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Outdoor Education (23)
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Available in English Options
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Being CaribouLeanne Allison & Diana Wilson 2004 1 h 12 minIn this feature-length documentary, husband and wife team Karsten Heuer (wildlife biologist) and Leanne Allison (environmentalist) follow a herd of 120,000 caribou on foot across 1500 km of Arctic tundra. In following the herd's migration, the couple hopes to raise awareness of the threats to the caribou's survival. Along the way they brave Arctic weather, icy rivers, hordes of mosquitoes and a very hungry grizzly bear. Dramatic footage and video diaries combine to provide an intimate perspective of an epic expedition. -
Ice BirdsMarc Hébert 1978 15 minCrystal Pillar, White Lady, The Whale--these are the names given by ice-climbing enthusiasts to the spectacular ice formations surrounding Quebec's Montmorency Falls. Ice Birds shows two experienced climbers scaling the breathtaking wall of the Crystal Pillar with precision and considerable daring, appearing from below as black spots on the vast landscape of one of nature's masterpieces. Film without words.
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It'll Be Nice Out TomorrowAntoine Létourneau-Berger & Guillaume Lévesque 2020 4 minIMPORTANT: For the optimal experience, please use headphones and turn up the volume.
The influence of the weather on our daily lives and the immense role it plays in our conversations, day after day, are undeniable. The creators Guillaume Lévesque and Antoine Létourneau-Berger had the brilliant idea of weaving their film from snippets of meteorology talk collected in various cities of the Bas-Saint-Laurent. Focusing on human speech and its poetry, It'll Be Nice Out Tomorrow demonstrates how the uncontrollable elements permeate our collective imagination. -
King of the HillWilliam Canning & Donald Brittain 1974 56 minThis feature documentary follows one of the greatest Canadian baseball players of all time, Ferguson Jenkins, through the 1972-1973 season. From the hope and innocence of spring training to the dog days of an August slump, the camera gets up close and personal at the home plate and records the intimate chatter on the mound, in the dugout and in the locker room. It provides a glimpse into the rewards and pressures of sports stardom and the easy camaraderie of the quintessential summer sport.
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Les raquetteursGilles Groulx & Michel Brault 1958 14 minThis short documentary records the celebration and ritual surrounding a snowshoe competition in Sherbrooke in the late 1950s. The film marked the beginning of a new approach to reality in documentary and prefigures the trademark style of the NFB's newly formed French Unit. Today, Les raquetteurs is considered a precursor to the birth of direct cinema. In French with English subtitles.
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Our People Will Be HealedAlanis Obomsawin 2017 1 h 36 minOur People Will Be Healed, Alanis Obomsawin’s 50th film, reveals how a Cree community in Manitoba has been enriched through the power of education. The Helen Betty Osborne Ininiw Education Resource Centre in Norway House, north of Winnipeg, receives a level of funding that few other Indigenous institutions enjoy. Its teachers help their students to develop their abilities and their sense of pride.
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Path of the Paddle: Solo WhitewaterBill Mason 1977 27 minThis short film from canoeist Bill Mason explains clearly how to locate a deep water channel by reading the rapids and how to apply paddling strokes and manoeuvres to steer the canoe where you want it to go. It also depicts what happens if you "wipe out" in a turbulent rapid and shows you how to survive the swim.
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Path of the Paddle: Solo BasicBill Mason 1977 27 minThis short film from canoeist Bill Mason illustrates the joy and poetry of paddling solo. All the basic strokes used to control the canoe are rendered with perfect clarity through animated lines.
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Path of the Paddle: Doubles BasicBill Mason 1977 27 minThis short film from canoeist Bill Mason demonstrates the basic doubles paddling strokes and how to apply them in various combinations. The application of each stroke in rapids is shown briefly and the emphasis is always on working as a well-coordinated team.
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Path of the Paddle: Doubles WhitewaterBill Mason 1977 27 minThis short film from canoeist Bill Mason shows how to read the rapids and plan a course and follow it, with complete control of the boat, using the basic paddling strokes. Running rapids will always be a calculated risk, but risk diminishes with skill and knowledge. The strokes can be used in endless combination to reduce the risks of whitewater canoeing and increase the sheer joy and exuberance.
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The RinkGilles Carle 1962 10 minThis short, silent film captures a Sunday afternoon at a community skating rink. Iconic Quebec director Gilles Carle has the camera follow toddlers learning to skate, young girls flashing their skates and boys decked out in the colours of their favourite hockey teams. A picture perfect moment on a bright winter's day.
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River of LifeWerner Walcher 2007 53 minThis documentary focuses on the Yukon River Quest, the world's longest annual canoe and kayak race. Athletes come from around the world to test their endurance, racing day and night along 740 km of rugged river shoreline. The film chronicles the experiences of the all-female 2006 Paddlers Abreast team. By following them from the moment they climb into their boat in Whitehorse to the cheers that greet them in Dawson City, the film tells an exhilarating story of a group of women who have faced death and understand how precious life is.
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Spirit DoctorsMarie Burke 2005 40 minThis short documentary journeys into the spiritual world of traditional Indigenous medicine, a world inhabited by Dr. Mary Louie (a spiritual leader of the Syilx or Okanagan Nation), and her husband Ed Louie. With a lifetime of experience in the ways of spirituality, they are committed to practices that keep them accountable to the spirit world, their people, and Mother Earth. When one of the crew members get sick while shooting, his subsequent care is recorded for the purposes of this film.
