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A film which features the people of Caen in Normandy, France after the allied armies had forced out the occupying German army. The film demonstrates the courage and perseverance of the city's people as they slowly begin the long and difficult process of rebuilding a city which has been destroyed by war. Shots include machinery clearing away rubble, a flag raising ceremony and distribution of food, water and a locally produced newspaper. The people of Caen begin the process of establishing lines of communication with other regions of the liberated country, searching for spies in the community and repairing the pipes and sewers buried beneath the streets. Life is slowly returning to normal as people enjoy idle time spent fishing or enjoying a concert but they also remember the allied soldiers who have given their lives for their freedom. Included is a shot of a grave-site with a cross which reads "Bdr. Hill, E.I.; July 18, 1944".

Body Language Decoded takes the viewer deep inside the intriguing world of non-verbal communication. As human beings, our bodies communicate our inner emotions and feelings in ways that can sometimes be easily seen by others, but at other times are barely visible. To the trained observer, more is revealed by studying the way people move than by listening to what people actually say.

Canada for the Masses is a reflective, found-footage experimental documentary that critiques the federal branding of Canada for its persistent efforts to mask the country’s deep-rooted issues. By deconstructing Canada’s carefully curated self-image and juxtaposing archival footage from World War II Canadian propaganda films, Canada for the Masses analyzes the underlying nefarious nature of Canadian identity.

Shot in 1987 at the Montréal International Jazz Festival, this documentary film presents musical performances and conversations between three jazz pianists with remarkably different styles: Soviet Leonid Chizhik, Black Montrealer Oliver Jones, and French-Canadian Jean Beaudet. It introduces viewers to the diversity of interpretation within today's jazz world, explores the roots of modern jazz and the specific formative influences on the musicians profiled, and reaches for a definition of twentieth-century jazz.

This is a poetic and animated meditation inspired by two trips the director made to Japan. Images and sounds from daily life as well as recordings of his performances, most notably one with the dancer-choreographer Teita Iwabushi. There is no story as such, but a formal construction with sound and images. What can be seen in Japan when Mount Fuji is invisible, lost in the clouds?

A four-part bio-pic that narrates moments from the lives of Fats Waller, Jackson Pollock, Janieta Eyre and Frida Khalo. This quartet of hauntologies reframes the cruel reductions of biography to focus on death and doubles. Repurposing archival texts (the diaries of Khalo, the testimonies of Waller’s kin and familiars) as audiovisual graffiti, old voices are cropped and replayed as intertitles or voice-over fragments, lending a historic charge to images that dream across the present.

The film looks at the impact of over-development in historic towns in Quebec’s picturesque Laurentian mountains. As big box stores and large retailers drive local merchants out of business, and foreign developers buy up huge tracts of land for resorts, local residents’ property taxes are skyrocketing. While the locals organize against expropriation by taxation, an internationally-known artist, René Derouin, adds his creative energy to protect the heritage of “Les pays d’en haut” from The Great Invasion.

A retrospective on the career of Doc Emrick featuring interviews of those who worked with him.

In the heart of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, there's a grocery store unlike any other. A down-to-earth, high-energy, family-run institution where the deals are as legendary as the lineups, Gateway Meat Market isn't just a place to shop: it's a community lifeline. At a time when grocery prices are soaring, Gateway dares to do things differently. This documentary takes viewers inside the fast-paced world of Gateway Meat Market, a small business that's showing that, with the right approach, keeping food affordable isn't just possible - it's a mission worth fighting for.

In this intriguing film, Jack Wise speaks very privately about his artistic process —'losing oneself in the language of the brush'— and what it means to be an artist. While at work in his studio, Wise talks about calligraphy being his freedom and the mandala his discipline. As he reveals his spiritual journey into Eastern religions and the importance of the mandala, we see the circle become a dominant motif in his art, and discern the influence of Chinese and Tibetan art on his own landscape-based work. Director David Rimmer's experimental voice asserts itself sensitively. Pace and imagery —water droplets, leaf and tree forms, a door which opens— sublimely convey the mystery and pulse of the artist's paintings, process, and perceptions.

