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A One/Two/Many/WorldRichard Swinden 1970 15 minA film of mixed cinematic metaphors made with students from Queen’s University and local neighborhood children - a portrait of a young boy’s journey of self-discovery in a bewildering world of contradictions and imposed conditions. Many of the sequences are surrealistic in effect, creating a social commentary expressed in symbolic language. -
AbegweitSerge Morin 1998 1 h 11 minA day-to-day record of the construction of the Confederation Bridge linking Prince Edward Island to the mainland, Abegweit reveals some of the innovations that made this mammoth project one of the most impressive engineering feats in Canadian history.
The film also gives a voice to the people affected by the bridge--construction workers happy to have the work and proud to be part of the project, ferry employees sad about losing their jobs and their seagoing family, islanders whose lives will be forever changed by the fixed link, and fishermen worried about the impact it will have on the environment and their livelihood. It is a stunning meeting of technology, politics, high finance and intense emotions. -
Abortion: Stories from North and SouthGail Singer 1984 54 minWomen have always sought ways to terminate unwanted pregnancies, despite powerful patriarchal structures and systems working against them. This film provides a historical overview of how church, state and the medical establishment have determined policies concerning abortion. From this cross-cultural survey--filmed in Ireland, Japan, Thailand, Peru, Colombia, and Canada--emerges one reality: only a small percentage of the world's women has access to safe, legal operations.
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About Conception and ContraceptionIshu Patel 1972 11 minAnimated drawings illustrate how conception occurs and the way that various birth control devices, surgical methods, and the pill function in effecting contraception. The film is without spoken commentary and is designed to be used by professional personnel. Film without words.
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AbsencesCarole Laganière 2013 1 h 14 minThe film was inspired by Laganière’s own personal story, of the inevitable estrangement of her mother, whose memory is slowly being consumed by Alzheimer’s disease. This “anticipated separation” serves as a bridge to the film’s other subjects as they pursue their own personal quests: Ines, an immigrant who returns to her country of birth, Croatia, to find the mother who abandoned her; Deni, an American author who is finally able to search for his Quebec roots; and Nathalie, who is desperately looking for her missing sister. Through their stories, Absences explores the deepest regions of the psyche, where our sense of loss and resiliency co-exist.
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Acadia Acadia ?!?Michel Brault & Pierre Perrault 1971 1 h 57 minIn the late 1960s, with the triumph of bilingualism and biculturalism, New Brunswick's Université de Moncton became the setting for the awakening of Acadian nationalism after centuries of defeatism and resignation. Although 40% of the province's population spoke French, they had been unable to make their voices heard. The movement started with students-sit-ins, demonstrations against Parliament, run-ins with the police - and soon spread to a majority of Acadians. The film captures the behind-the-scenes action and the students' determination to bring about change. An invaluable document of the rebirth of a people. In French with English subtitles.
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Acadia Acadia?!?Michel Brault & Pierre Perrault 1971 1 h 15 minThis feature-length documentary is an on-the-spot record of the student protests that shook the Université de Moncton in 1968-69. Led by students desiring greater recognition of the French fact in New Brunswick, the protests spawned street marches, petitions and a sit-in, but also many discussions among students seeking to re-establish an Acadian identity.
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AccidentMartin Duckworth & Patrick A. Crawley 1973 16 minThe subject is the actual crash of a small plane, which one man survived. Pat Crawley describes his view of the world now, after being on the edge of death. It is, he says, like being continually stoned--neutral but more fully aware, accepting life without bias, a condition he feels we are all coming to.
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AccordionMichèle Cournoyer 2004 5 minThis animated short explores the connections between sex, love and technology. A woman connects to the Internet. She not only embraces technology but surrenders to it entirely as she sends her entire body and soul to her electronic lover. In this world of Pandora's boxes, sexual desire and dehumanizing machine intertwine till they're finally and brutally disconnected.
