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Sexuality (40)

  1. Available in English Options
5 years old
18 years old
  • Avenue Zero
    Avenue Zero
    Hélène Choquette 2009 52 min
    Human trafficking is a reality: Asian girls are enslaved in suburban massage parlors; domestic workers toil like slaves in suburban homes; girls in a Montreal subway station are lured into prostitution; Vancouver gangs recruit Honduran boys to sell drugs. Featuring candid interviews with victims, witnesses and perpetrators, Avenue Zero weaves a spellbinding portrait of a dark and sinister trade flourishing in the shadows of the law.
  • Apples and Oranges
    Apples and Oranges
    Lynne Fernie 2003 17 min
    This short documentary with interspersed animated vignettes is designed to raise children's awareness of the harmful effects of homophobia and gender-related bullying. In the course of a lively in-class discussion, children's paintings magically dissolve into two short animated stories. In Anta's Revenge, Anta finds out that creativity, not revenge, is the best way to deal with a school bully. Defying Gravity tells the story of two skateboarders whose friendship is tested when one of them finds out the other is gay. The animated stories in this video will help elementary school students explore name calling and bullying. The video can assist children aged 8-12 in learning about families, differences and respect.
  • Angel
    Angel
    Derek May 1966 6 min
    In this short film, a young man, a girl and a dog attempt to fly with wings more symbolic than practical. Music by poet Leonard Cohen, performed by The Stormy Clovers.
  • Buying Sex
    Buying Sex
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    Teresa MacInnes  &  Kent Nason 2013 1 h 15 min
    This feature documentary explores the state of prostitution laws in Canada. It captures the complexity of the issue by listening to the frequently conflicting voices of sex workers, policy-makers, lawyers, and even the male buyers who make their argument for why prostitution is good for society. Warning: This film deals with mature subject matter. Viewer discretion is advised.

