transcendent." - Jude Dry, Indiewire

A quest to restore a lost cemetery in rural Ontario divides a community and reveals deep truths of the hidden history of the Black community in Canada. In the 1930s, a farmer buried the tombstones of a Black cemetery to make way for a potato patch. Fifty years later, descendants of the original settlers, both Black and White, try to recover what remains of this history but face fierce opposition by those who believe the truth must remain buried.

Through a blend of interviews with residents, reenactments, and footage of the cemetery excavation, this powerful documentary highlights an important but rarely discussed aspect of Canadian history.

This engaging doc told largely through archival 16mm footage charts the birth of modern environmentalism and explores how Greenpeace developed from a small group of idealistic environmentalists into a sophisticated movement.  

Eco-organization Greenpeace has boots on the ground all over the world. But their origin story begins in 1971, when a group of activists sailed on an old fishing boat from Vancouver to Amchitka, Alaska for one goal — to stop then-President Nixon’s atomic bomb tests.  

Based on memoirs by eco-activist and Greenpeace co-founder Bob Hunter, this inspiring film won two Canadian Screen Awards and the documentary editing award at the Sundance Film Festival, for its skillfully layered storytelling.

In 1994, then-General Roméo Dallaire was on the ground in Rwanda as a genocide unfolded. He returned to Canada haunted by these memories, and has found a new mission: to end the recruitment of child soldiers around the world.  

In this important and affecting documentary based on his book They Fight Like Soldiers, They Die Like Children, Dallaire travels across Africa and North America speaking with child soldiers, self-defence groups, militia leaders and those trying to help these children. As he searches for solutions to this horrific practice, animated sequences are interspersed to add the first-person voice of Michel Chikwanine, a former child soldier, who recounts a chilling story that makes it clear why this work is so crucial.  

“The cause couldn’t be more urgent… The face of the cause couldn’t be more eloquent.” – Rick Groen, The Globe and Mail

This film provides an in-depth look at the legendary Canadian band Rush, one of rock’s most influential groups. Rush ranks third for most consecutive gold or platinum albums after The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Despite this success, and their legions of devoted fans, they had been continually overlooked by critics and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (until 2013).

Featuring never-before-seen archival footage and interviews with some of rock’s greatest artists, this documentary explores the long career of these Canadian musical heroes.
 

A compelling hybrid of drama and documentary, this feature film covers the events that led up to the infamous destruction of an extraordinary 300-year-old tree in Haida Gwaii, BC, held sacred by the Haida nation.  

Inspired by John Vaillant’s award-winning book The Golden Spruce, the film introduces us to the complex character of Grant Hadwin, a logging engineer and expert woodsman who lived and worked in British Columbia’s remote and ancient forests.  

In 1997, Hadwin was driven to commit what some would say was an extraordinary and incomprehensible act, one that ran contrary to all he had come to value. To some, he became an environmental terrorist, and to others, a misunderstood activist — but what was he, really? Weaving together speculation and reality, Hadwin’s Judgement paints a complex portrait of the devastation and internal turmoil that led Hadwin to his decision.

The members of the Afghan women’s boxing team are determined to compete on the world stage, and all share a dream of representing their country in the Olympics. Constantly having to deal with political pressure, lack of funding, and improper training facilities, these young women still manage to break through the barriers before them in their fight to keep their boxing careers alive.

This powerful documentary follows the boxers’ lives both in and out of the ring, with interviews with their coaches and family members that not only show what they’ve had to overcome, but also the long journey that still lies ahead of them.

Winner of the Canadian Screen Award for Best Short Documentary.

Inspired by the films of Rob Stewart, 16-year-old Julia Barnes decides to follow his example and take eco-action through filmmaking. Travelling around the world surveying the various problems that threaten ocean ecosystems, Barnes takes a deep dive into how actions by governments, businesses and ordinary people can all have a drastic impact on sustainability.

Culminating in the demonstrations leading up to the important but ultimately ineffective Paris Climate Agreement, this documentary charts a path for what comes next and how a conscious treatment of the ocean could present the answer to keeping our planet liveable and beautiful for generations to come.

A thoughtful portrait of a community told through the eyes of an astute 12-year-old Black girl whose poignant observations about life give voice to those rarely heard in society. Winner of Hot Docs’ Best Canadian Feature Doc.

On August 9, 2016, a 22-year-old Cree man named Colten Boushie was killed by a gunshot to the back of his head after entering a rural farm property in Saskatchewan with his friends. When an all-white jury acquitted the white farmer of all charges, the case received international attention and sent Colten’s family and community on a quest to fix the Canadian justice system.

Sensitively directed by Tasha Hubbard, this profoundly affecting documentary weaves a narrative encompassing the filmmaker’s own family story, the history of colonialism on the Prairies, and a vision of a future where Indigenous children can live safely on their homelands.

