Child Rearing and Development (26)

Alanna
Julie Plourde 2009 25 min
Taken in by a loving family at the age of eight weeks, Alanna grew up in the majestic wilderness of the Yukon mountains. Because her mother drank heavily during pregnancy, Alanna’s development was seriously compromised. She has fetal alcohol syndrome. She will never be like other kids.

Tackling the subject with sensitivity, Julie Plourde’s documentary speaks to the heart. Alanna is a wake-up call about a tragedy that’s largely underestimated by the public but of growing concern to health professionals around the world. In French with English subtitles.
Alphée of the Stars (Short Version)

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Hugo Latulippe 2013 52 min
Alphée has a rare genetic disorder that hampers her development. Yet she continues to defy medical expectations. When her parents intuitively reject the idea of placing her in a specialized classroom, they move their family to Europe for a year. Here, her father – filmmaker Hugo Latulippe – focuses on his fairy-like daughter's learning, in hopes of eventually integrating her into a regular classroom. This film is a moving declaration of love from a father to his daughter. It is also the story of a gamble: stealing away for a year in order to try and change the course of events. An intimate and revealing portrait, Alphée of the Stars puts the spotlight on a most unusual girl. With patience and tenderness, Latulippe – who believes in schools that embrace the diversity of humanity and do not discriminate – challenges our assumptions and reveals an unknown world that may have escaped us in our daily rush.
Alphée of the Stars

Hugo Latulippe 2012 1 h 22 min
Alphée has a rare genetic disorder that hampers her development. Yet she continues to defy medical expectations. In a moving declaration of love for his daughter, filmmaker Hugo Latulippe and his family steal away for a year, focusing on his daughter's learning, so that she can integrate into a regular classroom when they get home.
Borderline
Fergus McDonell 1957 28 min
This short film is a portrait of Nora Fenton, a 15-year-old girl who is sent to a home for problem teens because of her persistent defiance of parental authority and self-injurious behavior. Typifying the problems of emotional adjustment experienced by many adolescents, this story of conflict and rebellion shows how understanding, affection and firm parental guidance are the factors most needed in helping teens weather their most turbulent years.
Before They Are Six
Gudrun Parker 1943 17 min
This short documentary offers an early example of the challenges faced by working mothers. As women entered the workforce in greater numbers during WWII, their young children were cared for by others. At day nurseries, trained staff supervised children’s meals, health and play. Toddlers are taught how to wash and dress themselves and to put their toys away tidily. The film is an intriguing portrait of the nascent mid-20th century world of work for women and their families.
Child, Part 4: Kathy and Ian: Three-Year-Olds
Robert Humble 1977 28 min
By the age of three children become aware of themselves as unique. This happens through their continuing interaction with parents, siblings and friends. This film explores these relationships and the resulting development within the child.
Child, Part 2: Jamie, Ethan and Keir: 2-14 Months
Robert Humble 1973 28 min
The world at toddler's eye level. For months a baby lies in his crib looking at all those things just beyond his reach. Then he learns to move about, to crawl, to stand--and suddenly all those things are his to touch, to taste. This film observes a baby's natural curiosity, his way of 'getting into things' as part of the experience of learning and adapting. Differences in behaviour of the three babies are noted.
Child, Part 3: Debbie and Robert: 12-24 Months
Robert Humble 1974 28 min
Trial and error and challenge, and the beginnings of communication. Robert is a little older than Debbie; both are of the same family. Both like to experiment, to copy and explore, but sometimes their aims run counter to one another. Their behaviour in this film is typical of the second year of life and illustrates the process of learning that goes on through every waking hour, and the kind of guidance a parent can give.
Child, Part 1: Jamie, Ethan and Marlon: The First Two Months
Robert Humble 1973 28 min
He has just made his debut into the world. How does he shape up? In this first film, a pediatrician explains what he looks for when he gives a newborn infant his first physical checkup--testing reflexes, muscle tone, eye movement, etc. Three babies are observed, first in hospital, then at home in the care of their parents.
Child, Part 5: 4 Years - 6 Years
Robert Humble 1978 27 min
By the age of four the child is curious about the world around him. To find out, he is asking thousands of questions. He is also learning not to be afraid. This film shows children in learning situations: on a nature hike; handling animals and other creatures; dealing with their peers. One particularly interesting example is that of Ingrid and Helen, twins who look alike but act differently.
Danny and Nicky
Douglas Jackson 1969 55 min
This feature documentary offers a comparison of the care of two boys with Down syndrome. Danny lives at home with his brothers and sisters and attends a special neighborhood school for children with disabilities. Nicky lives in a large institution for persons with intellectual disabilities. This film clarifies common misconceptions about intellectual disabilities, and presents an intimate portrait of the families, staff, and communities that come together to assist Danny and Nicky in learning, playing, and living a fulfilling life.
Dark Intent
Mireille Dansereau 2000 51 min
A poetic meditation by a man and a woman whose teenage son has threatened to end his lifee. What drives someone to that terrible extreme? In an effort to understand and demystify the phenomenon of suicide, the two parents search for answers within themselves. Their personal reflection is intercut with dramatic sequences, archival footage, animation, interviews and first-person accounts that look at suicide from an emotional, rational, cultural, social or medical perspective. Mireille Dansereau has made a sobering film that nevertheless expresses an abiding faith in life. In French with English subtitles.
From Ten to Twelve
Edmund Reid 1956 25 min
Quite far removed from infancy, yet not across the threshold of adolescence, children of ten to twelve present an absorbing study of adults-in-the-making. We watch the children of one family in various situations in the home, at school and in group play, and find that much of their conflicting behaviour is actually a normal part of the growing-up process.
From Sociable Six to Noisy Nine
Judith Crawley 1954 21 min
The film looks into the meaning of various forms of conduct in children from six to nine years and suggests ways in which parents may guide them through a challenging, often trying phase of development. In a family with three children we observe how the parents cope with often baffling situations.
The Frustrating Fours and the Fascinating Fives
Judith Crawley 1953 21 min
A study of the behaviour of four-and-five-year-old children at home and at nursery school. At four the vacillation between infantile helplessness and vigorous self-assertion is seen, and at five the development of independence and the beginning of cooperation. Parents observe that, unpredictable as their behaviour may be, it's fun to help in the development of the fours and fives.
Giiwe - This is Home