    Following the release of Buying Sex, Professor Alan Young, counsel for the applicants in Bedford v. Canada and a participant in the film, contacted the NFB to complain that the film provides an incomplete and inaccurate account of the case. The NFB acknowledges that the constitutional challenge is not the focus of the film. Rather, the aim of the film is to examine the current controversy in Canada around the decriminalization of prostitution, of which the Bedford case is one aspect. The goal is to create a film which encourages Canadians to engage in an informed debate about sex work from a national and international perspective. The NFB believes the film achieves this purpose. In the spirit of furthering an informed debate on these issues, including the constitutional challenge, and in response to Prof. Young's concerns, the NFB provides below links to the legal briefs filed by the parties before the Supreme Court of Canada as well as links to the judgments of all three Canadian Courts. The third judgment, from the Supreme Court of Canada, was released in December 2013, following the completion of the film. The Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional the three prostitution related laws challenged by Prof. Young, but suspended its judgment for one year to allow Parliament to consider whether to enact new laws, thus ensuring that the debate surrounding the decriminalization of prostitution will continue in Canada for some time.
  • Beauty Begins Inside - The "P" Syndrome
    Beauty Begins Inside - The "P" Syndrome
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    Sheila Murphy 1995 17 min
    Isabel is determined to go on a diet. Bruce and Melanie can't understand their attraction for each other. Jake spends hours in front of the mirror trying to achieve the right look, while Patrick is so grown up he is already a businessman. Enter Detective Stark, and the hunt for the Painfully Pugnacious Prickley Problem--puberty--is on. With help from his assistant Levert and intrepid biologist Fritz, he tracks down the syndrome. A hilarious send-up of detective movies, science-information shows and almost every other genre you can think of, the film cajoles, informs and inspires. A film for any teen who ever grew an inch.
  • Baby Blues
    Baby Blues
    Annie O'Donoghue 1990 24 min
    This dramatic short is intended to be a conversation starter on the topic of sex, responsibility and contraception. When young, popular Kristen suspects that she's pregnant, she and her boyfriend Jason are forced to answer some difficult questions: Will they keep the baby? What are their thoughts on abortion? Adoption? How will their actions affect their futures? Baby Blues reflects the teenage point of view without moralizing or sugar-coating the issue and dramatizes the consequences of ignoring birth control in a way that breaks through the "it can't happen to me" barrier. Appropriate for classroom use.
  • Beauty
    Beauty
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    Christina Willings 2018 23 min
    Beauty explores the lives of five gender-creative kids, each uniquely engaged in shaping their own sense of what it means to be fully human. Whether it’s dealing with bullies, explaining themselves to their parents, or navigating the uncharted waters of relationships, Bex, Lili, Fox, Tru and Milo talk about their experiences and struggle to live in authenticity.
  • Doctor Woman: The Life and Times of Dr. Elizabeth Bagshaw
    Doctor Woman: The Life and Times of Dr. Elizabeth Bagshaw
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    Mark McCurdy 1978 28 min
    Elizabeth Bagshaw was a forerunner of the women's movement. As one of the first women to practise medicine in Canada, she had to overcome society's bias against women in medicine. During her seventy-year career she helped to instigate change in public opinion on that issue, as well as the issue of birth control. The film captures the personality of this remarkable woman through a contemporary interview and re-enactments of episodes from her youth. The sepia tones of the re-enactments are in keeping with the film techniques of the time, giving the viewer a strong sense of the period. The film is of special interest to persons interested in the evolution of women's roles in Canadian society.
  • Deep Inside Clint Star
    Deep Inside Clint Star
    Clint Alberta 1998 1 h 28 min
    Take a hilarious and bittersweet journey into the hearts and minds of some very ordinary, extraordinary young Canadians with this feature-length documentary. The filmmaker, assuming the role of Clint Star, seeks out his far-flung buddies, young Indigenous people like himself. They talk about sex and life, love and abuse, and 500 years of oppression—all with humour, grace and courage.
  • Doctors with Heart
    Doctors with Heart
    Tahani Rached 1994 1 h 52 min
    Tahani Rached’s powerful documentary enters the doors of an AIDS clinic in Montreal. We meet a group of dedicated doctors struggling to provide health care to their patients. This 1994 film explores legal and ethical problems surrounding HIV/AIDS and the struggle against fear, rumours and prejudice. It is still relevant today. In French with English subtitles.
  • Free Love
    Free Love
    Aude Picault 2017 3 min
    This animated short presents two friends who meet in a Paris café – one single, the other in an open relationship. As they catch up on each other's lives, it becomes clear that the real story is playing out in what's not said. The result is a penetrating look at female friendships, and the sometimes-complex amorous relationships of modern times.

    This film is part of the Comic Strip Chronicles, a collection of shorts celebrating the strong affinity between comic strips and animated film. Inspired by moments of everyday life, these films showcase the playful imaginations of renowned artists Guy Delisle, Zviane, Aude Picault, Lewis Trondheim, and Jean Matthieu Tanguy. Produced by the NFB, Canal+, and Sacrebleu.
  • Feeling Yes, Feeling No
    Feeling Yes, Feeling No
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    Moira Simpson 1984 43 min
    Feeling Yes, Feeling No is a sexual-assault prevention program for young children. The purpose is to give children the skills to protect themselves from sexual assault--from strangers, from family members, from other trusted persons. Part 1 teaches children basic skills that build self-worth, self-confidence and good judgment. Part 2 reinforces the understanding of 'Yes' feelings and 'No' feelings and introduces skills to keep children assess potentially dangerous situations involving strangers. Part 3 introduces the issue of sexual assault by a trusted adult.
  • Growing Up Canadian: Health
    Growing Up Canadian: Health
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    Susan Terrill 2003 45 min
    Early campaigns to fight poverty and disease and help children grow up healthy led to the introduction of the school nurse, nose blowing drills and lice inspections. From open-air schools to confusing sex education classes, Health was a part of the curriculum throughout the last century.

    This episode traces the rise of dental care, from early century programs in schools to dentists traveling to remote areas by boat or train. Canadians recall terrifying epidemics and lengthy periods of quarantine. Home remedies were frightening enough to keep children from complaining about being ill. Over the course of the century we see the impact of public health care on children's lives.

