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Arts (47)

  1. Available in English Options
5 years old
18 years old
  • The Beauty of My People
    The Beauty of My People
    Alan Collins 1977 29 min
    The film centres on Arthur Shilling, an Ojibwa artist from the Rama Reserve on Lake Couchiching, Ontario. Shilling's artistic evolution is traced, as is his move to Toronto and the difficulties he encountered there. Also discussed is the illness that caused Shilling to re-evaluate his artistic goals. Interviews with the artist and others interested in his paintings are juxtaposed with examples of paintings.
  • Buffy
    Buffy
    John Walker 2010 6 min
    Folk music icon Buffy Sainte-Marie became internationally renowned with her protest song "Universal Soldier." In this short documentary, she candidly discusses her hopes, creative vision and songwriting skills, as well as her role as an Aboriginal activist. Still a vibrant artist fifty years into her career, she keeps her eyes set on the future.
  • The Colours of Pride
    The Colours of Pride
    We're sorry, this content is not available in your location.
    Henning Jacobsen 1973 27 min
    An introduction to four Indigenous painters whose work in recent years has stirred interest in Canada and abroad. Despite the artists' differing styles and origins, their canvases reflect their common heritage. The guide in the film is Tom Hill, a Seneca man who knows art and the Indigenous tradition and encourages his subjects to talk about their own origins and objectives. The painters are Norval Morrisseau, Allen Sapp, Alex Janvier, and Daphne Odjig.
  • Christmas at Moose Factory
    Christmas at Moose Factory
    Alanis Obomsawin 1971 13 min
    Released in 1971, this lyrical short documentary marked the directorial debut of legendary Abenaki director Alanis Obomsawin. Filmed at a residential school in northern Ontario, it is composed entirely of drawings by young Cree children and stories told by the children themselves. Listening has been at the core of Obomsawin’s practice since the very beginning. “Documentary film,” she said in a 2017 interview, “is the one place that our people can speak for themselves. I feel that the documentaries that I’ve been working on have been very valuable for the people, for our people to look at ourselves… and through that be able to make changes that really count for the future of our children to come.”
  • César's Bark Canoe
    César's Bark Canoe
    Bernard Gosselin 1971 57 min
    This documentary shows how a canoe is built the old way. César Newashish, a 67-year-old Atikamekw of the Manawan Reserve north of Montreal, uses only birchbark, cedar splints, spruce roots and gum. Building a canoe solely from the materials that the forest provides may become a lost art, even among the Indigenous peoples whose traditional craft it is. The film is without commentary but text frames appear on the screen in Cree, French and English.
  • Dream Magic
    Dream Magic
    Katerina Cizek 2008 6 min
    This revealing portrait of NFB filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin was shown at a gala ceremony in 2008, where Obomsawin received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement. Her work has captured some of the most startling events in Canadian history, including the armed standoff between the Canadian Army and Mohawk warriors in 1993. Her films cross a spectrum of social issues, but they are always human. Obomsawin explains in the interview, "For me, a real documentary is when you're really listening to somebody; they are the ones that will tell you what the story is, not you."
  • Eskimo Artist: Kenojuak
    Eskimo Artist: Kenojuak
    John Feeney 1963 19 min
    This documentary shows how an Inuit artist's drawings are transferred to stone, printed and sold. Kenojuak Ashevak became the first woman involved with the printmaking co-operative in Kinngait (formerly known as Cape Dorset). This film was nominated for the 1963 Documentary Short Subject Oscar®.
  • Eskimo Arts and Crafts
    Eskimo Arts and Crafts
    Laura Boulton 1943 18 min
    A doc about the Inuit art of Baffin Island. The film illustrates traditional leatherwork and carving, and the construction of a kayak.

