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Alanis Obomsawin tells the story of Shannen’s Dream, a national campaign to provide equitable access to education for First Nations children, in safe and suitable schools. She brings together the voices of those who have successfully brought the Dream all the way to the United Nations in Geneva.

BURT'S BUZZ is an in-depth and personal look at the life of Burt Shavitz, known to millions around the world as the "Burt" of the Burt’s Bees natural product brand. The documentary explores what it means to be marketed as an icon, and how that life differs from the one of the man behind the logo.

A feature-length documentary about graffiti and street art with AXE, C215, CES53, CLOZE, DASIC, DOES, DRE/EARTH CRUSHER, GURS, HENDRIK ECB BEIKIRCH, LOGEK, NEVER, ONETON, SCAN, SEAZ, SEN2, SERAK, TECK.

Individuals who have moved away from Fogo Island express their opinions on the life and problems of the Island.

Artists such as Drezus, Ostwelve, Hellnback, Kinnie Starr and Snotty Nose Rez Kids explore the meaning of Indigenous Hip Hop and the connections between the music and their cultures.

This feature-length Oscar®-nominated documentary focuses on Malcolm Lowry, author of one of the major novels of the 20th century, Under the Volcano. But while Lowry fought a winning battle with words, he lost his battle with alcohol. Shot on location in four countries, the film combines photographs, readings by Richard Burton from the novel and interviews with the people who loved and hated Lowry, to create a vivid portrait of the man.

Profile of the Haida artist Bill Reid

Elegant and rigorous, while surprisingly playful, Chris Kennedy’s Go Between observes the Brisbane River, passing boats, and cars on the William Jolly Bridge through an intoxicating play of masking and superimpositions.

Elliott Leyton, the subject of this riveting documentary by filmmaker Barbara Doran, can't help but be fascinating; that's because Leyton, who teaches at the Memorial University in Newfoundland, is also a valuable ally for law enforcement officials who need his expertise in psychology and criminal behavior to catch some of the most heinous criminals: serial killers.

A portrait of Gregory Bateson, celebrated anthropologist, philosopher, author, naturalist, and systems theorist. His story is lovingly told by his youngest daughter, Nora, with footage from Gregory's own films shot in the 1930s with his wife Margaret Mead in Bali and New Guinea, along with photographs, filmed lectures, and interviews.

The ecstasy of nature through the beauty of simplicity, solitude, and silence as birds soar and suns beam all throughout.

This short film examines the Japan that emerged at the beginning of the 1900s and was firmly established as an industrialized nation by the outbreak of World War II. Facing the greatest threat in their history, the democracies of the Pacific took careful stock of this new Japan and its strength, and erected a vast system of defence across the world's greatest ocean.

A look at the Mau Mau Rebellion of the 1950s as experienced by filmmaker Donald McWilliams.

This is the true story of five brawling hockey players, who live in the back of a hockey arena and fight their way to heroic status in the most violent league in the world. One by one our heroes begin to crumble against their worst foes - themselves. Les Chiefs is a real-life account of men fighting to remain boys.

Canadian Inuit life in the early 1940's.

A documentary chronicling The Tragically Hip during the emotional lead up through to the epic last show of the iconic Canadian band's now legendary 2016 tour.

Mending the wounds of forced assimilation, Indigenous elders, healers, and activists from the Esk'etemc, Gitxsan, and Wet'suwet'en territories share a legacy of resilience and ancestral wisdom.

A film profile of Healey Willan, composer, conductor, choirmaster, organist and teacher. In this film you see Dr. Willan at his favourite organ in the church where he is choirmaster, at work in his study, and dropping in for a visit with students at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.

The Culture High tears into the very fibre of the modern day marijuana debate to reveal the truth behind the arguments and motives governing both those who support and oppose the existing pot laws.

A centennial film about the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Devil at Your Heels, traces the trials of stuntman Ken Carter who attempts a death-defying aerial jump in a car. Not content with a normal jump, Ken Carter attempts a jump from Canada to the USA. This feature-length documentary shines a light on the intense preparation that led to Carter’s first attempt to jump a car across a mile-wide stretch of the St. Lawrence River – a 5-year period during which the dare-devil raised a million dollars, erected a 10-storey take-off ramp and built a rocket-powered car. Winner of the Canadian Screen Award for Best Feature Length Documentary at the 4th Genie Awards in 1983.

Two lawyers and labor rights' activists, Daniel Kovalik of the United Steel Workers of America and Terry Collingsworth of the International Rights Advocates, and their partner Ray Rogers of Corporate Campaign firmly believe that US multinational corporations should be held accountable for the shabby practices of their business associates throughout the world. To lead their battle, they resort to a law dating back to the origin of the American Constitution - The Alien Tort Claims Act - which allows foreigners to file suit in the U.S. against Americans who violate international laws. The film tells the story of their fight against one of America's stellar icons: the Coca-Cola company.

