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Walk a Mile: The Immigrant Experience in Canada - Episode 3 - DiscriminationDan Moscrip 1999 27 minCanada espouses the concept of a cultural mosaic, where ethnic and cultural diversity is respected. In episode 3, immigrant Canadians share their experience of this mosaic, presenting realities that do not always coincide with official policy. Many newcomers, especially visible minorities, encounter discrimination in imployment, housing and social acceptance. This film also addresses the experiences of refugees seeking asylum in Canada. Walk a Mile: The Immigrant Experience in Canada is a 4-part series that reveals the challenges faced by immigrants who leave all they know to make a new home in Canada. The aim of this series, as the title suggests, is for viewers to walk that symbolic mile in the others' shoes and to more readily show understanding and tolerance of the immigrant experience in Canada. -
Walk a Mile: The Immigrant Experience in Canada - Episode 2 - LanguageDan Moscrip 1999 27 minThrough interviews with new Canadians and supporting dramatizations, episode 2 looks at the trials and successes of newcomers struggling to learn one or both of Canada's official languages. Language, immigrants stress, is of major importance since the ability to communicate in English and/or French affects employment, social integration and acceptance. Without the necessary language skills, immigrants with academic or professional credentials often find themselves doing menial jobs. In some cases, newcomers are exploited by members of their own ethnic community. Walk a Mile: The Immigrant Experience in Canada is a 4-part series that reveals the challenges faced by immigrants who leave all they know to make a new home in Canada. The aim of this series, as the title suggests, is for viewers to walk that symbolic mile in the others' shoes and to more readily show understanding and tolerance of the immigrant experience in Canada.
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Walk a Mile: The Immigrant Experience in Canada - Episode 4 - EmploymentDan Moscrip 1999 27 minThis final segment looks at the challenges newcomers face finding employment. The problem of having credentials recognized in a new country is explored. Immigrants with job training and skills cannot always work in their field of expertise since Canadian professional associations may not recognize their qualifications. An added difficulty surrounding employment arises from traditional gender roles where the man is expected to be the bread winner. Newcomers may have to adjust to new roles that disrupt family life. The problem posed by lack of job experience in Canada is also addressed. Walk a Mile: The Immigrant Experience in Canada is a 4-part series that reveals the challenges faced by immigrants who leave all they know to make a new home in Canada. The aim of this series, as the title suggests, is for viewers to walk that symbolic mile in the others' shoes and to more readily show understanding and tolerance of the immigrant experience in Canada.
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Walk a Mile: The Immigrant Experience in Canada - Episode 1 - IdentityDan Moscrip 1999 26 minThis episode puts a human face on the immigrant experience. Newcomers tell us why they have come to Canada and talk about how this move has affected their sense of identity. Families also discuss the conflicts between generations that immigration can cause. Walk a Mile: The Immigrant Experience in Canada is a 4-part series that reveals the challenges faced by immigrants who leave all they know to make a new home in Canada. The aim of this series, as the title suggests, is for viewers to walk that symbolic mile in the others' shoes and to more readily show understanding and tolerance of the immigrant experience in Canada.
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Rosa RosaFélix Dufour-Laperrière 2008 8 minWhile war is thundering at the gates of the city, Rosa and her lover live serenely together, trying to preserve a fragile normality. Rosa Rosa is the interweaving of individual and collective fates via a love story simply told by the couple themselves. In this animation using reworked photos, Félix Dufour-Laperrière offers an unusual graphic world where public and private spaces overlap.
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DominoShanti Thakur 1994 44 minDomino portrays the poignant and outspoken stories of six multiracial adults' struggles to transcend cultural boundaries and forge their own identities. By virtue of their experience, they explore how society categorizes "race". Domino reveals how these women and men have used their experience as a psychological, creative and cultural enrichment.
