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Before the body-threatening antics of Jackass came crashing into public consciousness, there was Ontario's Ralph Zavadil, aka Cap'n Video, who cascaded off roofs into snowbanks, jumped off ladders into half-empty swimming pools, and drank eggs through his nostrils. Beauty Day is a rambunctious documentary about this irrepressible pioneer of local-access cable shenanigans who entertained and outraged viewers in the small city of St. Catharines-until a special Easter Show, featuring a fat rabbit and adorable puppies (none of which were hurt), got him kicked off the air for good. With a nod to Werner Herzog, Cheel follows the life and times of Cap'n Video and finds that the Cap'n is still quite a firecracker. Written by Laurence Kardish

Exploring the rise of anti-abortion groups in Canada, the filmmaker also presents the feminist and pro-choice response that is being organized across the country.

Why are we still able, today, to view images that were captured over 125 years ago? As we enter the digital age, audiovisual heritage seems to be a sure and obvious fact. However, much of cinema and our filmed history has been lost forever. Archivists, technicians and filmmakers from different parts of the world explain what audiovisual preservation is and why it is necessary. The documentary is a tribute to all these professionals and their important work.

A summer sequence documenting the communal construction of a kayak and associated domestic and subsistence practices.

An investigative journalist’s duty to follow the facts leads to the trial of five Canadian professional hockey players charged with sexual assault, unravelling our national pastime and questioning the institutions that hold the sport accountable.

In this short film, artist Jobie Weetaluktuk turns his gaze on his family and the power of ritual through the story of a young woman and her unplanned child. In Inukjuak, an Inuit community in the Eastern Arctic, a baby boy has come into the world and they call him Timuti, a name that recurs across generations of his people, evoking other Timutis, alive and dead, who will nourish his spirit and shape his destiny.

NIN E TEPUEIAN - MY CRY is a documentary tracks the journey of Innu poet, actress and activist, Natasha Kanapé Fontaine, at a pivotal time in her career as a committed artist. Santiago Bertolino's camera follows a young Innu poet over the course of a year. A voice rises, inspiration builds; another star finds its place amongst the constellation of contemporary Indigenous literature. A voice of prominent magnitude illuminates the road towards healing and renewal: Natasha Kanapé Fontaine.

In a Gaspésie long-term care facility, women gather at the hair salon, exchanging memories while embodying resilience and beauty in the face of isolation and scarce resources.

A short documentary produced for Canadian public television.

In a documentary that spans two continents and several generations, acclaimed director John Paskievich delves into the experience of exile and its impact on the human spirit. Almost fifty years after his family fled Ukraine for freedom in Canada, the filmmaker visits his parents' homeland. It's a place both familiar and foreign. Drawing on his years growing up in Winnipeg, Paskievich explores how children of refugees and immigrants are caught between two worlds. While they struggle to put down roots in a new country, they must also preserve traditions of a distant land they have never known. Paskievich's journey through Ukraine is interwoven with stories of displacement from other prominent Ukrainian Canadians--authors George Melnyk and Fran Ponomarenko, filmmaker Bohdana Bashuk, director Halya Kuchmij and dancer Lecia Polujan. A rich tapestry of memory and history, My Mother's Village brings to light the humour, anger, joy and complexity of living between borders.

Documentary about the Mexican cartel in Quebec

Marie-Hélène, my mother, is retiring and takes with her her memories, her anxieties and the mental burden of having raised three children while working full time. As she works her last shift as a home nurse, her thoughts jostle and harmonize in a whirlwind similar to a panic attack.

Once upon a time, in almost every industrial city, countless rivers flowed. We built houses along their banks. Our roads hugged their curves. And their currents fed our mills and factories. But as cities grew, we polluted rivers so much that they became conduits for deadly waterborne diseases like cholera, which was 19th century's version of the Black Plague. Our solution two centuries ago was to bury rivers underground and merge them with sewer networks. Today, under the city, they still flow, out of sight and out of mind... until now. That's because urban dwellers are on a quest to reconnect with this denigrated natural world. LOST RIVERS takes us on an adventure down below and across the globe, retracing the history of these lost urban rivers by plunging into archival maps and going underground with clandestine urban explorers.

This nature film closely observes wolves through late winter into early spring. Wolf Pack shows this creature’s character, behaviour and life cycle. What emerges is a portrait of the wolf as a disciplined hunter, respected leader and committed parent.

Years after first being inspired by a Félix Leclerc song, Martine Chartrand directed the film MACPHERSON. Ten years in the making, it features animated painting on glass and draws on her extensive research on the title character. Filmmaker Serge Giguère was there from the start, carefully and sympathetically chronicling this exceptional creative process.

