Genre: Documentary
- Own Voice
Honey For Sale
Director
Amanda Strong (Michif)
Writers
Amanda Strong (Michif), John Sedore
Producer
Amanda Strong (Michif)
Genre
Documentary
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Environment, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
Vtape
- Own Voice
Against The Grain
Director
Curtis Mandeville (Métis)
Writer
Curtis Mandeville (Métis)
Producers
Curtis Mandeville (Métis), Eileen McCord
Genre
Documentary
Interests
BIPOC Stories, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
English
- Own Voice
Empty
Director
Jackie Traverse (Anishinaabe)
Writer
Jackie Traverse (Anishinaabe)
Producer
Joe MacDonald
Genres
Animation, Documentary, Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
Winnipeg Film Group
Canada: A People’s History
Dramatic and gripping, this popular series illustrates pivotal moments in Canada’s history, bringing a compelling intimacy to grand, historic developments. From the stories passed down through oral tradition to the first encounters between Indigenous peoples and Europeans, through the battles that engulfed the continent and the formation of the Dominion of Canada in 1867, to the modern era of feminism, multiculturalism and globalization, this captivating series brings to life the moments that have shaped our nation, telling Canada’s story through the eyes of the people who lived it.
Canada: A People’s History won the Gemini Award for Best Documentary Series and attracted over 14 million viewers. It is a collaborative production between the CBC and Radio-Canada and is available in both English and French.
Students can explore Canadian history further by delving into the series’ award-winning website (www.cbc.ca/history), which features behind-the-scenes footage, games, puzzles, lesson plans and links to other historical resources.
Each 105 minute episode is made up of several 10-to-15-minute segments, which can be shown independently. For a more detailed breakdown of the topics covered in each episode, please see www.cbc.ca/history.
SERIES 1: 15,000 B.C. to 1800 A.D. For centuries, the territory now known as Canada is home to over 50 Indigenous nations, each with unique traditions and culture. In the 16th century, European explorers arrive, creating Canada’s first colonies, and forever changing the landscape and the lives of the First Peoples.
SERIES 2: 1670 to 1873 By the 1800s, British exploration opens the West to settlement, laying the foundation of a new nation, but also displacing and devastating Indigenous inhabitants. Confederation soon follows, with the creation of the Dominion of Canada in 1867.
SERIES 3: 1873 to 1940 Canada’s early years are fraught with economic depression, rebellions and tension between English- and French-speaking Canadians. Immigration, rapid growth and sociopolitical change follow, ending abruptly with World War II, a pivotal moment in Canada’s quest for autonomy that comes at the enormous cost of 60,000 lives.
SERIES 4: 1940 to 1990 The end of the Great Depression and the flames and ravages of World War II give way to a new era of peace, progress and prosperity, as well as free trade, globalization, feminism, Indigenous land claims, multiculturalism, Québec nationalism and the explosion of computer technology.
Directors
Writers
Hubert Gendron, Mark Starowicz, Gene Allen
Producer
Mark Starowicz
Genre
Documentary
Interests
History, Social Justice & Politics
Original Languages
English, French
Canadian Distributor
CBC
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.
Director
Loretta Todd (Cree/Métis)
Writer
Loretta Todd (Cree/Métis)
Cast
Nathaniel Arcand (Cree), Gordon Tootoosis (Cree), Michèle Audette (Innu)
Producers
Michael Doxtater (Haudenosaunee), Carol Geddess (Tlingit), Jerry Krepakevich
Genre
Documentary
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Classics, Female Filmmaker, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
English
Language Versions
EN CC, FR Subtitles
Canadian Distributor
National Film Board (NFB)
- Own Voice
In the Shadow of the Pines
Director
Anne Koizumi
Writer
Anne Koizumi
Producers
Sahar Yousefi, Anne Koizumi
Genre
Documentary
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker
Original Language
English
An inspiring and honest look at the challenges facing a transgender teenager and how the love of her family and community allowed her to embrace her true self.
Director
Rachel Bower
Writer
Rachel Bower
Producer
Rohan Fernando
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, LGBTQ2S+
Original Language
English
Language Version
None
Camille Turner
Director
Van Royko
Producers
Nabil Mehchi, Frank Fiorito
Genre
Documentary
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Discrimination, History, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
English
5:1
Filmmaker Ben-Saud takes us into her family home, where she was confined with her parents and adult brother and sister during the early months of the lockdown, to experience the sometimes funny and sometimes challenging realities of pandemic coexistence.