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Kwekànamad - The Wind Is ChangingCarlos Ferrand 1999 54 minAnnie Smith-St-Georges is an Algonquin mother and wife who led a largely uneventful life. Then tragedy struck in 1990, when her teenage son Yanik ended his life. Annie wanted to forget and yet to remember, to understand and yet to deny. Then one day she had a vision of a glass teepee ten storeys high, in Ottawa, to house a National Aboriginal Arts and Performance Centre. The building would be designed by the renowned architect Douglas Cardinal, in memory of her son and for all young Natives struggling to find meaning in life. We meet Annie and her husband eight years later, during the final year of their crusade for the glass teepee. A traditional habitat made from non-traditional material would successfully meld past and present. Annie wishes to give back to her people their ancestral pride and dignity. It's a time of hope. Annie now knows that, and she says it for anyone to hear: "Kwekànamad," the wind is changing. Some subtitles.
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Louise Lecavalier: Body SpeechPhilippe Baylaucq 2014 7 minThis short film profiles contemporary dancer Louise Lecavalier as she performs in her studio. With searching steps, she crosses a space defined by her past. Her movements are framed by the aura of her acclaimed performances, each one a testament to a facet of her immense talent. The language of her body expresses the journey of a fiercely independent artist who is always moving forward and who has remained in perpetual motion for 30 years.
This film was produced by the NFB in co-operation with the National Arts Centre and the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Foundation on the occasion of the 2014 Governor General's Performing Arts Awards. -
Shepherds to the FlockJohn Walker 1993 50 minThe United Church of Canada has long been pivotal in Church-based social activism. This tradition continues today, despite a split that has developed within the Church as a result of a 1988 vote to ordain gays and lesbians. Some ministers and their congregations want to turn the clock back on these reforms. On the crest of change, these shepherds to the flock are questioning not just what, but who, the Church stands for.
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God's Dominion - By the Word of GodMarrin Canell 1993 50 minAnne Goldberg shocks friends and family with her decision to join the Lubavitchers, a highly structured branch of Orthodox Judaism. Karl Kleinsasser, who has lived his entire life in a Hutterite community, is finding it hard to take the final step of total commitment to the faith. Karl's and Anne's spiritual choices, defined by the word of God, are among the most orthodox of the religious spectrum examined in this series.
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God's Dominion - Spiritual SeekersAnn Harbron 1993 50 minDr. George Lewis, like many of today's spiritual seekers, is searching for a sense of well-being outside traditional Christianity. This video takes its direction from Lewis' personal quest and that of his companion, documenting their experience with various New Age workshops, Native practices, and the Baha'i faith.
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Taking ChargeClaudette Jaiko 1996 25 minTaking Charge shows teens taking the initiative to overcome the fears and vulnerabilities of growing up in an increasingly violent and rapidly changing society. Through role-playing, theatre groups, peer discussion groups and anti-violence collectives these young activists have "taken charge," educating themselves and their peers towards a deeper understanding of the effects of violence rooted in sexism, racism and homophobia.
We see through their various initiatives, as well as personal testimonies, that teens speaking and organizing against violence sends a positive message to everyone. Taking Charge encourages the viewer to re-examine definitions of violence, and shows how to effect change.
The defiant lyrics of the theme song match the bold and creative energy alive in these teens. Witty animation sequences add a layer of visual playfulness, but the message remains: Do something before it is too late! -
Double or Nothing: The Rise and Fall of Robert CampeauPaul Cowan 1992 1 h 32 minThis powerful docudrama follows the spectacular life of renegade Canadian business magnate Robert Campeau, whose ill-fated purchase of the Allied and Federated retail empires resulted in a multibillion-dollar debacle and helped bring down the curtain on one of the craziest periods in U.S. financial history. Marcel Sabourin stars as Robert Campeau.
