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The Dark Side of the White LadyPatricio Henríquez 2006 52 minIn this feature-length documentary, filmmaker Patricio Henriquez seeks to untangle the web of lies surrounding the Chilean navy's training vessel, the Esmeralda. Heralded as a symbol of national pride, a dark secret lies behind the facade of the ship the Chileans call The White Lady: Following the 1973 coup d'état, it was used as a floating prison. Thirty years later, the victims of the dictatorship are demanding justice. The Dark Side of the White Lady is a fascinating journey to uncover the truth. -
February 15, 1965: Raising Canada's New Flag2006 2 minOn February 15, 1965 Canada's new flag was raised for the first time on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. The National Film Board of Canada was there to record this historic event. This DVD also includes approximately 41 minutes of additional archival material from the ceremony.
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Bombay CallingBen Addelman & Samir Mallal 2006 1 h 10 minThis feature documentary chronicles the lives of young call-centre workers in Bombay (Mumbai), India. The film profiles several characters who attempt to sell phone services to clients in the UK, showing both sides of globalization’s impact on India – the economic benefits as well as the break with tradition and loss of innocence. A compelling insider’s look at youth culture in India and the growing number of young people who choose to follow the American dream, Indian-style.
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A Cow's TaleJohn Tanasiciuk 2006 5 minDoes technology make our lives easier?
Audrey works away at her computer and she encounters a problem. Nothing seems to help: neither a co-worker's advice, nor the user manual, nor the help line. Stuck on hold, Audrey dreams of how simple life must have been before the age of technology.
This animated tale, with a real animal soundtrack, makes for a funny and witty dig at how little we've really evolved. A film without words. -
Beyond Memory: A Documentary About DementiaSharon Bartlett & Maria LeRose 2006 1 h 15 minThe new documentary Beyond Memory is an intimate revelation of what it's like to live with dementia, or to love someone with this disease.
The five individuals and families profiled in the film offer an essential lesson about living each day. Elaine, diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease at just 47, works to keep her brain active, and becomes the first known Canadian with Alzheimer's to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. A 1950s rhythm & blues star, 82-year-old Milton can't remember the words to songs but can still show off the dance moves that first attracted his wife, Ruby. George gave up his job and moved home when his mother's memory failed. He patiently reminds her of all the important details in her life, save one: Alberta's forgotten she has Alzheimer's. Gord, a former Revelstoke maintenance supervisor for CP Rail, works closely with his wife, Claudia, to make plans for his future. And, suffering from a rare and fast-moving form of dementia, 57-year-old Dede has pretty much had her memory wiped clean. Yet, when her husband, Gerry, enters the room, she smiles. Her connection to him has survived her memory. -
EdgeCode: Sayonara Super 8Pia Yona Massie 2006 5 minPia Yona Massie's Sayonara Super 8 uses personal archival footage to ask questions about the fragile nature of memory, human relationships and the foibles of the medium itself.
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EdgeCode: I Thought of You OftenYun Lam Li 2006 5 minTranslated from a self-reflexive Chinese saying, Yun Lam Li's I thought of you often, this film is a visual poem about the meaning of aging within a culture that is not one's own.
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EdgeCode: Mechanical Animal MemoryAmanda Dawn Christie 2006 5 minThis experimental short explores the dual use of film as both mnemonic device and documentary archive. To achieve this, filmmaker Amanda Dawn Christie uses images from home movies that have been damaged, leaving edge code, sprockets, and optical tracks exposed.
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EdgeCode: (Post) Modern TimesBrian Johnson 2006 5 minThis short experimental film riffs on the conventions of silent cinema by examining Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times within the context of postmodern culture. It explores an integrated relationship between music and cinematic structure in response to the perceived shortcomings of postmodernism.
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EdgeCode: UnderfootAlex Mackenzie 2006 5 minThis experimental animated short dissects the Earth's surface and soil. Filmmaker Alex Mackenzie uses a specially built film exposure device to study the insect world, with remarkable results. Living insects are rendered as photograms on the surface of film stock, pulsating and teeming with life.
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Wapos Bay: They Dance at Night (Cree Version)2006 24 minIn episode 3 from the Wapos Bay series, Talon, Raven and T-Bear learn what can happen when they forget to respect tradition. Raven can't resist whistling at the glimmering northern lights even though she's been warned not to. And T-Bear breaks with an age-old ritual by neglecting to offer tobacco ties before picking sweet grass for the elders. All 3 children discover that their careless behaviour may be the source of the community's recent small misfortunes. With help from grandfather Mushom and a wise elder, they take part in a traditional ceremony that puts things right.
