O Canada

Director Jerry Popowich
Year 2017
Run Time 2min
Genre Animation
Mercury Filmworks created this charming animated version of the national anthem for National Canadian Film Day 150. It screened at over 1,800 events around the world and became a classic.

Director

Jerry Popowich

Genre

Animation

Interest

Arts and Culture

Original Language

English

  • Own Voice

Ute Kanata (Here in Canada)

Director Virginie Michel (Innu)
Year 2016
Run Time 2min
Genre Documentary

This poignant take on “O Canada” adapts the national anthem to the reality of the First Nations of Canada, and provides a rallying song for all peoples.

Director

Virginie Michel (Innu)

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

Other Language

Language Versions

EN Subtitles, FR Subtitles

  • Own Voice

To Wake Up the Nakota Language

Director Louise BigEagle (Nakota/Cree)
Year 2017
Run Time 6min
Genre Documentary

At 69 years old Armand McArthur is one of the last fluent Nakota speakers in Saskatchewan, but he has dedicated his life to passing down his teachings so that the language and culture survive for generations to come.

Director

Louise BigEagle (Nakota/Cree)

Writer

Louise BigEagle (Nakota/Cree)

Producer

Jon Montes

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

English

  • Own Voice

Thunderbird

Director Erin Collins (Anishinaabe)
Year 2018
Run Time 3min
Genre Documentary

The amazing story of Steven Collins, a First Nations ski jumper who competed in the Olympics when he was only 15 years old.

Director

Erin Collins (Anishinaabe)

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Biography, BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, Sports

Original Language

English

  • Own Voice

Jordan Gordon’s Guide to Kuujjuaq

Director Jordan Gordon (Inuk)
Year 2018
Run Time 4min
Genre Comedy, Documentary
Jordan Gordon is thrilled to show you around his hometown, taking you through the highlights with a wonderful mix of humour and charm.

Director

Jordan Gordon (Inuk)

Writer

Jordan Gordon (Inuk)

Genres

Comedy, Documentary

Interests

Biography, BIPOC Stories, Environment, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

English

  • Own Voice

Hole

Director G. Goletski
Year 2018
Run Time 6min
Genre Animation, Drama
The story of Mo, a young adult on the autism spectrum whose daily routine is disrupted when a mysterious hole begins to follow them around.

Director

G. Goletski

Writer

G. Goletski

Genres

Animation, Drama

Interest

BIPOC Stories

Original Language

English

Ice Breakers

Director Sandamini Rankaduwa
Year 2019
Run Time 15min
Genre Documentary
A rising hockey star is introduced to the history of the Black hockey league in Atlantic Canada to inspire him to pursue his dreams in a sport where Black athletes like him remain underrepresented.

Director

Sandamini Rankaduwa

Writer

Sandamini Rankaduwa

Producer

Rohan Fernando

Genre

Documentary

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Discrimination, Female Filmmaker, History, Social Justice & Politics, Sports

Original Language

English

Language Version

FR Subtitles

  • Own Voice

Al Ghorba

Director Alia Hijaab
Year 2019
Run Time 6min
Genre Animation, Drama
Through a conversation with her family back home, a Syrian immigrant in Canada expresses her loneliness, and faces her mounting fears about the future.

Director

Alia Hijaab

Writer

Alia Hijaab

Producer

Alia Hijaab

Genres

Animation, Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, Newcomer Stories, Social Justice & Politics

Original Languages

English, Other Language

Le givre de Bobby-Yves

Directors Bogdan Anifrani, Ranee Inez
Year 2021
Run Time 3min
Genre Drama
The tenacious Bobby-Yves wakes up to find himself stranded in a blizzard, and must explore the landscape to find shelter and warmth before he succumbs to the icy white abyss. A suspenseful and unexpectedly humorous tale told through a beautiful, minimalist animation style, Le givre de Bobby-Yves is an instant classic.

Directors

Bogdan Anifrani, Ranee Inez

Writers

Bogdan Anifrani, Ranee Inez

Producer

Sharon Corder

Genre

Drama

Interests

Arts and Culture, Environment, Female Filmmaker

Original Language

French

On Fire

Director Dylan Glynn
Year 2021
Run Time 1min
Genre Animation
This beautiful hand-drawn animation juxtaposes the fires of hatred and greed which allow for the greatest atrocities of human suffering with the literal fires of a burning and rapidly transforming planet, and the fiery passion of movements that work to build a new world for the many and not the few.