A documentary film about a group of hunters who gather annually to hunt moose near Maniwaki, Quebec.

At 61, Steve leads a seemingly ordinary routine life. But behind this facade hides a much more complex universe: that of BDSM, where the body becomes a field of pleasure and exploration of submission. This anthropologically inspired documentary paints an intimate portrait of this man who, through his fantasies, seeks to redefine his relationship with the body, desire and his deep identity. By diving into his most abstract motivations, the film questions what this quest for control… and abandonment reveals.

Montréal-Nord is one of those areas we euphemistically call “disadvantaged.” A place where drugs, poverty, delinquency, suicide and all kinds of dysfunction are depressingly commonplace. This is where the late Magnus Isacsson decided to film 18 months in the lives of four young men aged 17 to 22: Danny, Alex, Mickerson and Michael. Music is central to all of their lives. More than just a pastime, hip-hop is their outlet for coping with their demons. With the help of their teacher, mentor and friend Don Karnage, and driven by a fierce desire to overcome hardship, they learn to be adults. Winner of the award for Best Canadian Feature Film at the most recent Montreal International Documentary Festival, Ma vie réelle is an exceptionally astute document in which listening and generosity gain the power to defeat misery.

Filmmaker Daniel MacIvor explores the creative process involved in making a theatre show.

A short film and digital resource to highlight the need for more inclusive healthcare in Canada, and provide resources and tips for medical professionals seeking to make their offices and clinics more inclusive for 2SLGBTQ+ patients.

Since 1999, more than 2,000 women have been murdered in Guatemala, with numbers escalating every year, yet lawmakers and government officials turn a blind eye. Powerful and uncompromising, Killer's Paradise uncovers an emotionally wrenching human rights tragedy, while exposing an inept judicial system that allows it to happen. After almost four decades of civil war, Guatemala is a troubled society, but it can also be seen as a microcosm of the pervasive violence and injustice against women worldwide.

In a village at the tip of Nova Scotia, an Acadian community of 2,000 inhabitants is preparing to begin yet another lobster fishing season. The fishermen are preparing all year round for this great return to school day, on the verge of their feet, all waiting for the Atlantic wind to finally calm down, to be able to weigh anchor.

Through family archives, drawings, animations and performances that draw on her long experience with illness, Brigitte Lacasse takes an incisive, critical look at the Quebec health care system.

As a gay man, filmmaker Arshad Khan examines his troubled relationship with his devout, Muslim father Abu. Using family archives and movies, Khan explores his struggle with his identity and compares it to his parents attempts to fit into Canada.

Ben Stookesberry and a group of kayakers attempt a first descent of the Beriman River in Papua New Guinea. The daunting 40km run is lined with many dangers and no way out but to ride out to the ocean. Follow them as they make the plunge into the unknown in this arduous but rewarding paddling experience.

Invites the viewers to the eponymous island state in the Arctic north between Canada and Greenland.

With no commentary other than the music and words of the performers themselves, this fast-moving film presents the grandest Canadian concert of them all. Here, the performers include both the great and the unknown from across the country, the musical styles span the centuries, and the artists are involved in all stages of musicianship: learning, teaching, conducting, recording, performing. Among the film's many stars are Edith Butler, Beau Dommage, Maureen Forrester, Glenn Gould, Paul Horn, the Huggett Family, and Gilles Vigneault.

This short documentary examines an innovative educational program developed by John and Gerti Murdoch to teach Cree children their language via Cree folklore, photographs, artifacts, and books that were written and printed in the community. Made as part of the NFB’s groundbreaking Challenge for Change series, Cree Way shows that local control of the education curriculum has a place in Indigenous communities.

An alternate/extended cut, I Dream of Wires: Hardcore Edition is 4 hours in length, custom made for hardcore modular synthesizer and electronic music fanatics. This special, extended edition includes an exclusive, lengthy historical primer, exploring the early development of modular synthesizers from pioneering companies Moog Music Inc. and Buchla and Associates. From there, we find out what's happening now: the phenomenal resurgence of the modular synthesizer exploring the passions, obsessions and dreams of people who have dedicated part of their lives to this esoteric electronic music machine. What started out as a "vintage-revival scene" in the '90s has grown into an underground phenomena with a growing market of modular obsessives craving ever more wild and innovative sounds and interfaces. Today, the modular synthesizer is no longer an esoteric curiosity or even a mere music instrument it is an essential tool for radical new sounds and a bona fide subculture.

A few weeks after completing filming her first feature film, we asked Charlotte Le Bon to share her thoughts as a director by commenting on the behind the scenes footage shot during three key scenes of the movie.