  • Hard Rider
    Hard Rider
    Josef Reeve 1972 57 min
    This documentary follows the rodeo circuit as experienced by Canadian world-champion cowboy Kenny McLean. The film follows him on the stampede trail from Texas to Alberta, with scenes of bronco busting, calf roping and steer wrestling. It is what he does for a living, but his real life is with his wife and infant son on his ranch in British Columbia.
  • History of Manawan - Part One
    History of Manawan - Part One
    Alanis Obomsawin 1972 20 min
    “It’s not how it used to be.” The words of Cézar Néwashish resonate throughout this short documentary that explores the history of the Atikamekw community of Manawan, Quebec. Less than a century old in name, Manawan embodies the experiences of so many Indigenous communities across Canada. Where once they practised their customs freely on a vast territory, the arrival of the Europeans would eventually mean the restriction of their cultural practices and confinement to a reserve named Manawan.
  • History of Manawan - Part One - Atisokan nte Manawanik nistam kenokok (Atikamekw Version)
    History of Manawan - Part One - Atisokan nte Manawanik nistam kenokok (Atikamekw Version)
    We're sorry, this content is not available in your location.
    Alanis Obomsawin 1972 20 min
    “It’s not how it used to be.” The words of Cézar Néwashish resonate throughout this short documentary that explores the history of the Atikamekw community of Manawan, Quebec. Less than a century old in name, Manawan embodies the experiences of so many Indigenous communities across Canada. Where once they practised their customs freely on a vast territory, the arrival of the Europeans would eventually mean the restriction of their cultural practices and confinement to a reserve named Manawan.
  • I Can Make Art ... Like Ron Noganosh
    I Can Make Art ... Like Ron Noganosh
    Jane Churchill 2005 15 min
    This short film introduces kids to sculptor Ron Noganosh, who transforms items like rusted hubcaps and computer parts into art. Inspired by Ron's found-object sculptures, a group of primary school students discover how to turn "junk" into art. Part of the I Can Make Art series of 6 films that take a kids'-eye view on a diverse group of Canadian visual artists.
  • Indigenous Plant Diva
    Indigenous Plant Diva
    Kamala Todd 2008 9 min
    Kamala Todd's short film is a lyrical portrait of Cease Wyss, of the Squamish Nation. Wyss is a woman who understands the remarkable healing powers of the plants growing all over downtown Vancouver. Whether it's the secret curl of a fiddlehead, or the gentleness of comfrey, plants carry ageless wisdom with them, communicated through colour, texture, and form. Wyss has been listening to this unspoken language and is now passing this ancient and intimate connection down to her own daughter, Senaqwila.
  • Inconvenient Indian
    Inconvenient Indian
    Michelle Latimer 2020 1 h 28 min
    In this time of radical change and essential re-examination, Inconvenient Indian brings to life Thomas King’s brilliant dismantling of North America’s colonial narrative, reframing this history with the powerful voices of those continuing the tradition of Indigenous resistance.

    Please note: This film was temporarily withdrawn from active distribution after the director’s Indigenous identity was called into question in late 2020, when the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg, an Algonquin First Nation, denied any connection to her during a CBC investigation. After 2022 series of meaningful consultations involving all the Indigenous participants whose stories the film presents, as well as the NFB’s Indigenous Advisory Committee, the NFB, 90th Parallel Productions and producer Jesse Wente arrived at an accountable path forward for the film, one that acknowledges the collective contribution of the on-screen Indigenous participants. Inconvenient Indian premiered on APTN on April 8, 2022, and it has been made available on APTN’s online viewing platform.