    Health is one of a 6-part series entitled Growing Up Canadian. These documentaries explore the myths and realities of Canadian childhood through family life, schooling, work, play, health and the media. The series marks the contribution of childhood and youth experience in defining Canada as it grew into full nationhood in the 20th century.
  • Gender Matters: A Virtual Discussion on Violence Against Women
    Gender Matters: A Virtual Discussion on Violence Against Women
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    Dan Thornhill 2015 48 min
    As part of the Young Women's National Leadership Summit, the YWCA and the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) invited participants aged 17+ from across North America to take part in a conversation with three outstanding role models and leaders in the fight for women's rights. Focusing on the subject of gender-based violence, the panellists discussed the issues that women are facing today, and how we can work together to create a fairer and safer society for all.
  • Geneviève
    Geneviève
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    1965 28 min
    Two teenage girls go to winter carnival in Quebec City for the first time. Their ambiguous, tentative relation with a young boy brings both of them the sweet intensity and disillusionment of first love.

    This short is one of four film sketches that comprise the feature La Fleur de l'âge. A co-production initiated by the NFB, it also included Fiametta by Gian Vittorio Baldi (Italy, 1965), Marie-France et Véronique by Jean Rouch (France, 1965) and Ako by Hiroshi Teshigara (Japan, 1965). In French with English subtitles.
  • The Hat
    The Hat
    Michèle Cournoyer 1999 6 min
    A young woman works as an exotic dancer in a bar. She recalls an incident from her childhood in which she was physically abused by a male visitor. This inner journey brings back painful memories, including the obsessive image of a hat. Black-ink drawings, spare and rapidly executed, flow together in a succession of troubling and striking metamorphoses. The Hat is a tough, visceral experience. With naked honesty, animator Michèle Cournoyer invites the audience to share in the pain of a woman whose body is on display and whose soul is forever soiled. A film without words.
  • In Other Words
    In Other Words
    Jan Padgett 2001 27 min
    This short documentary explores homophobic language and its consequences among teenagers. Name-calling and cruel language hurt, say the teens who speak in this video. Homophobic language is a common verbal put-down among young people, but many adults feel uncomfortable responding. This video is a tool for teachers, counsellors and youth groups to explore the origins of the words, how young people feel about them and how to overcome the pain they cause.
  • I've Never Had Sex
    I've Never Had Sex
    Robert Kennedy 2007 3 min
    This short film made with the video camera on a cellphone is part of MobiDOCS: Confessions in a Digital Age. The director asks questions to the participants about their sexual experiences. Based upon the arcade game of the same name in which participants are required to either agree or disagree with the proposition "I've Never Had Sex...."
  • Into the Light
    Into the Light
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    Gentille M. Assih 2020 1 h 19 min
    Into the Light features the liberating life stories and powerful words of inspiring Quebec women of African origin who’ve regained control over their lives after suffering from domestic violence. The film transcends prejudice and breaks the silence, pulling back the curtain on a poorly understood, hidden world, while testifying to the tremendous power that comes from overcoming isolation and accepting one’s self. It’s a luminous dive into the quest for personal healing and universal humanity. This is Togo-born director Gentille M. Assih’s third documentary.