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Merle Robillard & Andrew Lau 2020 27 min
Between 1965 and 1984, Canadian child protection workers removed more than 20,000 indigenous children from their homes on reserves and placed them in foster care or put them up for adoption without the consent of their families or bands. Almost all of these children were placed with white, middle class families, and were effectively stripped of their cultural identities. Many bounced from foster home to foster home, ran away, and developed addictions in order to cope. Some of these children were treated like slave labour and/or experienced physical, sexual or emotional abuse.

The majority developed emotional problems later in life and had difficulty developing a strong sense of identity in either the Euro-Canadian or their indigenous cultures. Brent Mitchell, who was removed from his Ojibwe home near Sagkeeng First Nations, Manitoba when he was just a year old and moved to New Zealand with his foster parents when he was five where he endured emotional, physical and sexual abuse.

Brent Mitchell’s story clearly illustrates the complete lack of sensitivity, respect and consideration to aboriginal children to their culture and family. In the summer of 2017, we met Brent and his wife, Yolanda who traveled from New Zealand to Winnipeg, Manitoba. During the week we spent together, we witnessed the connection grow between Brent, his sister, Penny and brother, Ron as well as with their identity and culture.
Happiness Is
Clorinda Warny 1972 7 min
For a young mother happiness can be an hour's stroll in the park with her sleeping infant--but happiness is short-lived when the baby begins to cry and the passers-by pause with freely proffered advice. Made of animated paper cut-outs, this film without words is a spoof about the self-styled child experts who are so caught up with their own views of what's best for a child that they fail to see the infant's real problem.
Here and There
Diane Obomsawin 2006 9 min
In this animated short, filmmaker Diane Obomsawin shows how childhood can be a chaotic time, especially if you're bouncing back and forth between two continents.
With engaging candour and gentle humour, Obomsawin fleshes out an uncertain identity and takes control of her life. Using drawings on paper and digitized snippets of fabric, she creates a whimsical world of simple lines and pastel tones.
I Am Skylar

