Discover Movies

A little good will goes a long way--between persons, and between nations. That is the lesson to be learned from this animated film. It begins with a confrontation between a man who grows flowers and a technologist who operates computers. A flower pops up in the computer room; a computer tape appears in the garden. Each man destroys the "foreign object." When they come face to face they discover that understanding is better than distrust, respect better than hostility.

This documentary is about the Montagnais from Saint-Augustin et de La Romaine Indian reserve, in the region of the Côte-Nord in Quebec. Perrault approach those First Nations Citizens in order to discover that even if in our traditional occidental thinking and culture we consider ourselves superior to them, we still have a lot to learn from their traditions and ancestral way of living. Through a warm, human and respectful gaze, Perrault looks at the repercussions of European civilization's influence on Aboriginal culture, exploring the imagination and the codes of Native from Canada. The result, contradictory yet profound, was especially striking thanks to the sublime images captured by Gosselin within close relations with the Cinéma-Direct tradition in witch Perraut is one if not the greatest ambassador in the world.

A humorous account of the pioneering journey of Lady Frances Simpson, along with her piano, from England to Manitoba.

This short documentary offers an account of the epic bicycle ride of seventy girls and one man from Montreal to Vancouver. Their ultimate goal is to raise money in order to fund their trip to Expo 70 in Osaka, Japan.

Animated images showing the variety of people who live in Canada.

Some of life's most profound questions are tackled by ten children ranging in age from six to eleven. They give their spontaneous views on God, the beginning of life, what happens to the spirit when one dies, where one's soul goes at night, and numerous other questions about life. The magic of animation and modern camera techniques illustrate the children's imaginative ruminations and conclusions.

A short documentary on the charms of cross-country skiing. Beyond the formal beauty of the images, there floats a certain nostalgia for unknown landscapes. Something rare that pushes the neophyte to want to follow these free men, on the white paths, on exhilarating walks, taking the time to look at the landscape. Film without words.

Two children prove to be the most courageous circus performers of them all.

François Néwashish was the only one in his family from the Atikamekw community of Manawan not to go to residential school. He recollects a story of hunting with his father and how the spirit of the partridge protects children.

Based on a correspondence with a gay friend in the 1960s, this collage film is a portrait of a person and a decade. Against a montage of found images, the narrator comments on life, love, and the American Dream.

Features pregnant mothers Marsha Baker, Shaheera Bieber and pregnant couple Claire Prieto and Roger McTair. Also included in the footage are interviews with Dr. J.E. Milligan of the Toronto Women College Hospital and a fitness classes for pregnant women at the Toronto Women's Club.

Short fictional film recounting the adventures of a gang of young boys with more than one trick up their sleeve. Together, they plan bad things to raise enough money to buy their dream radio station. To make matters worse, they have part of their nest egg stolen, although it is well hidden in a cabin. An investigation will follow to find the culprit of the "crime". Will they get their money back?

Vancouver s two leading authorities on sexism in the school system, Linfa Shuto and Reua Dexter, relate their opinions on the problem and some solutions that they are working on. The tape also includes a short historical look at women s position in education and a critical discussion on sex stereotype roles by Grade 6 students.

"Treefall" was originally made for a dance performance at the Vancouver Art Gallery, April, 1970. Structured in the form of two loops of high-contrast images of trees falling, reprinted and overlapped. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2014.

This NFB docu-drama takes an unvarnished look at life in a working-class boarding house. Based on the filmmaker's memories of his own mother's boarding house in Cabbagetown, Toronto, the story revolves around Rose and how she runs her establishment. With a household as full and varied as hers, domesticity clashes with disputes about bootlegging, violence, and stealing. Even authority isn't exempt: she does battle with a social worker over her son's theft of a bicycle. Rose is the queen of her castle, and delivers her own brand of justice.

A portrait film of Eastern Ontario directed by Peter Pearson who’s films include the award winner’s like “The Best Damn Fiddler from Calabogie to Kaladar" (1968) and the classic Canadian feature film, "Paperback Hero" (1973). "Seasons in the Mind" includes a talent show section set in Arnprior, Ontario.

This short film, in which a hunter is pursued, bound up and carried to a cave, tells the legend of a river, and of how fog came to the land. The story is enacted by Inuit using katadjak or throatsinging. The audience is locked in an alien world of sights and sounds where human activity seems propulsed by primeval forces.