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Across Arctic Ungava1949 20 minThis documentary follows four scientists and their Native guides into the unmapped wilderness of the Ungava Peninsula, in northern Quebec. Crossing this territory in large canoes, they collect samples of Arctic flora and rocks, take readings of soil temperature and record the correct bearings for rivers and lakes en route. The keen excitement of opening a new chapter in Canadian exploration is evident throughout the film.
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Act of DishonourNelofer Pazira 2009 1 h 30 minSet in the northern region of Afghanistan, this feature drama tells the story of a young bride-to-be who strays from local customs after befriending an Afghan-Canadian translator. Part lament against injustice, part testament to the spirit of a people who have survived decades of war, this film is a compelling drama in which East and West, love and honour, modernity and custom clash with tragic consequences.
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Acting BlindMartin Duckworth 2006 52 minThis touching documentary follows a cast of blind and visually impaired actors as they prepare Dancing to Beethoven, a play about blindness. The film takes us deep into the lives of the actors. We hear stories of their shock and disbelief at first losing sight and of their struggles coping with a life without it. We hear them talk about grieving and pining for the visual world. They tell the moving story of how this play is itself a victory, a type of salvation, for each of them. By opening night, at the renowned Place des Arts in Montreal, they are a close-knit cast, well-honed and ready to step out of the wings and into the light.
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Action StationsJoris Ivens 1943 44 minThis World War II film highlights the role of Canadian corvettes on convoy duty in the North Atlantic. Battle scenes show a crew sighting a German submarine and sinking it. Other scenes show training on the high seas.
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Action: The October Crisis of 1970Robin Spry 1973 1 h 27 minThis feature-length documentary looks at those desperate days of October 1970 when Montreal awaited the outcome of FLQ terrorist acts. Using news reports and clips from the time, the film reflects upon the October Crisis and reveals the relief, dismay and defiance people felt when the Canadian army stepped in.
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Acts of DefianceAlec MacLeod 1992 1 h 44 minThis feature-length documentary recounts the events that surrounded and led to the Oka Crisis of the summer of 1990. The film focuses on the Mohawk territory of Kahnawake, in Quebec, but also reflects on the relationship between Canada and Indigenous peoples at a particular time in history.
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Adam's WorldDonna Read 1989 19 minIntercut with illustrative stock footage, Adam's World present a short lecture by Elizabeth Dodson Gray, a feminist theologian, environmentalist, and futurist. She speaks to us about the severity of our global environmental crisis, and analyzes the root cause of this crisis as lying in the perceptions, beliefs, and assumptions of the patriarchal system we have inherited.
Elizabeth Dodson Gray also offers a feminist perspective on language, and connects the vocabulary of feminized nature to the denigration of women in our culture. Citing such examples as "the exploitation of virgin resources" and "the rape of the earth," she analyzes the role of such language as well as that of male generic language in perpetuating our global crisis. Finally, she calls upon society to nurture the woman's point of view. For it is woman's care-giving capacities, affinity for the long-term future, and awareness of our interconnectedness with all species, that can help build a radically different ethic, and enable planet Earth to survive. -
Adrenaline BachMarten Berkman 2007 6 minAdrenaline Bach is a visually stunning short film that features Tim Sellars, a triathlon athlete who trains among the forests, ridges and mists of Canada’s boreal mountains. A meditation on the inter-connectedness of human nature and the natural world, the film is shot against the startlingly beautiful landscape of the Yukon Territory. Director Marten Berkman was the winner of the 2006 Yukon Northern Sights Short Film Competition. Film without words.
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AdventuresMichael Rubbo 1968 10 minThis short live-action film tells the story of little raccoon who encounters many adventures when he strays from home to explore the world.
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Affairs of the ArtJoanna Quinn 2021 16 minHow many obsessions can one family have? In Joanna Quinn and Les Mills’ Affairs of the Art, we reconnect with Beryl, the working-class heroine who not only reveals her own obsession with drawing but exposes the addictions of her eccentric family, which include pickling, screw threads and pet taxidermy.
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After the AxeSturla Gunnarsson 1981 56 minThis full-length drama depicts the reality of managers getting fired and the emergence of a new industry specialized in handling executive terminations. The film was made with the cooperation of the business community, which helped script some of the scenes and provided authentic locations. The central figure, D.R. "Biff" Wilson, 44, is a composite figure based on extensive conversations with fired executives.