    Inconvenient Indian is available for educational distribution and community screenings, along with supplementary resource material that has been created to encourage reflection and discussion. Please contact the NFB Client Relations and Support team to find out how to obtain the film as an educational resource (classroom use) and for community screenings.
  • Kwa'nu'te': Micmac and Maliseet Artists
    Kwa'nu'te': Micmac and Maliseet Artists
    Catherine Anne Martin  &  Kimberlee McTaggart 1991 41 min
    This film profiles a number of Mi’kmaq and Maliseet artists from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, showing their similarities and differences, samples of their work and the sources of their inspiration. It offers a remarkable look at Indigenous art and spirituality in Atlantic Canada.
  • The Living Stone
    The Living Stone
    John Feeney 1958 32 min
    This documentary shows the inspiration behind Inuit sculpture. The Inuit approach to the work is to release the image the artist sees imprisoned in the rough stone. The film centres on an old legend about the carving of the image of a sea spirit to bring food to a hungry camp.

    Please note that this is an archival film that makes use of the word “Eskimo,” an outdated and offensive term. While the origin of the word is a matter of some contention, it is no longer used in Canada. The term was formally rejected by the Inuit Circumpolar Council in 1980 and has subsequently not been in use at the NFB for decades. This film is therefore a time-capsule of a bygone era, presented in its original version. The NFB apologizes for the offence caused.
  • The Living Stone (Inuktitut Version)
    The Living Stone (Inuktitut Version)
    2011 32 min
    This documentary shows the inspiration behind Inuit sculpture. The Inuit approach to the work is to release the image the artist sees imprisoned in the rough stone. The film centers on an old legend about the carving of the image of a sea spirit to bring food to a hungry camp.

    Please note that this is an archival film that makes use of the word “Eskimo,” an outdated and offensive term. While the origin of the word is a matter of some contention, it is no longer used in Canada. The term was formally rejected by the Inuit Circumpolar Council in 1980 and has subsequently not been in use at the NFB for decades. This film is therefore a time-capsule of a bygone era, presented in its original version. The NFB apologizes for the offence caused.
  • Maq and the Spirit of the Woods
    Maq and the Spirit of the Woods
    Phyllis Grant 2006 8 min
    This animated short tells the story of Maq, a Mi'kmaq boy who realizes his potential with the help of inconspicuous mentors. When an elder in the community offers him a small piece of pipestone, Maq carves a little person out of it. Proud of his work, the boy wants to impress his grandfather and journeys through the woods to find him. Along the path Maq meets a curious traveller named Mi'gmwesu. Together they share stories, medicine, laughter, and song. Maq begins to care less about making a good impression and more about sharing the knowledge and spirit he's found through his creation. Part of the Talespinners collection, which uses vibrant animation to bring popular children's stories from a wide range of cultural communities to the screen.
  • The Moccasin Game
    The Moccasin Game
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    Frank Corcoran 1983 13 min
    This film looks at the ritual, tradition and legend of the moccasin game, an ancient and popular form of gambling said to have originated with the Sioux. A tournament held at the Sioux Valley Reservation near Brandon, Manitoba, brings together Sioux from both Canada and the United States to compete for high stakes in what is believed to be the oldest sleight-of-hand game in the world.
  • The Man and the Giant: An Eskimo Legend
    The Man and the Giant: An Eskimo Legend
    Co Hoedeman 1975 7 min
    This short film, in which a hunter is pursued, bound up and carried to a cave, tells the legend of a river, and of how fog came to the land. The story is enacted by Inuit using katadjak or throatsinging. The audience is locked in an alien world of sights and sounds where human activity seems propulsed by primeval forces.

  • A Museum in the City
    A Museum in the City
    Luc Bourdon 2011 52 min
    In A Museum in the City, filmmaker Luc Bourdon invites us on a tour of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA). A backstage discovery of the institution and its 150-year history, the documentary reveals the remarkable dedication of its staff and explores the contemporary penchant for music in the world of art exhibitions.
  • The Mountain of SGaana
    The Mountain of SGaana
    Christopher Auchter 2017 10 min
    In The Mountain of SGaana, Haida filmmaker Christopher Auchter spins a magical tale of a young man who is stolen away to the spirit world, and the young woman who rescues him. The film brilliantly combines traditional animation with formal elements of Haida art, and is based on a story inspired by a old Haida fable.
  • Mobilize
    Mobilize
    Caroline Monnet 2015 3 min
    This short film, crafted entirely out of NFB archival footage by First Nations filmmaker Caroline Monnet, takes us on an exhilarating journey from the Far North to the urban south, capturing the perpetual negotiation between the traditional and the modern by a people moving ever forward.