This short documentary takes a look at the changing face of PEI's agricultural industry. Once famous for its spuds and red mud, this tiny island province now has higher than average cancer and respiratory illness rates. Is there a link to industrialized farming? Rather than dwelling on PEI's worrisome mono-cropping practices, Island Green dares to ask: What if PEI went entirely organic? The stirring words of PEI-born poet Tanya Davis are coupled with beautiful imagery and poignant stories from the island's small but growing community of organic farmers, reminding us that we can rob the land only so much before it robs us of the nourishment we need for life. Island Green is ultimately a story of hope and a healthy promise.

In the spring of 2016, for the first time in 54 years, Ariane Mnouchkine entrusts her troupe, the Théâtre du Soleil, to another director. Robert Lepage then embarks on the creation of Kanata, a work that imagines the meeting of Europeans with First Nations people in Canada over two centuries. Lepage au Soleil: The origin of Kanata shows how, the 36 comedians from 11 different countries, discover in their own stories astonishing resonance with those of the natives. How, inspired by the cosmopolitanism of comedians, Robert Lepage tries to get them to talk about their own stories through those of the natives. The documentary plunges into the heart of a theatrical creation in search of universality turned upside down by a media scandal even before its premiere.

In this documentary, Wendy Williams, the self-anointed Queen of all Media, sheds her private persona and speaks directly to the camera, discussing every inch of joy and humiliation she has experienced since childhood.

Just an ordinary Saturday in Montreal on an outdoor basketball court. Mustafa Uzuner filmed here for four years as this ever-evolving group of men try to get the ball into the hoop. His lively and sensual portrait captures a diverse community that changes along with the colorfully painted court.

A cathartic journey that Qais, a Pakistani-Canadian filmmaker embarks on as he traces the life of H.P. Lovecraft, from woodland cemeteries in Rhode Island, to the docks of New York and on to the cobbled stoned streets of Quebec City. A documentary that proves that the truth is weirder than fiction.

This in-depth examination of the life and career of clarinetist and bandleader Artie Shaw cuts between archival footage, location shots, and an interview with Shaw himself. Berman illustrates the tumultuous, complicated, and remarkable legacy of a man who brought numerous innovations to jazz and swing music during the big-band era.

Fleeing the Quebec winter and her professional and romantic disappointments, the young filmmaker Sophie Bédard Marcotte embarks with her director of photography on a road-movie across the United States, which should lead them all the way to Los Angeles to meet the artist and filmmaker Miranda July. Obviously, nothing will happen as planned.

Volcanoes: The Fires of Creation is a tale of science, culture, and thrilling adventure! Earth is a planet born of fire. For billions of years, volcanoes have helped create the world we know. From the continents to the air we breathe and even life itself, all have their origins in fire. With over 500 active volcanoes, Earth is bursting at the seams with these forces of mass construction. The story of volcanoes is the story of the planet’s creation, and the story of us.

A delightful trip back to an era in which railroad was king. The small community of Melville, Saskatchewan, is a railroad town. Long-time CBC host Fred Davis visits with various railway workers and learns about the operation of one of the vital service stations which keep the Canadian National Railway running smoothly.

Sloan, shocked to discover a rumour that redheads are going extinct, does some investigating and discovers the truth.

Are we becoming Plastic People? Our ground-breaking feature documentary investigates our addiction to plastic and the growing threat of microplastics on human health. Almost every bit of plastic ever made ends up ground down into "microplastics". These microscopic particles drift in the air, float in the water and sit in the soil. And now, leading scientists are finding them in our bodies: organs, blood, brain tissue and even the placentas of new mothers. What is the impact of these invisible invaders on our health? Ziya Tong, author and science journalist, makes it personal by visiting leading scientists and undergoing experiments in her home, on her food, and on her body.

Taking Charge shows teens taking the initiative to overcome the fears and vulnerabilities of growing up in an increasingly violent and rapidly changing society. Through role-playing, theatre groups, peer discussion groups and anti-violence collectives these young activists have "taken charge," educating themselves and their peers towards a deeper understanding of the effects of violence rooted in sexism, racism and homophobia.

Through the first province-wide First Nations Spelling Bee in Saskatchewan, a group of students have an opportunity to compete against the nation’s best at the Toronto finals.

Filmmaker Peter Mettler embarks on a mission that takes him around the world. He is determined to record the diverse modes of transcendence that people in different cultures adopt in order to live life to the fullest. As he traverses civilization and wilderness and encounters a range of lifestyles and ideas, the filmmaker's mind-expanding trip around the world grows into a poem of images and sounds, reflecting the fragmented but alluring worlds it attempts to capture.

