Discover Movies

A biodoc about the first female filmmaker and her relative disappearance from the history of cinema after directing, producing, and writing more than 700 films.

Hundreds of excerpts from 60 French films produced by the NFB over the course of 50 years are assembled to offer a look at the evolution of how women have been portrayed on film.

Off-grid is not a state of mind. It is not about being out of touch, living in a remote place, or turning off your mobile phone. Off-grid simply means living without a connection to the electric and natural gas infrastructure. From 2011 to 2013 Jonathan Taggart (Director) and Phillip Vannini (Producer) spent two years travelling across Canada to find 200 off-gridders and visit them in their homes. -

This short documentary features children aged 5 to 12 talking about their experiences with bullying and discrimination because they or their families do not fit into traditional gender and family roles. This film explores the contemporary diversity of families from kids' points of view, while featuring short animated sequences about the history of derogatory slang.

In a very traditional and popular setting, this documentary follow Willie Lamothe who becomes a national icone aftera 25 years career. The film follows the stars through is retelling of his career, his private life and his shows. It also follows testimonies from his fans and friends. Finaly, it his full of Willie Lamothe's music.

This short film uses photographs from various public and private collections, interwoven with the memories of islanders who lived at the turn of the century, to tell the tale of how Prince Edward Island somewhat reluctantly became a Canadian province.

This feature documentary tells the story of Diane Charron, a young woman who began a life sentence behind bars in 1981 when she was entangled in a friend's act of revenge and ended up stabbing a stranger to death. She had just turned 19. The film follows the story of Diane's life, from her own testimony and that of corrections officers, prison caseworkers and psychiatrists. Many show remarkable sympathy and affection for a troubled woman whose early life was marked by abuse. Sentenced to life is a strong film that raises difficult questions about prisoners with mental health problems.

A portrait of John Grierson, the first Canadian Government Film Commissioner and founder of the National Film Board in 1939. Interweaving archival footage, interviews with people who knew him and footage of Grierson himself, this film is a sensitive and informative portrait of a dynamic man of vision. Grierson believed that the filmmaker had a social responsibility, and that film could help a society realize democratic ideals. His absolute faith in the value of capturing the drama of everyday life was to influence generations of filmmakers all over the world. In fact, he coined the term 'documentary film'.

Tells the story of Canadian music in the 1970s, a ground-breaking era of great sounds, from glam and progressive rock to punk and reggae.

Based in Quebec, this film is a portrait of lesbian and gay families as well as the story of how they organized out of conditions of violence and discrimination to win recognition of their relationships, families and parenting rights. Also tells the story of the landmark case in Quebec that broke the ban against same-sex marriage, making Quebec the third province in Canada to recognize equal marriage.

A Calling Void is a short documentary-drama that sheds light on the complexity of emotion, distortions of reality and desperate needs for control a young woman encounters during her struggle with anorexia. Limited screenings in Vancouver are pending further festival submissions.

The film is based on an interview of John Lennon by Jerry Levitan in 1969. Levitan, then 14 years old, tracked Lennon to his hotel room at Toronto's King Edward Hotel after hearing a rumour that Lennon had been sighted at the Toronto Airport. Jerry made his way into John Lennon's suite and persuaded John to agree to an interview. The animation is based on Levitan's historic 30 minute recording of the interview, which was edited down to 5 minutes.

The historic post of Moose Factory on James Bay is still a centre of Canada's fur trade. The camera follows Cree trapper George McLeod as he goes out from the post to visit his trap lines. Bivouacing in the open, in bitter cold, he traps mink and beaver, skillfully skinning the animals and drying the rich pelts. Back at the post, he sells his furs to the Hudson's Bay trader.

From a boy on the streets of the Congo to becoming an NBA champion, Serge Ibaka has risen to a level even he can hardly believe. Watch as he brings the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy back to Africa for the first time, and re-visits all the places he used to go as a young man in this emotional journey.

Life in the housing projects of Scarborough, Ontario, Canada is documented.

Journey across India, a breath taking land shaped by a myriad of cultures, customs and traditions. Come face to face with the Bengal Tiger and explore the work of this majestic creature with stunning clarity. Soar over blue-hazed Himalayan peaks and sweep down towards the thundering Indian Ocean as we celebrate the power and beauty of India's greatest ambassador - the mighty Bengal Tiger.

When the Tla'amin Nation requests a name change for the city of Powell River, B.C.—named for Israel Wood Powell, a key figure in the creation of the Indian residential school system—it ignites a heated debate about whose history is told and respected.

On January 8, 2020, Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 went down as it was leaving Iranian air space. All 176 people on board were killed, many of them Iranian Canadians. For weeks Iranian authorities vociferously denied responsibility, but foreign governments and agencies were certain the plane was shot down by Iranian military, a fact Iran’s government eventually admitted. There were no answers as to why the plane was fired on or even why it was allowed to take off, since hostilities had broken out in the region in preceding days.