Wapos Bay is a Gemini Award-winning stop-motion animation series that follows the adventures of 3 kids from a Cree community in northern Saskatchewan. -
Wapos Bay: Journey Through Fear (Cree Version)2006 24 minIn episode 2 from the Wapos Bay series, Aboriginal Day festivities are getting underway, but there's even more cause for excitement in Wapos Bay. T-Bear unexpectedly spends the night in the fire tower after he climbs up and is too afraid to come down. Jacob goes up to get his son and realizes he's scared too. In an amusing twist, the story is reported as a political protest on TV. Meanwhile, Raven doesn't want to go fishing with her mother, Sarah, because she's frightened of the river. Sarah helps her daughter feel at ease in open water, one step at a time. Through their respective experiences, both Raven and T-Bear discover how important honesty, patience and courage are, especially when you're scared.
Wapos Bay is a Gemini Award-winning stop-motion animation series that follows the adventures of 3 kids from a Cree community in northern Saskatchewan. -
Wapos Bay: A Time to Learn (Cree Version)2006 24 minIn episode 5 from the Wapos Bay series, missing sled dogs and a pile of homework are just a few of the things Talon has to deal with before setting out for the trapline with his father, Alphonse. Talon can't wait to go away for a week but the exciting trip means lots of extra responsibility. He has to complete the schoolwork he'll miss before leaving. While Talon struggles with a creative writing assignment, T-Bear and his grandfather Mushom have trouble with the dog team. T-Bear incorrectly ties the dogs up and they escape. In this episode, intense preparations and avoidable mishaps teach the children the importance of listening to elders and taking care with everything you do.
Wapos Bay is a Gemini Award-winning stop-motion animation series that follows the adventures of 3 kids from a Cree community in northern Saskatchewan. -
Wapos Bay: The Elements (Cree Version)2006 24 minIn episode 6 from the Wapos Bay series, the survival skills of Talon, T-Bear, Raven and Mushom are tested by an unexpected storm. The children are helping grandfather Mushom set up a cultural camp so young people can learn traditional ways. Bad weather hits and the radio, generator and ATV break down. Mushom leaves the camp for help but has an accident along the way. Left alone, the children have several mishaps - including accidentally blowing up their ATV - and abandon camp. The family makes it home safely, but their journey to Elders Island teaches the children that taking shortcuts at any age is best avoided. T-Bear learns that his knowledge of electronics can come in handy in any situation.
Wapos Bay is a Gemini Award-winning stop-motion animation series that follows the adventures of 3 kids from a Cree community in northern Saskatchewan. -
Wapos Bay: Something to Remember (Cree Version)2006 24 minIn episode 4 from the Wapos Bay series, the pressure is on as T-Bear is handed the task of commemorating Wapos Bay's military veterans, and Raven is struggling to express her thanks to a departing teacher. To prepare for a Remembrance Day tribute that will be broadcast to everyone in Wapos Bay, T-Bear visits the community elders. He is amazed to learn that his Mushom (grandfather) is also a veteran of the war. Meanwhile, Raven tries to convince her favourite teacher to stay in Wapos Bay by doing special things for her. But Ms. Chalmers doesn't initially comprehend her gestures of gratitude. In this episode, Raven learns the true meaning of the word "appreciate" and T-Bear learns why it's important to remember the past.
Wapos Bay is a Gemini Award-winning stop-motion animation series that follows the adventures of 3 kids from a Cree community in northern Saskatchewan. -
Photography LessonsKelly O'Brien 2006 12 minA Portuguese immigrant and his hot shot son: both are professional photographers but their subjects are a study in contrast. José Pimentel does weddings, communions and passport photos for the local seniors. His son George chases celebrities at film festivals around the world, searching for glamour shots of Hollywood stars. While he may sometimes get blinded by the spotlight, George still enjoys working alongside José at the family photo studio. Working in two different worlds, father and son find common ground behind the camera's lens. In the end, both try to capture something authentic and meaningful in a simple portrait.
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Acting BlindMartin Duckworth 2006 52 minThis touching documentary follows a cast of blind and visually impaired actors as they prepare Dancing to Beethoven, a play about blindness. The film takes us deep into the lives of the actors. We hear stories of their shock and disbelief at first losing sight and of their struggles coping with a life without it. We hear them talk about grieving and pining for the visual world. They tell the moving story of how this play is itself a victory, a type of salvation, for each of them. By opening night, at the renowned Place des Arts in Montreal, they are a close-knit cast, well-honed and ready to step out of the wings and into the light.