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Rachel Bower 2019 15 min
I Am Skylar is the emotionally compelling story of an articulate 14-year-old girl who is thoughtfully defining her future and the woman she is to become. Surrounded by a family and a community who show her unconditional love as she follows her personal path, Skylar faces the complexities of being a transgender girl on the cusp of puberty with refreshing honesty and unshakeable dignity.
Mi'kmaq Family (Migmaoei Otjiosog)

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Catherine Anne Martin 1995 32 min
This documentary takes you on a reflective journey into the extended family of Nova Scotia’s Mi'kmaq community. Revisiting her own roots, Mi'kmaq filmmaker and mother Catherine Anne Martin explores how the community is recovering its First Nations values, particularly through the teachings of elders and a collective approach to children-rearing. Mi'kmaq Family is an inspiring resource for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous audiences who are looking for ways to strengthen and explore their own families and traditions.

We hear the Mi'kmaq language spoken and a lullaby is sung by a Mi'kmaq grandmother featured in the film.
Motherland: Tales of Wonder
Helene Klodawsky 1994 1 h 29 min
This feature documentary casts a curious and critical eye at North American discourses about motherhood since the mid-20th century. Through conversations with seven mothers, a fascinating selection of archival footage and stills from the 1950s, as well as some very candid and funny home movies, this film offers new ways of thinking about what it means to be a good mom.
Mother and Her Child
Vincent Paquette 1947 1 h 0 min
This film follows a young couple from the time they suspect pregnancy to their child's first birthday. The value of good prenatal habits and medical care is emphasized. Good tips are also provided on day-to-day baby care.
Ninan Auassat: We, the Children
Kim O'Bomsawin 2024 1 h 31 min
Known for her intimate and riveting films, director Kim O’Bomsawin now invites us to experience the vibrant universe of Ninan Auassat: We the Children. Shot over more than six years, the film brings us the moving stories of three groups of children from three different Indigenous nations: Atikamekw, Eeyou Cree and Innu.

In following these young people through the crucial milestones of childhood, right to the threshold of adulthood, we witness their daily lives and aspirations, along with the challenges they face.

Filmed from “a child’s eye-view” and presenting a groundbreaking vision of contemporary Indigenous youth, this documentary is notable for the complete absence of adult voices and “experts on young people”—holding space instead for a new generation with a burning desire to be heard.

The result is a captivating journey that becomes a call to action, at a time when the voices of young people echo, demanding the right to be recognized and an opportunity to blossom.
Overdose
Claude Cloutier 1994 5 min
In this short animation, we meet a young boy leads such a regimented life that he has no more time just to be a kid. Between school, tennis lessons, swimming lessons, art classes, homework and piano practice, he can barely get any rest. Inspired by Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, this short animated film by Claude Cloutier pleads for children’s right to rest and leisure.
The Terrible Twos and the Trusting Threes
Judith Crawley 1951 21 min
A study of child behaviour at two and three years, showing what to expect and how parents can deal constructively with the problems they present. The film shows a group of active children in playground, nursery school and home, first at age two, and then at three. Destructiveness, tantrums, rivalry with younger children, and unreasonable fears are discussed.
Why Won't Tommy Eat?
Judith Crawley 1948 16 min
This film examines the problem of children who won't eat, and what can be done about it. Tommy should be hungry, but he just picks at his food. Going back to early babyhood, the film traces in detail, how eating habits are formed, how individual likes and dislikes must be taken into consideration, and that the worst habit of all is the permanent battle over food. After this analysis, Tommy still sits by his well-filled plate. In despair his mother takes him to the doctor, who explains that she is really the problem. She realizes that she has been tense, impatient with Tommy from the start. Now it will take painstaking care to build a new atmosphere of cooperation and friendliness, to learn understanding of Tommy's personal requirements at mealtimes, and all the time.

Child Rearing and Development (26)

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