Iran, January 16th, 1979. Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi flees after being overthrown. Ayatollah Khomeini returns to Tehran and proclaims the Islamic Republic on April 1st, 1979. In the same year, Saddam Hussein seizes power in Iraq and, after several border skirmishes, attacks Iran on September 22nd, 1980, initiating a cruel war that will last eight years. Since its outbreak, correspondent Saeid Sadeghi documented it from its beginning to its bitter end.

A documentary about returning the swift fox, the smallest of Canada's native foxes, into its original habitat.

Director John Scott crafts this look at the curious life of his longtime friend John Stiles — an aspiring writer and former telephone marketer whose midlife meltdown worked wonders for his career. Stiles was down on his luck working as a telemarketer in Toronto when, one day, he threw out his pre-written script and began speaking to customers in curious character voices inspired by his upbringing in Nova Scotia. That month, Stiles made the most sales of any employee and earned a free DVD player for his efforts. In the following years, Stiles threw caution to the wind, venturing out to local open mic nights — where he developed a substantial cult following — and later publishing a pair of books with Insomniac press.

During a period of exuberance and uncertainty, a group of artists and critics grow into new ideals and ways of thinking, as the old forms are no longer satisfying.

In November 2001, Quebec Painter Edmund Alleyn (1931-2004) agreed to be filmed in his Montreal studio by his daughter, filmmaker Jennifer Alleyn. There, something unexpected happened : an authentic encounter, with no beating around the bush, no mask. From a few existential questions –about life, painting, death- thruth emerged. The artist died of cancer in December 2004 before Jennifer could film him again. After inheriting his studio, she found herself in this sacred space, still imbued with the presence and imagination of her father. Her film is an attempt to prolong the dialogue, to find the missing fragments of her father’s life. Edmund Alleyn was an intense and complex man of integrity who left his mark on Canadian art history.

Liz tries to keep her friend from making the worse mistake of her life.

A father hands his rickshaw driving duties over to his teenage son.

Ethnologist Marius Barbeau introduces us to indigenous mythology. Masks, dances, songs, and totems are used to give the audience a highly suggestive representation of the "biblical" history (Mr. Barbeau's word) of Indigenous tribes.

In the spring of 1994, Les Stroud and Sue Jamison bade farewell to modern society and followed their hearts north, into the remote reaches of the Canadian wilderness. Leaving home, family and jobs behind, they would spend the next year living closer to the land than most of us could ever imagine. And they did it without the luxury of a single modern convenience. Les and Sue were attempting to replicate life in North American some 500 years ago, before Europeans first set foot on the continent. They created fire without matches. They built a shelter with a stone axe. They survived on what the bush provided. In doing so, they realized the true meaning of living wild, and how closely life and death coexist when you're many miles from human contact. Snowshoes and Solitude is the incredible story of Les and Sue's year in the Wabakimi wilderness. It chronicles the struggles and triumphs of the daily lives, and their burning love and respect for the natural world.

Seeing is to painting what listening is to politics. Survival as an artist demands both. Paint Until Dawn is a documentary on art in the life of James Gahagan (1927-1999), who painted all night to push the limits of vision. His life and thought reveal a correlation between art and activism through an interesting angle: the creative process itself.

Living on the fringe of mainstream society, one man ventures deep into the northern forest each winter to answer the call of the outdoors. For a decade, Clément has followed the same ritual: travelling to the middle of nowhere on the hunt for peace, quiet and beauty. From his camp, he spends the winter hunting, trapping and living as one with the nature surrounding him.

An intimate and revealing portrait of Kenny Dalglish – the player, the man, the truth.

It's no secret Toronto has placed itself amongst North America's most buzz worthy music cities due to the blockbuster ascents of Drake and the Weeknd. But that attention has also turned the city's local rap scene into a hyper-competitive environment where young vie for attention on the world stage. Director Shawney Cohen (Rat Park, The Manor) follows some of Toronto’s most exciting emerging talents as they ascend to success, offering an intimate glimpse into the challenges they face, and how their city and communities influence their music. Featuring Big Lean, CMDWN, Friyie, Jazz Cartier, Pressa, Prime Boys and more, Vice’s 6ix Rising is one of the most comprehensive documentaries about the Toronto hip hop scene ever created.

When Chinese state television blames his faith for a fiery public suicide, Chen Ruichang is detained in a Clockwork Orange-style brainwashing facility and forced to accept the government's account.

Over the course of a decade Brooks, Alberta, transformed from a socially conservative, primarily white town to one of the most diverse places in Canada as immigrants and refugees flocked to find jobs at the Lakeside Packers slaughterhouse. This film is a portrait of those people working together and adapting to change through the first-ever strike at Lakeside.

Two very different men are brought together by New Brunswick's decision to hand the management of millions of acres of Crown land to six multinationals. One man is an Acadian woodlot owner retired after nearly 40 years in a pulp mill; the other is a painter and winemaker with homes in France and New Brunswick. They travel to Finland to urge officials at one of the largest licence holders of New Brunswick Crown lands to practise responsible forestry, then go head-to-head with the provincial government to secure a new community-based forestry policy that is environmentally sustainable and produces more jobs than the highly mechanized techniques used today.