Coupland discusses life, time and personal identity in the late 20th century. He surveys the aural and visual landscape using personal and corporate imagery. The pace of the film reflects the information-crammed culture Coupland is discussing. Its a vibrant, multi-layered exploration of the modern mind, body and soul.

Sir Frederick Grant Banting, KBE, MC, FRS, FRSC was a Canadian medical scientist, physician, painter and Nobel laureate noted as the first person to use insulin on humans. In 1923 Banting and John James Rickard Macleod received the Nobel Prize in Medicine. Banting shared the award money with his colleague, Dr. Charles Best. As of September 2011, Banting, who received the Nobel Prize at age 32, remains the youngest Nobel laureate in the area of Physiology/ Medicine. The Canadian government gave him a lifetime annuity to work on his research. In 1934 he was knighted by King George V. Banting died February 21, 1941 (aged 49) near Musgrave Harbour, Dominion of Newfoundland. His memory lives on at The Banting House in London, ON, Canada. This documentary short exhibits the original song: "Hungry Ghosts," by the Long Distance Runners.

The eight-year Iran-Iraq War was one of the most brutal conflicts to devastate the region in the 20th century. Zahed was 13 years old when he enrolled in the Iranian army. Najah was 18 when he was conscripted into the Iraqi army, and he fought against Zahed in the Battle of Khorramshahr. Fast forward 25 years, a chance encounter in Vancouver between these two former enemies turns into a deep and mutually supportive friendship. Expanded from the 2015 short film by the same name.

Up to the South is ostensibly a documentary on the south of Lebanon exploring the conditions of the time it was shot, the issues behind those conditions and their representation both in the West and in Lebanon itself. Within this we were trying to tackle two other concerns. One being the terms (and positions) inherent in the discourse surrounding the issues, i.e. terrorism, colonialism, occupation, resistance, collaboration, experts, spokespeople, leadership, the land, etc., and the other being the history and structure of the documentary genre specifically in regards to the representation of other cultures by the West in documentary, ethnography and anthropological practise and the problems/agenda involved from the perspective of the subjects viewed and the practitioners practising. Up to the South challenges traditional documentary formats by positing representation itself as a politicized practice.

A trans indigenous youth confronts the trauma of racism, adoption, and colonialism's lasting effects, fighting for self-acceptance and healing.

Archive footage from 2006 - 2010 of a young girl growing up during the ages of four to eight. Only fragments of what is remembered exists. Words from a transgender man float to the surface as fleeting memories go on.

The Ordinary Grand Film is the result of love at first sight with The Ordinary Grand Circus. With film and equipment borrowed from left and right, with the free complicity of all those who appear in the credits, they went on weekends to film a few moments of their tour.

Documentary about the history of Easter Island.

Laurie, a terminally ill cancer patient and loving mother of four, is granted the right to legally use magic mushrooms to treat her end of life anxiety. She then embarks on a remarkable journey of personal transformation and healing while exploring lesser known possible cures for cancer, like cannabis oil.

Every Child Matters: Reconciliation Through Education is a powerful 90-minute special created by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) produced in collaboration with Insight Productions and supported by Canadian Heritage. The special, airing on APTN and CBC, honours Residential School Survivors and their families through storytelling and performance by Youth, Leaders, Knowledge Keepers, and Elders from a diverse group of Indigenous Nations, communities, and cultures.

Acclaimed documentarian John Walker catches the legendary Cape Breton Miner’s singing group The Men of the Deeps just as the last mines on the island are shut down. Featuring ravishing cinematography of Cape Breton, and plenty of music, Men of the Deeps is a deeply touching portrait of a culture that still survives despite the ultimate end of an industry, and a tribute to the men and the songs that kept things moving on the Island for almost two hundred years.

Tłı̨chǫ researchers and Innu youth protect caribou, seeking solutions to climate and habitat crises in traditional ecological knowledge.

A slice of life documentary featuring Marina Cole, a chainsaw carver who turns driftwood and other recycled materials into beautiful works of art.

Gerrie and Louise is the true story of politically star-crossed lovers. Gerrie was a colonel in the South African Defense Force, and Louise one of South Africa's top investigative journalists working to expose government hit squads and the men who ran them - men like Gerrie. Realizing that apartheid was doomed and he himself had been betrayed, Gerrie used Louise to get his revenge and she used him to get a story. In the process they fell in love, an improbable relationship that illuminates the difficulties of truth and reconciliation.

The McKenna Academy’s BioGnosis project aims to renovate and digitize an immensely important collection of 150,000 biological specimens currently housed at the Herbarium of the Amazon in Iquitos, Peru. The herbarium includes vital knowledge on how the indigenous people use the plants for healing.

The roads are full of snow and the bus is late. The Principal is mad at the bus driver but he is also sick.

In his twenties, John Hanmer was a well respected police officer and family man in Hamilton, Ontario. Two decades and three countries later, his life would end in a barrage of gunfire in Angeles City, Philippines. Surviving him were his four children: Michael, Shannon, Michael, and Shannon. This is not a typo.