AMIN portrays Qashqai musician Amin Aghaie, a young modern nomad and his family who despite facing steep financial, cultural and political obstacles are dedicated to their art and culture. Amin travels to remote towns and villages to record the music of the surviving masters whose numbers decline each year. His nomadic family are selling their meager belongings to help support their son's education in performance and ethnomusicology at Tchaikovsky's Conservatory in Kyiv, Ukraine, but it is not enough. Amin, desperate to finish his academic education, sells his violins one at a time just to pay for his tuition.

When researchers began looking into just how much the Soviet government knew about UFOs and extraterrestrial visitation, they were not surprised to learn that the Russians took the subject very seriously. What they didn't expect was evidence of ancient alien visitation, paranormal properties associated with related artifacts, and most shocking of all, of a mass abduction in 1985!

In GLOBAL METAL, directors Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn set out to discover how the West's most maligned musical genre - heavy metal - has impacted the world's cultures beyond Europe and North America. The film follows metal fan and anthropologist Sam Dunn on a whirlwind journey through Asia, South America and the Middle East as he explores the underbelly of the world's emerging extreme music scenes; from Indonesian death metal to Chinese black metal to Iranian thrash metal. GLOBAL METAL reveals a worldwide community of metalheads who aren't just absorbing metal from the West - they're transforming it - creating a new form of cultural expression in societies dominated by conflict, corruption and mass-consumerism.

Kandahar, Afghanistan, April 2006. Photojournalist Louie Palu, who is covering a suicide bombing, suddenly finds himself in the middle of a pile of corpses, shocked by the smell of burning flesh. Louie does not yet know that he will spend the next five years documenting the tragedy of war.

Documentary short film intended to drum up support for the Fifth War Loan Campaign. It shows a happy family in the future of 1960 enjoying the prosperity and advantages made possible by the successful prosecution of the war, and how the sacrifices of 1944 have made the world a better place.

Known for her intimate films, director Kim O’Bomsawin (Call Me Human) invites viewers into the lives of Indigenous youth in this absorbing new documentary. Shot over six years, the film brings us the moving stories, dreams, and experiences of three groups of children and teens from different Indigenous nations: Atikamekw, Eeyou Cree, and Innu. In following these young people through the formative years of their childhood and right through their high school years, we witness their daily lives, their ideas, and aspirations for themselves and their communities, as well as some of the challenges they face.

A star-studded musical celebration in tribute to Leonard Cohen—the Montreal-born writer, composer, performer and man of letters—that took place in November 2017 at the Bell Centre.

Toronto stripper Andrea Werhun was ousted from her club by the COVID-19 lockdown. Now, she's taking business online as a muse for lonely men while struggling to realize her own creative ambitions.

Over a gleaming ice field and up steep cliffs of bare rock, the camera follows members of the Alpine Club of Canada. Before they set out we are introduced to the climbers' basic equipment and learn the uses of rope and ice axe. Excitement mounts as the alpinists leap gaping chasms, inch their way along icy ledges, and drag themselves up what looks like a sheer wall of rock. Arriving breathless at the top, they pause in triumph for a view of the magnificent mountains lying around their vanquished peak.

Director Denys Arcand made an inquiry on textile industry in Quebec, meeting employers and workers of that industry.

In October 1970, members of the Front de Libération du Québec (FLQ) kidnapped and murdered Minister Pierre Laporte, part of an unprecedented crisis in Quebec. Fifty years later, Félix Rose tries to understand what could have led his father and uncle to commit such crimes. Thanks to his uncle Jacques, who agrees for the first time to speak on the subject, and to the traces left by his father Paul, he revives the heritage of a Quebec working class family. The fruit of ten years of research, Les Rose allows us to revisit a time and people that we knew through clichés, and gives a glimpse of the experiences of a rebellious youth and the crimes that followed.

FortNine attempts to break the circumnavigation world record with award-winning filmmaker Edwin El Bainou riding pillion. It's a dangerously silly race across thousands of kilometres per day, with the polished and authentic eye that only a ride-along cinematographer can capture. Part documentary and part dark comedy, this is motorcycling as FortNine has never shown before. In less than 19 days, the trio must ride from Anchorage to Miami, Lisbon to Istanbul, Mumbai to Kolkata, Bangkok to Singapore and Perth to Sydney. Their time is inclusive of all flights, border delays and sleep (what few minutes of it there is). Ducati supplied Multistrada V4 Rally motorcycles in each continent for this expedition, and the rest is just gas, swass and the hourglass. Yalla Habibi!