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Manufactured LandscapesJennifer Baichwal 2006 1 h 26 minFor almost three decades, internationally renowned Canadian artist Edward Burtynsky has been creating large scale photographs of landscapes transformed by industry: quarries, scrap heaps, factories, recycling yards, dams. Manufactured Landscapes follows Burtynsky to China as he travels the country capturing the evidence and effects of China's massive industrial revolution. Rarely witnessed sites such as the Three Gorges Dam (50% larger than any other dam in the world), the interior of a factory which produces 20 million irons a year, and the breathtaking scale of Shanghai's urban renewal are subjects for his lens and our motion picture camera. Shot in sumptuous super 16mm film, Manufactured Landscapes extends the narratives of Burtynsky's photographs, meditating on human impact on the planet without trying to reach simplistic judgements or reductive resolutions. In the process, the film shifts our consciousness about the world and the way we live in it.
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Waban-Aki: People from Where the Sun RisesAlanis Obomsawin 2006 1 h 44 minIn this feature-length documentary from Alanis Obomsawin, the filmmaker returns to the village where she was raised to craft a lyrical account of her own people. After decades of tirelessly recording others' stories, she focuses this film on her own.
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The Three WishesSheldon Cohen 2006 3 minThis lively short animation is based on the traditional folk tale of the same name. A poor couple try to decide which of their dreams should come true after being granted special powers, but what they realize is that they should be thankful for what they already have. The story is adapted by Toronto children's author Aubrey Davis and set to a lively Klezmer soundtrack by the musical group Beyond the Pale.
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The Challenge in Old CrowGeorges Payrastre 2006 54 minThis documentary focuses on the Yukon's Far North, where 280 Aboriginal people live in the village of Old Crow. Deep in this wilderness, the health of the children is a source of concern—the rise in obesity, diabetes and delinquency rates underscores the extent to which health and social problems are linked. With compassion and insight, this film shows how a handful of parents took control of a situation to ensure a future for their children.
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Qallunaat! Why White People Are FunnyMark Sandiford 2006 52 minThis documentary pokes fun at the ways in which Inuit people have been treated as “exotic” documentary subjects by turning the lens onto the strange behaviours of Qallunaat (the Inuit word for white people). The term refers less to skin colour than to a certain state of mind: Qallunaat greet each other with inane salutations, repress natural bodily functions, complain about being cold, and want to dominate the world. Their odd dating habits, unsuccessful attempts at Arctic exploration, overbearing bureaucrats and police, and obsession with owning property are curious indeed.
A collaboration between filmmaker Mark Sandiford and Inuit writer and satirist Zebedee Nungak, Qallunaat! brings the documentary form to an unexpected place in which oppression, history, and comedy collide. -
Wapos Bay: The ElementsMelanie Jackson 2006 24 minIn episode 6 from the Wapos Bay series, the survival skills of Talon, T-Bear, Raven and Mushom are tested by an unexpected storm. The children are helping grandfather Mushom set up a cultural camp so young people can learn traditional ways. Bad weather hits and the radio, generator and ATV break down. Mushom leaves the camp for help but has an accident along the way. Left alone, the children have several mishaps - including accidentally blowing up their ATV - and abandon camp. The family makes it home safely, but their journey to Elders Island teaches the children that taking shortcuts at any age is best avoided. T-Bear learns that his knowledge of electronics can come in handy in any situation.
Wapos Bay is a Gemini Award-winning stop-motion animation series that follows the adventures of 3 kids from a Cree community in northern Saskatchewan. -
Wapos Bay: A Time to LearnDennis Jackson 2006 24 minIn episode 5 from the Wapos Bay series, missing sled dogs and a pile of homework are just a few of the things Talon has to deal with before setting out for the trapline with his father, Alphonse. Talon can't wait to go away for a week but the exciting trip means lots of extra responsibility. He has to complete the schoolwork he'll miss before leaving. While Talon struggles with a creative writing assignment, T-Bear and his grandfather Mushom have trouble with the dog team. T-Bear incorrectly ties the dogs up and they escape. In this episode, intense preparations and avoidable mishaps teach the children the importance of listening to elders and taking care with everything you do.
Wapos Bay is a Gemini Award-winning stop-motion animation series that follows the adventures of 3 kids from a Cree community in northern Saskatchewan. -
Wapos Bay: Something to RememberDennis Jackson 2006 24 minIn episode 4 from the Wapos Bay series, the pressure is on as T-Bear is handed the task of commemorating Wapos Bay's military veterans, and Raven is struggling to express her thanks to a departing teacher. To prepare for a Remembrance Day tribute that will be broadcast to everyone in Wapos Bay, T-Bear visits the community elders. He is amazed to learn that his Mushom (grandfather) is also a veteran of the war. Meanwhile, Raven tries to convince her favourite teacher to stay in Wapos Bay by doing special things for her. But Ms. Chalmers doesn't initially comprehend her gestures of gratitude. In this episode, Raven learns the true meaning of the word "appreciate" and T-Bear learns why it's important to remember the past.