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Survival in the BushBernard Devlin 1954 30 minThis short documentary illustrates what to do when you're lost in the bush. Filmed in 1954, an NFB producer and a Native guide allow themselves to be marooned in the bush with only an axe and their wits as means of survival. They eat off the land, build their own birchbark canoe and make their way out.
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Shining Mountains - Land of RichesGuy Clarkson 2005 47 minThis documentary from the Shining Mountains series explores the discovery of the Rockies by retracing the footsteps of its earliest European visitors. At first nothing more than an obstacle to fur trading, the Rockies became, with the arrival of the first CPR train, an all-too accessible Shangri-La, a playground for Easterners armed with easels, cameras and climbing gear. Here, the filmmaker joins modern-day adventurers and historians to relive these early explorations. It's a journey by dog team, locomotive, canoe and climbing party to the roof of the Canadian Rockies. From there, one can almost see forever, and that's the problem. The future is cause for concern.
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Song of the PaddleBill Mason 1978 40 minThis documentary features outdoorsman Bill Mason and his family as they camp and canoe in the wilderness. The film fosters an appreciation for the art of canoeing while celebrating the sheer joy and beauty of nature. Along their trip, the Masons experience countless adventures and some breathtaking scenery, including indigenous rock carvings by Lake Superior.
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Wapos Bay: A Time to Learn (Cree Version)2006 24 minIn episode 5 from the Wapos Bay series, missing sled dogs and a pile of homework are just a few of the things Talon has to deal with before setting out for the trapline with his father, Alphonse. Talon can't wait to go away for a week but the exciting trip means lots of extra responsibility. He has to complete the schoolwork he'll miss before leaving. While Talon struggles with a creative writing assignment, T-Bear and his grandfather Mushom have trouble with the dog team. T-Bear incorrectly ties the dogs up and they escape. In this episode, intense preparations and avoidable mishaps teach the children the importance of listening to elders and taking care with everything you do.
Wapos Bay is a Gemini Award-winning stop-motion animation series that follows the adventures of 3 kids from a Cree community in northern Saskatchewan. -
Winter Week-endBernard Devlin 1952 21 minA short comedy about a group of skiers who end up spending their skiing weekend in the Gatineaus enjoying themselves despite their mishaps--but never making it onto the hill.
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Wapos Bay: The ElementsMelanie Jackson 2006 24 minIn episode 6 from the Wapos Bay series, the survival skills of Talon, T-Bear, Raven and Mushom are tested by an unexpected storm. The children are helping grandfather Mushom set up a cultural camp so young people can learn traditional ways. Bad weather hits and the radio, generator and ATV break down. Mushom leaves the camp for help but has an accident along the way. Left alone, the children have several mishaps - including accidentally blowing up their ATV - and abandon camp. The family makes it home safely, but their journey to Elders Island teaches the children that taking shortcuts at any age is best avoided. T-Bear learns that his knowledge of electronics can come in handy in any situation.
Wapos Bay is a Gemini Award-winning stop-motion animation series that follows the adventures of 3 kids from a Cree community in northern Saskatchewan. -
WrestlingMichel Brault , Claude Jutra , … 1961 27 minA candid-camera view of professional wrestling as seen in the Montréal Forum, where some of the biggest bouts are staged, and in back-street wrestling parlors where the warriors practice their art. Nothing escapes the probing camera as well-muscled tyros grapple, punch, squirm, roar and grimace, adding their own variations of showmanship to amuse and excite the crowd.
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Wapos Bay: The Elements (Cree Version)2006 24 minIn episode 6 from the Wapos Bay series, the survival skills of Talon, T-Bear, Raven and Mushom are tested by an unexpected storm. The children are helping grandfather Mushom set up a cultural camp so young people can learn traditional ways. Bad weather hits and the radio, generator and ATV break down. Mushom leaves the camp for help but has an accident along the way. Left alone, the children have several mishaps - including accidentally blowing up their ATV - and abandon camp. The family makes it home safely, but their journey to Elders Island teaches the children that taking shortcuts at any age is best avoided. T-Bear learns that his knowledge of electronics can come in handy in any situation.
Wapos Bay is a Gemini Award-winning stop-motion animation series that follows the adventures of 3 kids from a Cree community in northern Saskatchewan. -
Wapos Bay: A Time to LearnDennis Jackson 2006 24 minIn episode 5 from the Wapos Bay series, missing sled dogs and a pile of homework are just a few of the things Talon has to deal with before setting out for the trapline with his father, Alphonse. Talon can't wait to go away for a week but the exciting trip means lots of extra responsibility. He has to complete the schoolwork he'll miss before leaving. While Talon struggles with a creative writing assignment, T-Bear and his grandfather Mushom have trouble with the dog team. T-Bear incorrectly ties the dogs up and they escape. In this episode, intense preparations and avoidable mishaps teach the children the importance of listening to elders and taking care with everything you do.
Wapos Bay is a Gemini Award-winning stop-motion animation series that follows the adventures of 3 kids from a Cree community in northern Saskatchewan. -
WaterwalkerBill Mason 1984 1 h 26 minThis feature-length documentary follows naturalist Bill Mason on his journey by canoe into the Ontario wilderness. The filmmaker and artist begins on Lake Superior, then explores winding and sometimes tortuous river waters to the meadowlands of the river's source. Along the way, Mason paints scenes that capture his attention and muses about his love of the canoe, his artwork and his own sense of the land.
Mason also uses the film as a commentary on the link between God and nature and the vast array of beautiful canvases God created for him to paint. Features breathtaking visuals and exciting whitewater footage, with a musical score by Bruce Cockburn.