Nîpawistamâsowin was the opening night film at Hot Docs 2019, where it won the prize for Best Canadian Documentary.

Master documentarian Alanis Obomsawin’s 50th film reveals how a Cree community in Manitoba has been enriched through the power of education. The students at a local school for the Norway House Cree Nation discuss their aspirations for the future and reflect on the fact that they are feeling more hopeful and optimistic than previous generations.

By discussing the effects of intergenerational trauma, substance abuse and many other issues facing Indigenous communities, and by learning about their own history and culture, the students are able to undergo a process of collective healing and ensure that growing up doesn’t mean leaving one’s roots behind.

This inspiring doc shows that the strength of the community comes from the people within it, and provides a strong model for prosperity and renewal.

“Our People Will Be Healed breathes with hope for the future.” – Pat Mullen, POV Magazine

Feminism has shaped the society we live in. But just how far has it brought us, and how relevant is it today? This feature documentary zeroes in on key concerns such as violence against women, access to abortion, and universal childcare, asking how much progress we have truly made on these issues.

Rich with archival material and powerful contemporary stories, Status Quo? uncovers answers that are provocative and at times shocking. A striking, in-depth documentary that pays homage to Canada’s feminist forerunners and raises important questions about where and how we should move on from here.

Rob Stewart’s final film brings another urgent message about shark conservation, as a new threat faces this misunderstood predator. While the inhumane practice of shark finning is being banned worldwide, Stewart goes deeper to find the pirates that continue to hunt sharks by manipulating legal loopholes. As beautifully shot and thrilling as his previous films, Sharkwater Extinction is an urgent call to action, in the face of a continuing decline in the worldwide shark population, with millions of sharks still being killed each year.

This was Rob Stewart’s final film before he tragically passed away in 2017, and it stands as a lasting legacy of his activism and courage.

“[Stewart’s] passionate documentary, boasting stirring underwater photography and an equally poignant score, speaks urgently on his behalf.” — Michael Rechtshaffen, Los Angeles Times

In 1914, the SS Komagata Maru set out on a voyage to transport Indian immigrants to Canada. On May 23 of that year, the ship arrived in Vancouver with 376 Sikh, Muslim and Hindu passengers on board. Many of the men were veterans of the British Indian Army and believed that it was their right as British subjects to settle anywhere in the Empire they had fought to defend and expand. They were wrong – they were stopped from coming into Canada by the Continuous Journey Regulation of 1908, which excluded Indians and South Asians from being able to enter the country.  

This inventive docudrama explores the exclusionary politics, which kept the Indian passengers of the Komagata Maru sequestered at sea for over two months in this infamous standoff.  

A story of immigration and injustice, this beautifully crafted film shows historical footage in a way never seen before.

Between 2007 and 2011, 725 Quebecers under 20 years of age were killed in car accidents, many involving speeding and drunk driving. Reckless driving is dangerous and, in severe cases, fatal.  

Through emotional interviews with friends and relatives of victims, director Arcand provides an unflinching look at car accidents — how they are caused and how they affect everyone around them. Often as a result of speeding, drinking or just a thirst for adrenaline, the lives of the young interviewees are changed forever in a matter of seconds.  

Arcand gives a voice to the young people who love driving fast, as well as accident victims who have been injured both physically and psychologically by this behaviour. A touching and eye-opening documentary about the toll that reckless driving is taking on French Canadian youth.

An exploration of what the word democracy means, and how it has evolved over the years from its birth in Athens to its global impact in the 21st century.

Beautifully filmed in Canada and China’s Guangdong province, this fascinating documentary contrasts the historical injustices faced by Chinese migrants over the last century with the experiences of contemporary Chinese Canadian youth.

Focusing on past discriminatory immigration policies, the film reflects on the meaning of prejudice and exclusion to those who experienced it and those who did not. By calling attention to the diverse nature of contemporary Chinese Canadian identities, the film paints an inclusive and diverse picture of Canada as a nation.

From C to C was nominated for three Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Direction in a Documentary Program or Series.

In 2011, close to 4000 First Nation people in Manitoba were forced from their homes after artificially diverted floodwater swamped their communities to save the city of Winnipeg. Most of the evacuees, the majority from Lake St. Martin and Little Saskatchewan First Nations, checked into Winnipeg hotels, assuming they would return to their homes within a couple of weeks. Shockingly, nearly 7 years later over 1700 evacuees remain displaced and continue to be stranded in a political firestorm between First Nation band councils, the Manitoba Association of Native Firefighters, hotel owners and the federal and provincial governments. The displacement has triggered a rise in substance abuse and suicide rates. Plans for getting people home seem to be at a standstill. Interspersing intimate clips of everyday life with footage of heated political debates, this deeply intimate documentary tells the unexpected story of the real people behind the national headlines of the 2011 Manitoba flood.