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Prairies (11)

  • Age of the Buffalo
    Age of the Buffalo
    Austin Campbell 1964 14 min
    A vivid recollection of the free west of the North American Indigenous Peoples and the vast herds of buffalo that once thundered across the plains. From paintings of the mid-1800s, the animation camera creates a most convincing picture of the buffalo hunt, both as the Indigenous People and, disastrously, the white hunters practised it.
  • The Fight for True Farming
    The Fight for True Farming
    Eve Lamont 2005 1 h 29 min
    In this documentary, crop and animal farmers in Quebec, the Canadian West, the US Northeast and France offer solutions to the social and environmental scourges of factory farming. Driven by the forces of globalization, rampant agribusiness is harming the environmemt and threatening the survival of farms. The proliferation of GMO crops is a further threat to biodiversity as well as to farmers' autonomy. In Europe as well as North America, a current of resistance bringing together farmers and consumers insists that it is possible - indeed imperative - to grow food differently.
  • The Great Buffalo Saga
    The Great Buffalo Saga
    Michael McKennirey  &  Boyce Richardson 1985 55 min
    By the late 1800s the free-ranging buffalo of the western plains of North America were almost extinct. This documentary is the story of the buffalo's revival. Live action, eye-witness accounts and archival photos document our fascination with this ancient and legendary animal.
  • A House on the Prairie
    A House on the Prairie
    Ron Bashford  &  Bob Lower 1978 17 min
    This documentary describes the unfortunate legacy of the lone house on the prairie, an example of a dwelling entirely unsuited for the harsh winter or summer. We meet some builders and home owners experimenting with designs that are more energy efficient, such as the dome, the underground house and a ranch with wind, solar energy and methane gas from animal waste.
  • Horses of Suffield
    Horses of Suffield
    Nick Bakyta 1998 46 min
    This documentary explores the fate of the endangered wild Suffield horses of Alberta. Located near a military base close to Medicine Hat, these animals were originally domesticated but returned to the wild over generations. These horses face endangerment because of their growing numbers and the limitations of their environment.
  • Poplar River
    Poplar River
    Kevin Settee 2021 10 min
    This episode explores the special connection that Poplar River First Nation has to the lands and waters surrounding their community. Poplar River community members Sophia Rabliauskas and Clint Bittern share their perspectives on the importance and intergenerational responsibility of protecting the lands and waters in their territory for generations to come.
  • Return of the Swift Fox
    Return of the Swift Fox
    Jy Chiperzak 1988 26 min
    The swift fox is one of the many lost species that has suffered from the cultivation of the prairie grasslands. An innovative program has been implemented to reintroduce the swift fox into its original habitat in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Documenting the history and human misuse of this fragile ecosystem, this short film illustrates the precious balance between human and wildlife use of the environment.
  • Worst Case Scenario
    Worst Case Scenario
    Glynis Whiting 2001 43 min
    This documentary looks at the risks of a proposed sour gas well near Clearwater River, in Rocky Mountain House, Alberta. Farmers and landowners all share concerns. Residents opposed to the well fear a deadly hydrogen sulphide leak. Shell Canada says it must drill to meet energy needs. When mediation talks break down, both sides anxiously await a ruling from Alberta's Energy and Utilities Board.
  • Waterfowl - A Resource in Danger
    Waterfowl - A Resource in Danger
    Don Virgo 1964 16 min
    This nature documentary shows the immense flocks of birds, their habits and their dependence on the wetlands of the Prairies. The Prairies are the incubators of vast numbers of Canadian waterfowl, principally ducks, but as more land is drained and cultivated there are fewer breeding grounds. Produced by the NFB for the Canadian Wildlife Service.
  • Windbreaks on the Prairies
    Windbreaks on the Prairies
    Evelyn Cherry 1943 21 min
    This short film serves as a cautionary tale to farmers who recklessly cut down trees on their land. When prairie farmers engaged in this practice to facilitate plowing, they discovered that the trees had served as windbreaks protecting top soil from erosion. The Dominion Department of Agriculture's experimental station at Indian Head, Saskatchewan, cultivated acres of young trees for distribution to farmers.
  • Water for the Prairies
    Water for the Prairies
    Lawrence Cherry 1951 18 min
    This 1950s' film looks at the measures to preserve water flow from the Rocky Mountains. With the steady falling of the water table, the exploitation of timber stands and the recession of glaciers, water conservation was an urgent concern of the Alberta and federal governments.