    Part of the Souvenir series, it's one of four films by First Nations filmmakers that address Indigenous identity and representation, reframing Canadian history through a contemporary lens.
  • Nimmikaage (She Dances for People)
    Nimmikaage (She Dances for People)
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    Michelle Latimer 2015 3 min
    Both a requiem for and an honouring of Canada's First Nations, Métis and Inuit women, this short film deconstructs the layers of Canadian nationalism.
  • The Owl Who Married a Goose: An Eskimo Legend
    The Owl Who Married a Goose: An Eskimo Legend
    Caroline Leaf 1974 7 min
    In this short animation based on an Inuit legend, a goose captures the fancy of an owl, a weakness for which he will pay dearly. The sound effects and voices are Inuktitut, but the animation leaves no doubt as to the unfolding action. A story with the wry humor characteristic of many Inuit tales.

  • Paddle to the Sea
    Paddle to the Sea
    Bill Mason 1966 27 min
    Based on Holling C. Holling's book of the same name, Paddle to the Sea is Bill Mason's film adaptation of the classic tale of an Indigenous boy who sets out to carve a man and a canoe. Calling the man "Paddle to the Sea," he sets his carving down on a frozen stream to await spring’s arrival. The film follows the adventures that befall the canoe on its long odyssey from Lake Superior to the sea.
  • The Paradox of Norval Morrisseau
    The Paradox of Norval Morrisseau
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    Duke Redbird  &  Henning Jacobsen 1974 28 min
    In this revealing study of Norval Morrisseau, filmed as he works among the lakes and woodlands of his ancestors, we see a remarkable Indigenous artist who emerged from a life of obscurity in the North American bush to become one of Canada's most renowned painters. Morrisseau the man is much like his paintings: vital and passionate, torn between his Ojibway heritage and the influences of the white man's world. Jack Pollock, the Toronto art gallery owner who discovered Morrisseau's paintings in the early 1960s, comments on what makes them so unique.
  • Picturing a People: George Johnston, Tlingit Photographer
    Picturing a People: George Johnston, Tlingit Photographer
    Carol Geddes 1997 50 min
    This documentary, by filmmaker Carol Geddes, is a unique portrait of George Johnston, a photographer who was himself a creator of portraits and a keeper of his culture. Johnston cared deeply about the traditions of the Tlingit people, and he recorded a critical period in the history of the Tlingit nation. As Geddes says, his legacy was "to help us dream the future as much as to remember the past."
  • RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World
    RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World
    Catherine Bainbridge 2017 1 h 42 min
    RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World tells the story of a profound, essential, and, until now, missing chapter in the history of American music: the Indigenous influence. Featuring music icons like Charley Patton, Mildred Bailey, Link Wray, Jimi Hendrix, Jesse Ed Davis, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Robbie Robertson, Randy Castillo, RUMBLE will show how these talented Native musicians helped shape the soundtracks of our lives.
  • The Story of the Coast Salish Knitters
    The Story of the Coast Salish Knitters
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    Christine Welsh 2000 52 min
    For almost a century, the Coast Salish knitters of southern Vancouver Island have produced Cowichan sweaters from handspun wool. These distinctive sweaters are known and loved around the world, but the Indigenous women who make them remain largely invisible. Combining rare archival footage with the voices of three generations of woolworkers, The Story of the Coast Salish Knitters tells the tale of unsung heroines--resourceful women who knit to put food on the table and keep their families alive. Written and directed by Métis filmmaker Christine Welsh, this is a story of courage and cultural transformation--a celebration of the threads that connect the past to the future.