This feature-length documentary traces the journey of the Haisla people to reclaim the G'psgolox totem pole that went missing from their British Columbia village in 1929. The fate of the 19th century traditional mortuary pole remained unknown for over 60 years until it was discovered in a Stockholm museum where it is considered state property by the Swedish government. Director Gil Cardinal combines interviews, striking imagery and rare footage of master carvers to raise questions about ownership and the meaning of Aboriginal objects held in museums.

Starting with her own memories of working as an actress on Abbas Kiarostami's Ten, filmmaker Roya Akbari proceeds to elicit other testimonies on the masters of Iranian cinema from three people who are themselves among the foremost Iranian directors: Rafi Pitts on Parviz Kimiavi; Amir Naderi on Sohrab Shahid Saless; and Bahram Bayzai on Arby Ovanessian. Bayzai also analyses Haji Agha, the Cinema Actor (1933) by Ovanes Ohanian, considered the first feature film made in Iran.

The Quebec region is surrounded by marvelous sites for winter sports and skiing in particular. Lac-Beauport, Valcartier, Mont Ste-Anne are all places where skiers, beginners or experts, can have a great time. The film, which presents a few descents accomplished by experts, including a team of instructors led by Fritz Loosli, is therefore an invitation to frequent winter sports centers in the Quebec region.

Lisa is a middle-class white woman from Toronto, Canada. She's also addicted to crack cocaine. To maintain her habit, she works as a prostitute while living in a hotel room. She's tried to get clean, but knows too well how easy it is to relapse. Meanwhile, she participates in Toronto's needle exchange program to reduce her risk.

Flora Bear’s youngest granddaughter searches for truth and answers about her Indigenous grandmother’s life.

Audrey, a woman in her mid-fifties, has never been able to make peace with her tumultuous family history. A clumsy mother, an emotionally distant father and sexual assaults that have gone unreported. She now decides to confront her demons. Supported by her son, the director of the documentary, she revisits a striking scene from her past: the moment when she told her parents that her grandfather had raped her. Together, through a year-long production process, they transform this awkward exchange into a moment of communion, thanks to actors, a set and Audrey's desire to do herself justice.

An exploration of the world of animation director and cartoonist Diane Obomsawin.

Qallunajatut (Urban Inuk) follows the lives of three Inuit in Montreal over the course of one hot and humid summer.Only two generations ago Inuit lived in small, nomadic hunting camps scattered across the vast Arctic landscape. Since the 1950s, this traditional lifestyle has undergone an astonishing transition from Stone Age to Information Age, as Inuit first relocated (often by force) to government-run settlements, and, more recently, beyond the settlement into southern cities.

This short experimental and documentary film is a window on the journey of a permanent quest for authenticity and a political stand for the rights and freedom of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. "Freaky" is an intimate and otherworldly universe which reveals, through absurdity and freedom of creativity, a fight with oneself leading to self-acceptance.

Evelyn Spice Cherry talks about directing documentaries at the NFB during the Second World War. Cherry was one of the first women directors at NFB.

The growing crisis of opioid addiction in North America is examined in this documentary that focuses on the cheap but potent synthetic drug fentanyl.

This documentary invites you on a historical-poetic journey through this legendary little square which, for over a century, was a meeting place for bohemians and outsiders, artists from elsewhere and the most fervent independence supporters.

This 1964 documentary returns to the battlefields where over 100,000 Canadian soldiers lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars. The film also visits cemeteries where servicemen are buried. Filmed from Hong Kong to Sicily, this documentary is designed to show Canadians places they have reason to know but may not be able to visit. Produced for the Canadian Department of Veteran Affairs by the renowned documentary filmmaker Donald Brittain. (NFB)

This short documentary profiles a 1949 meeting of the International Federation of Agricultural Producers in Guelph, Ontario. The IFAP plans to help solve the dire problem of world hunger—a problem sharpened by the birth of 55,000 more human beings, arriving "for breakfast," each day. Delegates emphasize the plight of the many nations who face starvation while others have a surplus of food. The conference challenges the world to succeed at implementing a proposed plan for the fair distribution of food.

Featuring two-time world champion magician Shawn Farquhar, this documentary explores the unique relationship between the art of magic and playing cards.