Director

Dylan Glynn

Producer

Sharon Corder

Genre

Animation

Interests

Global Experiences, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

English

  • Own Voice

Tussle

Director Christopher Grant (Mi’gmaw)
Year 2021
Run Time 2min
Genre Animation

In this hauntingly beautiful hand-drawn animation, simple shapes form increasingly complex entities, all set to an immersive and powerful score by the filmmaker. Playful forms must merge together in an anxious wrestle for unified harmony, no matter how difficult.

Director

Christopher Grant (Mi’gmaw)

Producer

Sharon Corder

Genre

Animation

Interests

Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

English

  • Own Voice

I am Skylar

Director Rachel Bower
Year 2019
Run Time 15min
Genre Documentary

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

  • Own Voice

Lessons Injustice

Director Karen Chapman
Year 2017
Run Time 9min
Genre Documentary
A Black father prepares to have a tough conversation with his son about what it means to be a Black man in society, and reflects on why he needs to have this conversation in the first place.

Director

Karen Chapman

Producer

Paul Moyer

Genre

Documentary

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Discrimination, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

English

  • Own Voice

The Relay

Director Kimberley Ann Surin
Year 2021
Run Time 22min
Genre Documentary

Members of the 1996 Canadian Olympic relay team reflect on their historic gold medal-winning run, and what it meant both for them and for Canada as a whole.

Director

Kimberley Ann Surin

Writer

Kimberley Ann Surin

Producer

Kimberley Ann Surin

Genre

Documentary

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, History, Sports

Original Language

English

The Street

Director Caroline Leaf
Year 1976
Run Time 10min
Genre Animation, Drama

An award-winning adaptation of a story by Canadian author Mordecai Richler about how families deal with older relatives, and the emotions surrounding a grandmother’s death.

Director

Caroline Leaf

Writer

Mordecai Richler

Producer

Guy Glover

Genres

Animation, Drama

Interests

Classics, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Literary Adaptation

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

NFB

  • Own Voice

How To Be Alone

Director Andrea Dorfman
Year 2010
Run Time 6min
Genre Animation, Experimental

Narrated by Tanya Davis to beautiful hand-drawn illustrations by Dorfman, Davis’s eloquent poem is full of powerful truths. With over 9.5 million views on YouTube, the film is an online sensation.

Director

Andrea Dorfman

Writer

Tanya Davis

Producers

Walter Forsyth, Andrea Dorfman

Genres

Animation, Experimental

Interest

Female Filmmaker

Original Language

English

Language Version

EN CC

The Danish Poet

Director Torill Kove
Year 2006
Run Time 14min
Genre Animation, Drama

In this Oscar-winning short, a young woman tells the story of how the Danish poet Kasper Jørgensen found inspiration and ultimately caused her parents to find one another.

Director

Torill Kove

Writer

Torill Kove

Producers

Lise Fearnley, Marcy Page

Genres

Animation, Drama

Interests

Arts and Culture, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences

Original Languages

English, French

Canadian Distributor

NFB

Refuge in the Rockies

Director Kaio Kathriner
Year 2018
Run Time 12min
Genre Documentary
A look at how Columbian refugee Anderson Losada’s dreams of skiing on the Canadian Paralympic team helped to change an obscure law that barred him from pursuing Canadian citizenship.

Director

Kaio Kathriner

Writers

Kaio Kathriner, Tom Malenica

Producers

Matt Drake, Tony Cerciello, Kaio Kathriner

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Biography, BIPOC Stories, Discrimination, Global Experiences, Newcomer Stories, Social Justice & Politics, Sports

Original Language

English

Pool Pool

Directors Dave Derewlany, Adam Brodie
Year 2007
Run Time 4min
Genre Comedy
Two oddball brothers are dedicated to playing billards in a swimming pool.

Directors

Dave Derewlany, Adam Brodie

Genre

Comedy

Interest

Sports

Original Language

English

  • Own Voice

Le chemin rouge (Red Path)

Director Thérèse Ottawa (Atikamekw)
Year 2015
Run Time 15min
Genre Documentary

This moving documentary tells the story of Tony Chachai, a young man who goes on a journey to reconnect with his Atikamekw roots by dancing in powwows.

Director

Thérèse Ottawa (Atikamekw)

Writer

Thérèse Ottawa (Atikamekw)

Producer

Johanne Bergeron

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

French

Language Version

EN Subtitles