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After the BallotManuel Foglia 2008 1 h 29 minAfter the Ballot is a full-length documentary portraying the gruelling everyday life of two Members of Quebec's National Assembly who, although at opposite ends of the political spectrum, share the fact that their sole power lies in their convictions. One is Daniel Turp, the PQ Member for Mercier. The other is Charlotte L'Écuyer, Liberal MNA for Pontiac. The film aptly illustrates that ordinary MNAs have very little authority since the real power is held by ministers who are subject to the ups and downs of a globalized economy. Meanwhile, their fellow citizens keep asking for the impossible…
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After the Big One: Nuclear War on the PrairiesBob Lower 1983 23 minThis film deals straightforwardly with the consequences of a nuclear attack for the Canadian Prairies. The Prairies are singled out because of their proximity to huge stockpiles of intercontinental ballistic missiles located in North Dakota. Scenes include a visit to a missile base and to an emergency government bunker in Manitoba. A doctor, a farmer and a civil defence coordinator provide different perspectives on nuclear war. Although the film focuses on one region, it provides a model for people everywhere who would like to know more about their own situation but don't know what questions to ask.
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After Mr. SamArthur Hammond 1974 1 h 17 minThis full-length documentary is the 7th and final part of Corporation, a film series about the inner workings of the Steinberg supermarket chain. This installment documents a 3-day conference held in the corporation's lodge north of Montreal. There, faced with the stepping down of Sam Steinberg as president, ambitious top-level executives thrash out their differences on matters of corporation policy and objectives. But who will replace Mr. Sam, the man who built the business? Sprinkled with Sam Steinberg's reminiscences and reflections on business, full of insights into the workings of a large corporation and clashes of interest and character, the film presents an unusually close view of a struggle for position and power.
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After Prison What?Ronald Weyman 1951 11 minCharles Brown can't find a job because he has a criminal record. Day after day he answers the want ads, but employers will not hire an ex-convict because they regard him with suspicion. Doubts and fears beset Charles--he is sincere in his desire to work at the trade he learned in prison and yet society will not believe him. Finally, the John Howard Society steps in, securing a job for him where he can take his place in society and regain his self-respect.
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AfterlifeIshu Patel 1978 7 minThis animated short film attempts to answer the eternal questions, What is dying? and How does it feel? Based on recent studies, case histories and some of the ancient myths, the afterlife state is portrayed as an awesome but methodical working-out of all the individual's past experiences. Film without words.
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The AfterLifetime of Colm FeoreHannah Cheesman 2019 5 minAfter winning a lifetime achievement award, there’s nowhere left to go but down… into the bowels of the Afterlifetime Achievement Agency, a placement service that helps Laureates find their next gig.
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Aftermath: The Legacy of SuicideLisa Fitzgibbons 2001 50 minThis documentary looks at how children deal with a parent who has died by suicide. Meet 3 people who lost their fathers to suicide at an early age but learned the truth much later, after years of confusion, grief and guilt. In French with English subtitles.
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Aftermath: The Remnants of WarDaniel Sekulich 2001 56 minThis feature-length documentary reveals the unspoken truth about war - it never really ends. Archival images and personal stories portray the lingering devastation of war. Filmed on location in Russia, France, Bosnia and Vietnam, the film features individuals involved in the cleanup of war: de-miners who risk their lives on a daily basis, psychologists working with distraught soldiers, and scientists and doctors who struggle with the contamination of dioxin used during Vietnam. Based on the Gelber Award-winning book by Donovan Webster, this film conveys the fact that war doesn't end when the fighting stops.
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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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Age Is No BarrierFrancis Damberger 1989 24 minThis short documentary features a group of seniors called the "U of Agers" who meet twice a week at the University of Alberta to do gymnastics. The U of Agers are just "ordinary" people trying to do "extraordinary" things and confirm that if they can do gymnastics, then others in Canada have the potential to excel at whatever inspires them.