A documentary about direct-cinema from its very beginnings (Nanook of the North) to the fake-direct-cinema of the Blair Witch Project. All the important direct-cinema filmmakers are portrayed and/or interviewed: Leacock, Wiseman, Maysles, Pennebaker, Reisz and others.

A young woman Indigenous is preparing to leave her community. This departure makes her reflect on her identity. As she moves towards adulthood, she feels as much a stranger in her village as in her next town.

In December 2007, 7and7is, an Indie rock band from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada became the first foreign rock band to tour Cuba.

Martin calls his family who lives in the United States. He has not seen his parents in over a year. Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, he has been in Canada. In this documentary, Martin explores isolation, pain, memories, and the importance of family through photomontage.

A 90-year-old Jewish woman reflects on her life experiences as she prepares to try bacon for the first time.

This film shows the scientific study of fires set to buildings in Aultsville, Ontario, a town evacuated for flooding by the St. Lawrence Seaway. Scientists at Canada's National Research Council devised instruments for recording the progress of a fire in all its stages, to help the country's fire fighters lessen fire's tragic toll.

Ten-year-old Sébastiana recounts the history and legends and explains the local customs of Andahuaylillas, Peru, a small village located high in the Andes. Their simpler way of life has persisted for over three centuries, undisturbed by modern society's technology and materialism.

This short documentary transports us to the Saint-Félicien racetrack, where engines are running hot and excitement has reached a fever pitch. With its thunderous soundtrack, jarring backfires and choking clouds of smoke, Martin Bureau's Hell Runs on Gasoline! takes us deep inside a chaotic battle to the finish. Race cars hit the track, accidents pile up and the flames of burning engines wreak havoc - an infernal vision that soon dissipates into an eerily silent cemetery of abandoned carcasses.

After a lengthy preparation period, Perla left her Toronto apartment and dove into the werkroom for SEASON 5 of CANADAS DRAG RACE. In honour of the one year anniversary and to celebrate the work that went into showcasing her runway package, PERLA: a fashion film has arrived Showcasing all of her iconic runways from the 5th season, inviting you into her world and bringing the looks to life through creative collaboration with J Stevens, Perrie Voss, Benjamin toner, William Carr, Fabian Di Corcia, and Fernando Cysneiros (The Drag Series). Step into her mind and into the runway package from Canada's Drag Race season 5.

A look at the northern lights (aurora borealis) from aboriginal beliefs to scientific theories.

Like Japanese-Americans after Pearl Harbour, on a smaller but equally poignant scale, 3000 members of India's tiny Chinese community were incarcerated in an old POW camp for up to 4 years in the aftermath of the India-China war of 1962. Even children, expectant mothers and the elderly were not spared. Most people don't know about this tragic episode. There is no acknowledgment or apology either from the government to date. And yet, among those who suffered, the love for India and things Indian remain alongside the pain and hurt. It's a story that reminds us that history has a way of repeating itself. Again and again.

In 2005, Michaëlle Jean became the Governor General of Canada. A social activist, global citizen, and black woman, she would redefine the possibilities of that office. While her national priorities were at-risk youth, women, and Indigenous peoples, her international success came from her cultural diplomacy. 2010: the earthquake in Haiti tragically brings her back to her homeland. Michaëlle Jean: A Woman of Purpose is an intimate and sensitive portrait of the stateswoman she came to be.

The open road presents a point of departure for director lori lozinski to process deep-seated grief. Revisiting the formative experiences that drove her ambition, lozinski examines the influence of her parents in the present light of day.

Christmastime at the Roman Catholic-run Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia.

Individualized for profit, yet harmonious in its whole, Düsseldorf has met and largely conquered the conflicting demands of economic growth and human environment.

In this documentary, James Richard Cross discusses his experience as a hostage for the Quebec nationalist FLQ during the October Crisis.

The Purge traces a dark and little-known moment in Canadian history: the systemic discrimination faced by members of the LGBT community within the Armed Forces and the federal public service. From 1950 to 1996, it was yesterday, no effort was spared to flush out these men and women deemed "immoral" and representing a "danger to national security": intensive and coercive interrogations, humiliating tests, polygraphs, forced confessions and denunciations.

During WWII, there was a need for affordable housing of decent quality. In response, small pre-fabricated homes were built quickly and efficiently to accommodate the influx of workers to urban areas.