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Red RunMurray Jurak 2001 25 minIn 1913, a railway blast sent hundreds of tons of rock cascading into the Fraser River, blocking the path of thousands of returning salmon. The Fraser Valley Aboriginal people rallied for days to save their fish, carrying them one at a time over the fallen rock. Red Run recalls this dramatic tale and reveals its impact today. Shimmering salmon still battle the Fraser's currents every summer. And the 'River People' balance on the treacherous cliffs, waiting to scoop them from the river with traditional dip and gill nets. Director Murray Jurak, from the region's Lower Nicola Band, follows members of three Siska families to the river's edge. To provide for her family, Alice follows the time-honoured fishing methods traditionally practised by men. Percy and Fred pass on their skills and respect for the turbulent river to their two young sons. Set in the BC Interior, Red Run captures an event as spectacular as it is dangerous.
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Dreams of EducationNoura Kevorkian 2003 10 minDreams of Education sees a group of young high school students as they express their anxieties about life after high school and their ability to afford a post-secondary education.
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God's Dominion - In the Name of the FatherTed Remerowski 1993 50 minAloysius Ambrozic, the staunchly conservative Archbishop of Toronto, has become a lightning rod for protest and debate, exposing a tremendous rift within the Catholic Church which is divided, in the name of the Father, into those who see a pressing need for change and those who are content with the status quo.
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A Man ImaginedBrian M. Cassidy & Melanie Shatzky 2023 1 h 1 minA bracingly intimate and hallucinatory portrait of a man with schizophrenia surviving amidst urban detritus and decay. Pushing at the limits of non-fiction cinema, A Man Imagined follows 67-year old Lloyd as he sells discarded objects to motorists and passersby. Unfolding along psychological lines, the film reveals the existential solitude of a man at once gentle and marred by a storied past.
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1. Collateral DamageJean-Martin Gagnon 2023 27 minCollège de Maisonneuve is shaken by a shocking turn of events. Both students and faculty are deeply affected and try to make sense of this disturbing development.
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4. Collective ResponsibilitiesJean-Martin Gagnon 2023 28 minThe 2017 Quebec mosque attack renews the debate over radicalization. In this tension-filled period, the Maisonneuve community finds itself grappling with questions of personal and social responsibility.
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3. Intergenerational ConflictsJean-Martin Gagnon & Nicolas Wadimoff 2023 26 minDifferent generations come together to discuss major issues, revealing wildly divergent points of view. How can we live together while respecting each other’s differences?
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6. Daring to Risk FailureJean-Martin Gagnon 2023 30 minStudents take stock of their turbulent time at Maisonneuve. They reveal how the remarkable and striking events of the last two years—and the reflections they brought on—have influenced their own journeys.
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2. Systemic ProblemsJean-Martin Gagnon 2023 26 minThe student association engages in critical self-assessment over diversity and considers the best way forward. Meanwhile, students question the association’s practices.
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Drowning in DreamsTim Southam 1997 1 h 12 minDrowning in Dreams enters the dark and illusory world of one man's obsession. A story of greed and redemption, guilt and death, the film charts the course of a fatal dream as Fred Broennle plumbs the chilly depths of Lake Superior in a quest to raise the luxury steam yacht Gunilda. Run aground and sunk in 1911, with no loss of life and barely an afterthought by her wealthy American owners, Gunilda sat virtually intact in three hundred feet of water until one weekend in 1970, when Broennle and his diving instructor and partner Charles King Hague set out to find her. The fabulous wreck would soon cost Broennle a fortune, cause the death of King Hague, and change his own life forever. Torn between the duelling forces of greed and guilt over his partner's drowning, Broennle plunges into an hallucinatory lifetime project to raise Gunilda from the freezing waters. As his struggle becomes more and more desperate, we meet his son Tug, who, though deeply jealous of Fred's fixation on Gunilda, is himself drawn further and further into the web of his father's obsession.
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The Man Who Talks with WolvesCarlos Ferrand 2001 52 minIn the wilderness of northern Quebec, Michel and Louise Pageau devote their lives to caring for injured wild animals and returning them to their natural habitat. Some animals simply cannot make it in the wild any more, so the Pageaus opened a shelter - the Pageau Refuge - for animals that cannot be released.