This short documentary introduces us to a town where no one pays rent: Simoom Sound in central British Columbia, where loggers live on sturdy river craft. Every week there are visitors: the general storekeeper, the flying postman and most importantly, the forest ranger, who is ever alert to the threat of fire.

For many years the only transportation link across Canada was one railway line. This tenuous, nation-building ribbon of steel was built through high, snowy, and unpredictable mountains. The tragic avalanche that occurred at the Rogers Pass summit in March of 1910 remains Canada's deadliest. 58 railway workers, majority Japanese died while attempting to clear a snow slide from the tracks when another larger avalanche struck from the other side in the middle of the dark night. This documentary project also delves into the lives of two unlikely friends today, a downtown Vancouver businessman, and a Japanese-born ski guide brought together by their need for purpose, healing, and a shared passion for researching the mysteries and injustices of this event. During production, the team was surprised with a visit by a 1910 victim’s great grandson from Tokyo.

A child of the Beat Generation, Gérald Leblanc conjoined urban-ness and American-ness, wandering and belonging, far beyond the boundaries of taboo. In so doing, he helped propel Acadia into the modern era.

Between 2000 and 2011, seven First Nations high school students in Thunder Bay died. Five were found in rivers surrounding Lake Superior. All were forced to leave their homes in order to attend school. Anishinaabe/Polish Canadian journalist Tanya Talaga brought international attention to this tragedy through her award-winning non-fiction book Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City. Talaga returns to Thunder Bay and her ancestral roots to talk with the family members, Indigenous community leaders and youth whose resilience in the face of unjust colonial systems provide a path forward.

After repeated attempts to obtain service from the public transportation authorities, these suburban Ottawa residents finally decided to do it themselves.

Amidst a sweeping Prairies backdrop, this luminous exploration of strength and vulnerability spans generations of Siksika men and boys as they learn to embrace the intricacies of self-discovery, identity and love in a world that often misunderstands and stigmatizes them.

As an idealistic conservation group strives to restore a damaged wetland and tensions escalate with local off-road motorized users, an unexpected revelation uncovers the site's ancient Indigenous heritage, propelling them on a transformative journey of reconciliation with the Sinixt People and reshaping perspectives on land stewardship.

Many are aware of the heinous crimes against civilizational heritage in the Middle East committed by ISIS. But do people know that this kind of terror is happening in the very heart of Europe? Over 150 Christian churches and monasteries have been destroyed in Serbia's province of Kosovo since 1999. 4 monasteries are part of UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger.

MONTREAL NEW WAVE is a feature documentary that explores the New Wave cultural current in Quebec in the 70’s and 80’s. The film documents and questions that unknown part of our recent cultural history. Through archives and interviews with key figures of the time, MONTREAL NEW WAVE wants to shed light on a defining current that still inspires the Quebec cultural scene today.

The Line She Carries follows Inuk filmmaker and Indigenous Geographic co-founder Crystal Martin at a turning point, the end of her childbearing years. In Oolootie’s home, she receives her traditional Tunniit, reclaiming Inuit womanhood, identity, and survival. Each line becomes an act of resistance, healing, and intergenerational strength.

Maude trains at a boxing gym. Her boxing helps her fight the degenerative effect of cerebral palsy, which she has since birth. We spend a day with this incredible, inspiring woman, as she goes from the gym to the street in her fight against injustice.

When a YouTube video of Alexandru Duru's hoverboard flight goes viral, the young engineer sets a Guinness World Record and achieves the recognition he desires. But fame and fortune don't come easily. Often mocked and ostracized (until they achieve their goal), inventors see the world in a distinct way. Duru is no different. The son of Romanian immigrants, he's driven by a desire to achieve the impossible—and to cash in. Exploring the banality of Duru's trial-and-error efforts, director Bogdan Stoica is an artistic risk-taker worthy of his subject. He allows contemplative scenes to develop in real-time with immaculate framing; a natural tension builds as we witness Duru strapping the equivalent of high-speed lawn mower blades to his feet. Avoiding the temptation to sensationalize and thus trivialize his subject, Stoica reveals a rich story about immigration, settlement and the human desire to transcend our physical confines. -Alexander Rogalski (Hot Docs Film Festival)

"Why is the strange Mr. Zolock so interested in comics?" is a Canadian docufiction film, released in 1983. A documentary about comic books and graphic novels, the film features interviews with comics illustrators wrapped by a fictional frame story in which Monsieur Zolock (Jean-Louis Millette), an evil supervillain, hires private investigator Dieudonné (Michel Rivard) to investigate the cultural influence of comics as part of his plot to take over the world. The film won the Genie Award for Best Feature Length Documentary at the 5th Genie Awards in 1984.

In this short film Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Hubert Davis gets to the harsh truth of why a couple broke up. Part of the mobiDOCS: Confessions in a Digital Age series.

In 2021, improv comedian Luke O’Grady is asked to perform his first ever stand-up comedy set, and record it as a special. The only catch: there is no audience. A meditation on what the role of the comedian is without an audience to guide and assess the performance.