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  • I Like Girls
    I Like Girls
    Diane Obomsawin 2016 8 min
    In this animated short from Diane Obomsawin, four women reveal the nitty-gritty about their first loves, sharing funny and intimate tales of one-sided infatuation, mutual attraction, erotic moments, and fumbling attempts at sexual expression. For them, discovering that they're attracted to other women comes hand-in-hand with a deeper understanding of their personal identity and a joyful new self-awareness.
  • John and Michael
    John and Michael
    Shira Avni 2004 10 min
    This animated short pays tribute to two men with Down syndrome who shared an intimate and profoundly loving relationship that deeply affected the filmmaker. Narrator Brian Davis brings the characters to life with great sensitivity.
  • Little Big Girls
    Little Big Girls
    Hélène Choquette 2014 52 min
    In this feature documentary, director Hélène Choquette sheds light on the phenomenon of early-onset puberty in girls. Today, it isn't unusual to see the earliest signs of puberty in girls younger than the age of 9, though this was not the case a few decades ago. A number of causes are suspected: could obesity and exposure to environmental contaminants, for instance, be to blame? The physical, psychological and psychosocial repercussions on young girls results in a disconnect between their physical and emotional maturity. Far from being a marginal issue, early-onset puberty is fast becoming a worldwide public health concern. Little Big Girls alerts us to the need to adapt, as a society, so as to minimize the impact of this phenomenon on our children.
  • The Mystery of Mazo de la Roche
    The Mystery of Mazo de la Roche
    Maya Gallus 2011 52 min
    This feature documentary tells the mysterious story of Canadian author Mazo de la Roche, author of the Jalna novels. Using both dramatic and documentary techniques, the film explores this compelling woman’s uncommon family life and reveals the secrets behind the extraordinary partnership that allowed the Jalna saga to grow into the phenomenon it is today.
  • Manivald
    Manivald
    Chintis Lundgren 2017 12 min
    Manivald, a fox, is turning 33. Overeducated, unemployed and generally uninspired, he lives with his overbearing, retired mother and spends his days learning piano while she makes his coffee and washes his socks. It is an easy life, but not a good one. Their unhealthy co-dependence is about to collapse when the washing machine breaks down and Toomas, a sexy and adventurous wolf repairman, arrives to fix it, and them.
  • Namrata
    Namrata
    Shazia Javed 2009 9 min
    This short documentary tells the intensely personal story of Namrata Gill – one of the many real-life inspirations for Deepa Mehta’s Heaven on Earth – in her own words. After six years, Gill courageously leaves an abusive relationship and launches a surprising new career.
  • One of Them
    One of Them
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    Elise Swerhone 2000 25 min
    This short fictional film features high school seniors discovering and battling against homophobic discrimination and stereotypes. Jamie must face up to her own reactions as she realizes that her friend is gay and needs her support. Jamie's boyfriend must decide if he will support Jamie. One of Them focuses on homophobia and discrimination in a human rights context. The dramatization prompts viewers to examine their own responses and promote a safe school environment for all.
  • Rock the Box
    Rock the Box
    Katherine Monk 2015 9 min
    Critic-turned-filmmaker Katherine Monk trains her lens on DJ Rhiannon Rozier in this short film about breaking the glass ceiling in a music industry dominated by men. The Vancouver-raised, university-educated Rozier was so intent on making a career in the Electronic Dance Music (EDM) scene that she did something she never thought she’d do: she posed for Playboy.
  • The Sterilization of Leilani Muir
    The Sterilization of Leilani Muir
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    Glynis Whiting 1996 46 min
    A single IQ test and misguided 'science' irreparably changed the life of a 14-year-old Canadian girl. This documentary follows Leilani Muir's search for justice and explores how eugenics (improving hereditary qualities of a race through the control of reproduction) became acceptable in the early 1900s.

    Please note: This film contains explicit language. Viewer discretion is advised.
  • Sexy Inc. Our Children Under Influence
    Sexy Inc. Our Children Under Influence
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    Sophie Bissonnette 2007 35 min
    Sophie Bissonnette's documentary analyzes the hypersexualization of our environment and its noxious effects on young people. Psychologists, teachers and school nurses criticize the unhealthy culture surrounding our children, where marketing and advertising are targeting younger and younger audiences and bombarding them with sexual and sexist images. Sexy Inc. suggests various ways of countering hypersexualization and the eroticization of childhood and invites us to rally against this worrying phenomenon.
  • Standing on the Line
    Standing on the Line
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    Paul Émile d'Entremont 2018 1 h 20 min
    TRIGGER WARNING: This film contains the following subject matter: Suicide and self harm.

    In both amateur and professional sports, being gay remains taboo. For some athletes, the pressure to perform is compounded by the further strain of deciding whether or not to come out of the closet. They set out to overcome prejudice in the hopes of changing things for the athletes of tomorrow.