Michel Pageau has been interested in animals since childhood. A former trapper and hunter, he has a gift for making contact with wild creatures. Pageau feels a particular connection with wolves - and for several years he has maintained a friendship with a number of them, based on mutual trust. Their level of communication is astonishing. When Michel calls, the wolves respond. At one point, Michel is distressed because their rapport seems to have broken down. Ché-Cché, the head of the pack, will not let him approach. Can Michel rebuild their relationship?
With stunning images and poetic narration, The Man Who Talks with Wolves takes us into a mysterious world where the line between human and beast becomes blurred. -
Work DifferentJulien Capraro 2023 50 minHow has working remotely reshaped the workplace—and our lives? While the shift to working from home may seem abrupt, the concept is far from new. With humour and intelligence, Work Different takes a close look at the origins, impacts, upsides and uncertainties of remote work.
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Escape to CanadaAlbert Nerenberg 2005 1 h 21 minAround the world, Canada is known for its beavers, Mounties and winter climate. But a new Canada has emerged in the past couple of years, famous for potent marijuana, gay marriage and pushing the limits of freedom.
Director Albert Nerenberg, the man behind the indie-documentary hit Stupidity, explores these events in the high-energy Escape to Canada, a cleverly crafted, tongue-in-cheek feature.
The story begins in 2003, when by apparent coincidence, gay marriage and marijuana are legalized on the same day. Coincidence or trend? Either way, quiet, boring Canada suddenly explodes.
Soon Canadians are not the only ones enjoying their newly forged liberties. Citizens from "The Land of the Free" flock across the border to marry their same-sex partners. Others come to smoke marijuana. AWOL U.S. army soldiers arrive to seek refugee status. To many, Canada has become a red-and-white beacon of freedom around the world.
Canada, used to being called cold, is suddenly "cool."
But within months, Canada re-criminalizes marijuana and there's a new campaign to turn back gay marriage. In his signature no-holds-barred style, Nerenberg reveals a never-before-seen Canada, in an action-packed voyage into freedom Canadian style. -
Duncan Campbell Scott: The Poet and the IndiansJames Cullingham 1995 56 minDuncan Campbell Scott (1862-1947) is best known as one of Canada's prominent early literary figures. That he was also a federal civil servant who rose through the bureaucracy to become one of the most powerful heads of the Indian Department, is not well known. From 1913 to 1932, Scott was responsible for the implementation of the most repressive and brutal assimilation programs Canada ever levied against First Nations, Metis and Inuit Peoples. Duncan Campbell Scott: The Poet and the Indians explores the apparent contradiction between Scott, the sensitive and respected poet, and Scott, the insensitive enforcer of Canada's most tyrannical policies.
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Robert Lepage2009 6 minFor Robert Lepage, every production begins with a sense of exploration and discovery, whether it is an intimate one-man show, or a re-staging of Wagner's epic Ring Cycle. Lepage's work marries technology with ritual, magic with cutting-edge effects to completely reinvent theatrical space. Director J. Peter Allen borrows a page from Lepage's favourite creative mediums (film and stage) to fashion a subtly shifting view of the famed director, playwright, actor and filmmaker at work.
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AfterwardsRomane Garant Chartrand 2023 24 minInside a shelter, participants in a talking circle share their experiences of intimate partner violence as a way to regain their dignity and strength to act. Powerfully empathetic, Afterwards creates a space of sisterhood and solidarity—a chorus of voices breaking down the walls of silence.
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NFB Pause with Laurie Rousseau-NeptonSimon Rouillard 2023 1 min"Girls have to take up space in the sciences. We're here and we matter!" Meet Laurie Rousseau-Nepton, astrophysicist, inspiring role model, and host of our upcoming documentary series North Star.