Director
Sara Ben-Saud
Writer
Sara Ben-Saud
Producer
Sara Ben-Saud
Genres
Documentary, Family
Interests
Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences
Original Language
French
7h59, Mile End
Director
Mattias Graham
Writer
Mattias Graham
Producer
Sharon Corder
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
French
- Own Voice
Divinations
Directors
Simon Mutabazi, Dan Boos
Producer
Sharon Corder
Genre
Documentary
Interest
BIPOC Stories
Original Language
English
- Own Voice
Jordan Gordon’s Guide to Kuujjuaq
Director
Jordan Gordon (Inuk)
Writer
Jordan Gordon (Inuk)
Genres
Comedy, Documentary
Interests
Biography, BIPOC Stories, Environment, Indigenous Filmmaker
Original Language
English
- Own Voice
7 Minutes
Content Note: Depictions of trauma
Director
Tasha Hubbard (Cree)
Hubbard is an award-winning filmmaker and an assistant professor in the University of Saskatchewan’s Department of English. Her writing-directing project Two Worlds Colliding won a Gemini and a Golden Sheaf Award. She has also directed the short film 7 Minutes, and the feature docs Birth of a Family and nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up, which won Best Canadian Documentary at Hot Docs and at the CSAs. She is currently directing the feature doc Singing Back the Buffalo.
Writer
Tasha Hubbard (Cree)
Cast
Darian Lonechild (Cree/Saulteaux)
Producer
Marilyn Poitras (Métis)
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, Indigenous Filmmaker
Original Language
English
- Own Voice
Cry Rock
Director
Banchi Hanuse (Nuxalk)
Writer
Banchi Hanuse (Nuxalk)
Producer
Banchi Hanuse (Nuxalk)
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker
Original Languages
English, Other Language
- Own Voice
De Face Ou De Profil (Face or Profile)
Director
Sharon Fontaine (Innu)
Writer
Sharon Fontaine (Innu)
Genre
Documentary
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Global Experiences, Indigenous Filmmaker
Original Language
French
Language Version
EN Subtitles
- Own Voice
Hard Learning
Director
Daniel Fortin
Writers
Paul Neary, Daniel Fortin
Producer
Daniel Fortin
Genre
Documentary
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Indigenous Filmmaker
Original Language
English
- Own Voice
Hyphen: Gabriela’s Story
Renaud explores her hyphenated identity through a portrayal of the complexities of her multiracial family.
Director
Gabriela Warrior Renaud
Writer
Gabriela Warrior Renaud
Genre
Documentary
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker
Original Languages
English, French
Language Version
EN Subtitles
- Own Voice
Envers et contre tout (Against All Odds)
Director
Kimberley Ann Surin
Writer
Kimberley Ann Surin
Producer
Fabienne Colas
Genre
Documentary
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Discrimination, Female Filmmaker, Sports
Original Language
French
Language Version
EN Subtitles
As the Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Senator Murray Sinclair is a key figure in raising global awareness of the atrocities of Canada’s residential school system. Master documentarian Alanis Obomsawin blends Senator Sinclair’s thought-provoking acceptance speech from his WFM-Canada World Peace Award with powerful testimonies of survivors of the residential school system. With determination, wisdom and kindness, Senator Sinclair provides a clear and nuanced explanation of the residential school system and its profound ongoing impacts, and asserts that actual reconciliation requires accepting these difficult truths about Canada’s past and present. The film reminds us to honour the lives and legacies of those affected, lays out avenues for real change, and ultimately leaves us with a profound feeling of hope for a better future.
Director
Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki)
Legendary Abenaki filmmaker Obomsawin has made over 50 documentaries on issues affecting Indigenous peoples in Canada, including Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance, Trick or Treaty?, Is the Crown at War with Us?, Our People Will Be Healed and Jordan River Anderson, The Messenger. Her most recent film is the short documentary Honour to Senator Murray Sinclair. Next, she is set to appear in an episode of Marie Clements' Bones of Crows: The Series.
Writer
Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki)
Cast
Murray Sinclair
Producer
Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki)
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Biography, BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
English