A child's first discovery of wind--the silent, invisible something that tickles his fancy, ruffles his hair, ripples the grass around him--portrayed here in winsome animated drawings. But the artist also shows the elemental force that carries all before it. Without words but with sound effects, this is a film of universal appeal.

Viewers outside Canada, and Canadians themselves, here have the pleasure of looking at, understanding, and discovering the many facets of this vast land, presented in choice film footage that is at once informative, visually appealing, and absorbing.

‘A beautiful, mysterious yet satisfying optical illusion…celebrates the early passing of a steam on the Thames. Using freeze-frame techniques, elaborate dissolves, and most of the resources on the optical table, this picture is, amongst other things, a Turner come to life. Rimmer’s concern with the surface nature of the film is most evident in this work which, in spite of its filmic complexity, is incredibly simple.’ — Donald Richie. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with Pacific Cinematheque in 2013.

In this short animation based on an Inuit legend, a goose captures the fancy of an owl, a weakness for which he will pay dearly. The sound effects and voices are Inuktitut, but the animation leaves no doubt as to the unfolding action. A story with the wry humor characteristic of many Inuit tales.

A story of the resilience and determination of a group of children in London, Ont., battling leukemia at a time when no child had survived the disease.

This vignette shows the ceremonial totem-pole raising by the Nisgha Nation at Ayanish.

Don Messer: His Land and His Music celebrates the king of Maritime fiddling. It's 1969, and Messer's band is on a poignant, cross-Canada farewell tour. Poignant, because CBC-TV has just announced the cancellation of the long-running Don Messer's Jubilee. But if Messer's upset, he isn't showing it. Instead, he's in top form, packing them in from Halifax to Whitehorse: one curling rink, hockey arena and small-town theatre after another. More than a musician, Don Messer was a genuine folk icon, idolized by millions of fans who felt as though they knew him personally. Although he died in 1973, Messer has remained a vital presence in Canadian music. Fiddlers continue to be inspired by his old-time style. Don Messer: His Land and His Music marries cinematic innovation with irresistible, toe-tapping music - taking us on the road, into the studio and backstage with a one-of-a-kind, fun-loving band.

Filmmaker Giles Walker takes an informal look at how our best skiers work and live. Filmed in 1976, this short movie follows the Canadian ski team on a tight schedule in Chile and Argentina. With 2 ½ tons of equipment, speeds of up to 140 km/h, gruelling workouts and a dramatic theft, it's safe to say that downhill racing is not for the faint of heart.

A documentary that looks at the sculpture of internationally acclaimed artist Leo Mol, who has lived in Winnipeg since 1948. Focuses on the creation of a bronze portrait of the Ukrainian composer Mykola Lysenko, the founder of the conservatory in Kyiv. The entire process of sculpting in the lost-wax method is shown (from the plasticene stage through to casting) and explained in the voice-over narration. Mol himself talks about his art and his philosophy of life, and some of Lysenko's music is played on the soundtrack.

A Canada Vignette giving a humorous animated version of the history of Fort Prince of Wales from its construction to its capture by the French.

A moving record of a natural disaster, Volcano documents the effect of a sudden volcanic eruption on the tiny island of Haimaey, off the coast of Iceland. Blasts of flame, clouds of black smoke and showers of rock erupt from the screen in a poignant portrait of a stricken town.

Documentary about Charles Gagnon, Québécois politician, FLQ member and communist leader.

This film employs a multi-image technique to contrast scenes of natural grandeur--mountains, forests, and wildflowers filmed in Canada's national parks--with images of the polluted rivers and countryside that result from the heedless exploitation of the environment. Without words.

Michael Snow's 1970 film A Casing Shelved combines a projection of a 35mm slide showing a bookcase in Snow's studio with a tape-recorded narration by the artist that discusses various objects within the image. Not only addressing viewers directly, Snow's narration attempts to direct our eyes toward specific portions of the image, as if spectatorial vision could function in a manner analogous to camera vision.

A sitting portrait of John's friend Lis Guindon holding her months-old daughter Marie Claire, in their sitting-room in Cabbagetown, Toronto. They later moved to Quebec and lost contact with John. A single-shot film, taken at 3 seconds per frame over 2 hours, lit with a single table-lamp and using 3-second time exposures on each frame. Mothers particularly are amazed and amused by this film, saying it evokes their experience.