The film profiles the Christian Riders motorcycle club, a group of bikers in Toronto who converted to Christianity.

A re-photography in video of material that was originally used in a performance during which Karl Lemieux, painted, scratched and burned film loops from an old western 16mm film. Traces of an impossible past and future collide in a trajectory where the present unravels.

Set against a background of her paintings and the Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, landscapes they depict, this short documentary is a portrait of the life and work of one of Canada's foremost primitive painters, Maud Lewis. Emerging from her youth crippled with arthritis, Lewis escaped into her painting at the age of 30. She had never seen a work of art and had never attended an art class but her paintings captured the simple strength, beauty and happiness of the world she saw - a world without shadows.

This feature length documentary by Jacques Godbout tackles a topic all too rarely explored in the media: terrorism in Canadian society. From Montreal to Vancouver, and Quebec City to Toronto, exasperated individuals find a new calling as self-style saviours of humanity and decide to mete out their own justice. Part reportage, part essay and part critical analysis of the phenomenon, this film includes first-hand accounts by Serge Daoust, Franco Piperno, François Schirm, Pierre Vallières and young militants from the journal Révoltes.

After discovering more than 100 Super 8 reels in his great-aunt's basement, a young filmmaker reflects on the value of these movies and his family's legacy.

Immortals is an experimental documentary short film shot in 8mm that explores the introspection of an artist, Bettina Szabo. The film delves into her relationship with her sense of belonging, her body, her imagination, and nature. Sometimes one must lose oneself to find oneself better, and burn everything down to start anew on a solid foundation.

To anyone outside the Atlantic provinces, K. C. Irving is virtually unknown. Yet he is reputed to be the richest man in Canada, patriarch of a New Brunswick-based industrial empire involving oil, transportation, newspapers, lumber and much more. This one-hour documentary marks the first time a filmmaker has gained access to the legendary Irving, whose business career began in 1924 with the purchase of an oil truck. It is an absorbing look at a man who amassed great wealth as a by-product of his main objective: "to see wheels turn."

A very short film on the dangers of organized religion as experienced by a little Chinese girl.

Haji Omar and his three sons belong to the Lakankhel, a Pashtoon tribal group in northeastern Afghanistan. The film focuses on his family: Haji Omar, the patriarch; Anwar, the eldest, his father's favorite, a pastoralist and expert horseman; Jannat Gul, cultivator and ambitious rebel; and Ismail, the youngest, attending school with a view to a job as a government official.

Inspired by the unguarded animosity that the mere mention of Toronto incites among the majority of Canadians, filmmakers Albert Nerenberg and Rob Spence follow a character named "Mister Toronto" as he launches a coast-to-coast Toronto Appreciation tour. Along the way, the crew will encounter everyone from those claiming to be "recovering Torontonians" to folks who have vowed never to set foot in the city cited by the United Nations as the world's most culturally diverse. Could this seething resentment be something as simple as envy, or have the denizens of this worldly metropolis truly done something to offend their embittered fellow countrymen?

Where the Poppies Grow is a short docu-drama about one soldier during the Great War. Alfred Saxberg was a first generation Finnish Canadian who signed up at the beginning of the war and was fortunate to return home in 1919. When the Great War ended In November 1918, the people of the Lakehead could take pride in the contributions they had made. Over 6,200 people enlisted either as volunteers or conscripts. At home, the community supported the war by raising money to assist soldiers’ wives, children, and other dependents. There were also campaigns to help finance the purchase of military equipment and to send personal items to the soldiers overseas. By the end of the conflict, approximately 300 people from the Lakehead were killed overseas or died of illness due to their war service. Thousands more were wounded in body and mind. Where the Poppies Grow is a docu-drama that looks at the sacrifices made by people from the Lakehead to secure victory in the war.

A one hour documentary on the aftermath of the 2013 Alberta Floods in the town of High River.

A conversation with Toronto community activist and female-to-male transsexual Peter Dunnigan. He speaks openly about addiction, recovery, sexuality, and life as a gender outcast. More than an educational tool for a general audience, this video is a call for transsexuals, both female-to-males and male-to-females, to unite, heal, and resist.