Native control of education is explored in THE LEARNING PATH. Director Todd, a Metis, introduces Edmonton elders Ann Anderson, Eva Cardinal, and Olive Dickason, remarkable educators who are working with younger natives. They recount harrowing experiences at reservation schools, memories which fuelled their determination to preserve their language and identities. Using a unique blend of documentary footage, dramatic re-enactments, and archival film, Todd weaves together the life stories of three unsung heroines who are making education relevant in today's native communities.

A short film created (and narrated) in 1985 by Québécois director Pierre Falardeau. It compares English rule in Ghana with Canadian dominance in Quebec by showing the 200th anniversary celebration of the Beaver Club of Montreal.

Investigating slavery in Canada through the story of Marie-Josèphe Angélique, a Black slave accused of burning Montreal in 1734. After an epic trial, this untameable slave is tortured and sentenced to death. But was she really guilty of this crime or was she the victim of a bigger conspiracy? Why this voluntary amnesia about this unknown page of Canadian history?

Most of the goods we consume are transported by sea on ships where working conditions recall those of the galley ships of another age. Turbulent Waters tells the story of these seafarers – equivalent to 21st century galley slaves – and of the turbulent seas they inhabit in a world of corporate globalisation.

Thursday shot from filmmaker Galen Johnson's high-rise apartment during COVID-19 “lockdown” in Winnipeg, captures people going about their daily routines in the city's eerily empty streets, yards and parking lots, on their balconies and on the riverbanks. The extreme distance and the diminutive scale of humans is paired with sound close-ups—a combination that embodies the strange, heightened intensity of feeling of the time, knowing an era-defining tragedy is happening yet being so physically removed.

In the 1960s, young women fainted during the shows of Quebec crooner Michel Louvain, who has been a heartthrob for 52 years. "Ladies in Blue" takes an affectionate look at the everyday lives of five women of different ages and walks of life who idolize the singer. While reflecting on Louvain's enduring career and celebrity, the film examines the universal lure of the unattainable that lies deep within each of us.

Beginning at the Doors of Hell, on the Path of the Burned, this tale follows a meeting between an entomologist, a curious mind and a tiger, also known as Papilio canadensis or Canadian tiger swallowtail.

Journeying through cities, suburbs, plains and deserts, Lawn and Order is a fun, hilarious and touching documentary which reveals the zany and obsessive fascination North Americans have with their front yard.

Filmed 2 years before his death, this documentary portrays New Brunswick folk artist Joseph Sleep (1913-1978) in his later life. He was born at sea and worked with and around boats, fish, carnivals, and animals most of his life. While convalescing during an extended period in the Halifax infirmary in 1973, he was encouraged to paint. What began is therapy and a pastime developed into a way of representing a lifetime of images and experience

Four precocious preteens perfect their lip-synching and runway walks in anticipation of the biggest drag performance of their lives at Montreal Pride, in this fierce and joyous celebration of acceptance and self-discovery.

FIRST EARTH is a documentary about the movement towards a massive paradigm shift for shelter - building healthy houses in the old ways, out of the very earth itself, and living together like in the old days, by recreating villages. An audiovisual manifesto filmed over the course of 4 years and 4 continents, FIRST EARTH makes the case that earthen homes are the healthiest housing in the world; and that since it still takes a village to raise a healthy child, it is incumbent upon us to transform our suburban sprawl into eco-villages, a new North American dream.

One thing to know about Newfoundland Honey, it's some of the cleanest in the world. There's no comparing it to what you're going to find on the shelves.

L'Art du Dernier Soir explores a period in the director's life through his numerous one-night stands. Blending autofiction and documentary, the film unfolds as a mise en abyme of a sexual relationship, revealing Nicolas's intimate confessions. Through various locations, Nicolas and Philippe's journey leads them to their final destination: room 44 of a seedy motel on the edge of Highway 20.

This film goes no farther west than Toronto. The Indian is Robert Markle, from a family of Mohawk steel workers. The cowboy is his longtime art associate, Gordon Rayner. Both are Toronto artists and art teachers, sharing also an interest in jazz: Rayner plays the drums, Markle the electric piano. This film is a study of their lifestyle, their mutual interests and their friendship.

Documentary about the groundbreaking queer feminist art band Fifth Column, who were at the centre of Toronto’s influential Queercore scene in the 1980-90s.

A filmic conversation about death, animals, and home movies.

This film deals straightforwardly with the consequences of a nuclear attack for the Canadian Prairies. The Prairies are singled out because of their proximity to huge stockpiles of intercontinental ballistic missiles located in North Dakota. Scenes include a visit to a missile base and to an emergency government bunker in Manitoba. A doctor, a farmer and a civil defence coordinator provide different perspectives on nuclear war. Although the film focuses on one region, it provides a model for people everywhere who would like to know more about their own situation but don't know what questions to ask.