Wapos Bay is a Gemini Award-winning stop-motion animation series that follows the adventures of 3 kids from a Cree community in northern Saskatchewan. -
Wapos Bay: Journey Through FearMelanie Jackson 2006 24 minIn episode 2 from the Wapos Bay series, Aboriginal Day festivities are getting underway, but there's even more cause for excitement in Wapos Bay. T-Bear unexpectedly spends the night in the fire tower after he climbs up and is too afraid to come down. Jacob goes up to get his son and realizes he's scared too. In an amusing twist, the story is reported as a political protest on TV. Meanwhile, Raven doesn't want to go fishing with her mother, Sarah, because she's frightened of the river. Sarah helps her daughter feel at ease in open water, one step at a time. Through their respective experiences, both Raven and T-Bear discover how important honesty, patience and courage are, especially when you're scared.
Wapos Bay is a Gemini Award-winning stop-motion animation series that follows the adventures of 3 kids from a Cree community in northern Saskatchewan. -
UnspeakableJohn Paskievich 2006 55 minStuttering is as old as human speech. The biblical Moses stuttered. Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe, King George VI and James Earl Jones were also afflicted with the disorder--yet it remains a medical enigma. Unspeakable examines the nature, history and treatment of a speech impediment that affects about 1% of the world’s population regardless of language, culture, class or ethnicity.
Throughout the ages there have been all sorts of explanations for what causes stuttering but attempts at curing it have been as frustrating as finding its cause. While stuttering inevitably causes emotional distress, which aggravates the disorder, there is no evidence that it is a personality disorder. Speech therapy for pre-schoolers who stutter can be quite effective but treatment for older children and adults is often frustrating and disappointing.
John Paskievich, the film's director, is a person who stutters. He also narrates and is an active participant in the film. His story and the stories of others in the film are poignant, funny, angry and courageous, providing eloquent testimony to what it means to live imprisoned in what the poet W.H. Auden called "the tower of stutter."
According to Paskievich, "the film is a call for liberation, not from stuttering, but from the ignorance and stigma that surround it." -
Wapos Bay: They Dance at NightDennis Jackson 2006 24 minIn episode 3 from the Wapos Bay series, Talon, Raven and T-Bear learn what can happen when they forget to respect tradition. Raven can't resist whistling at the glimmering northern lights even though she's been warned not to. And T-Bear breaks with an age-old ritual by neglecting to offer tobacco ties before picking sweet grass for the elders. All 3 children discover that their careless behaviour may be the source of the community's recent small misfortunes. With help from grandfather Mushom and a wise elder, they take part in a traditional ceremony that puts things right.
Wapos Bay is a Gemini Award-winning stop-motion animation series that follows the adventures of 3 kids from a Cree community in northern Saskatchewan. -
Citizen SamJoe Moulins 2006 1 h 19 minThis feature documentary is a portrait of Sam Sullivan, a quadriplegic city councillor running for Vancouver mayor. Blending the rough and tumble of the campaign with intimate moments from Sullivan's daily life, the film is an unflinching portrait of the one-of-a-kind politician.
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SHAMELESS: The ART of DisabilityBonnie Sherr Klein 2006 48 minArt, activism and disability are the starting point for what unfolds as a funny and intimate portrait of 5 individuals. Director Bonnie Sherr Klein (Not a Love Story and Speaking Our Peace) has been a pioneer of women’s cinema. SHAMELESS: The ART of Disability marks Klein's return to a career interrupted by a catastrophic stroke in 1987. She turns the lens on the world of disability culture and the transformative power of art.
Joining Klein are a group of artists with diverse (dis)abilities. Humorist David Roche is taking his one-man show, The Church of 80% Sincerity, to New York’s off-Broadway. Poet Catherine Frazee is navigating a jam-packed schedule of teaching and speaking engagements. Dancer and choreographer Geoff McMurchy is organizing KickstART, an international festival of disability art. Sculptor and writer Persimmon Blackbridge is creating mixed media portraits from “meaningful junk”.
Klein gathers these artists for a pyjama party where they take a subversive look at Hollywood stereotypes of people with disabilities: The Monster, The Saint, The Psycho, the Poor Little Crippled Girl, etc. The artists decide to turn the tables, making a pact to meet a year later at the KicksART Festival with the intent of creating their own images of disability.
The film tracks this motley gang of five while they create and then present their self-representations. As we get to know each of these remarkable people driven by a passion for art and transformation, the everyday complexities and unexpected richness of life with a disability are exposed.