In the mountainous country near Lillooet, British Columbia, eleven-year-old Kevin Alec of the Fountain Indian Reserve learns to make fishnets with his grandfather, and skin and tan hides with his aunt. He goes fishing with his grandmother and horseback riding with his brother. Life is full of wonderful things to do and to learn. Will Kevin eventually abandon his traditional way of life or will it be a source of continuing enrichment? This film is part of the Children of Canada series.

Two hundred years ago Captain Cook stopped briefly at Nootka Sound. This animated vignette depicts how he began the sea otter trade which led to the development of the Pacific north west.

A turn of the 20th Century office block at Portage and Main. What was once Winnipeg's most prestigious commercial address has become a catch-all for the marginalized and history's leftovers. A snapshot of a fading era, now gone for good.

Video transformations of documentary footage of a woman giving birth, assisted by members of a religious commune. Isolation confronts the communal, the gruesome confronts the holy in this most mysterious of events.

Close-up photographs of baskets, tools and utensils used in the past and still used today by the L'ilawat of Canada. Printed notes describe the use of each item

In this experimental short film a soap tells its own story woven of humor and hallucinatory microscopic images.

A film mingling documentary and dramatic elements to portray the effects of the threat of chemical and biological warfare on the contemporary mentality. The chemist who manufactures the secret weapons, the scientist who comments on them with complete detachment, the soldier of the First World War, killed by poison gas, who returns to life to discover the manner of his dying--all make their claims on the audience in an arresting, provocative way.

This feature-length documentary examines the reality of New York City in the 1970s, a place that had become a symbol of urban disaster. The 2 projects profiled attempt to tackle the problem of America’s biggest city: in a dilapidated part of the Bronx, a co-operative citizens’ movement tries to rejuvenate urban life; and WNET-TV uses its programming as an open forum for the public debate on urban issues.

An intimate portrait of Marie Leo, a Sto:lo woman who was adopted into a Líl̓wat family as a baby. Marie’s gentle narrative of her remarkable early childhood demonstrates a deep connection to culture, land and family that continues to endure. This short is part of the L’il’wata series. In the early 1970s, at the outset of her documentary career, Alanis Obomsawin visited the Líl̓wat Nation, an Interior Salish First Nation in British Columbia, and created a series of shorts that provide personal narratives about Líl̓wat culture, histories and knowledge.

Backyard Theatre is a documentary about playwright Michel Tremblay and director André Brassard’s flavourful brand of Quebec theatre, which captured the earthy wit and joual (slang) of Montreal's East End working-class neighbourhood. The film features impromptu improvisation by the cast of Les belles-soeurs and Demain matin, Montréal m'attend, two genre-defining plays.

Film-dossier on workers' struggles against industrial diseases.

The village of Old Crow and the people from the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation are located on the banks of the Porcupine River 80 miles inside the Arctic Circle. The film shows the lifestyles and spirit of the people of Old Crow, reflected in the writings of Gwich'in Edith Josie and the stories told by Elder Kenneth Nukon. Alanis Obomsawin wanted to document life in the community before the proposed Mackenzie Valley Pipe line was to go through. "Everything will be changed -- it will never be the same again".

Feature-length documentary on Hauris Lalancette, a Quebecer from Abitibi, who travels and draws surprising parallels between two corners of the country that are considered destitute and left behind. It is also about the search for ancestors and the nostalgia for old jobs that were better, both on the human level and on the technical level.

The camera animation of designs for an automobile, shifting between the drawings and the prototype, suggest something of the speed and vitality of the machine. What emerges is the portrait of a leashed thing, a made object that seems to tremble with life. Through the camera and the non-instrumental music, the film creates a feeling of exhilaration, of being inside...

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.

A little boy wants to be part of a group of friends who imposes tests before accepting it . Then the band begins to monitor an old man that children take for a spy .

A look at November 15, 1976, the date the Parti Québécois seized power in the provincial elections, a victory that gave rise to an unprecedented outburst of joy at the Center Paul-Sauvé, a place where PQ sympathizers gathered.

A legal clinic is formed in inner city Montreal.