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Women in STEM

Women have always made significant contributions to science, technology, engineering and math, but inequalities remain in those fields. In this selection of films, we meet women breaking down those barriers.

  • As the Crow Flies
    As the Crow Flies
    Tess Girard 2016 1 h 23 min
    Every summer, the Royal Canadian Air Cadets offers its top cadets the chance to participate in an elite flight-training camp. As the Crow Flies follows a group of these young men and women as they undergo seven weeks of training to get their pilot’s license in an intense program that normally takes six to eight months.
  • Inhale Exhale
    Inhale Exhale
    Danielle Sturk 2009 27 min
    This short documentary filmed at Saint Boniface General Hospital, in Manitoba, focuses on the work of 2 women: Gisèle Fontaine, who helps women in childbirth; and Louise Saurette, who attends the dying. Birth and death, moments of transition that involve a transformative journey, have much in common. The midwife and the chaplain offer themselves as guides on the painful and essential path of letting go.

    This documentary short was produced as part of the Tremplin program, which enables young Francophone filmmakers to make a first production in a professional context.
  • Reflections on Practice: Pregnant Users
    Reflections on Practice: Pregnant Users
    Nettie Wild 2007 1 min
    Street nurse Caroline Brunt reflects on the challenges she faces when working with pregnant women who use drugs, and the importance of not judging the mother.

    *Watch the complete documentary.
    *View all 10 educational playlists.
    *Explore the Teacher's Guide for this chapter.
  • The Glass Ceiling
    The Glass Ceiling
    Sophie Bissonnette 1992 27 min
    This short documentary presents 5 women from a variety of backgrounds who use strategy, humour and determination to seek to attain equality in the workplace. Whether in the public service or on the shop floor, discrimination against women is taking on increasingly subtle forms, which makes it even more difficult to tackle and eliminate. Various obstacles combine to hold back the advancement of women in many sectors, particularly in middle management positions, where we are seeing the emergence of a new “female ghetto.”
  • Illuminated Lives: A Brief History of Women's Work in the Middle Ages
    Illuminated Lives: A Brief History of Women's Work in the Middle Ages
    Ellen Besen 1989 5 min
    This animated short challenges enduring myths, spawned by fairy tales and romances, about women in medieval society. It explores the differences and similarities between that distant period and our own, and shows what medieval women’s lives were really like.
  • I Want to Be an Engineer
    I Want to Be an Engineer
    Beverly Shaffer 1983 28 min
    This film provides a lively introduction to the professional and personal lives of three female engineers--just a few of the growing number of women who are opting for "non-traditional" jobs. Their enthusiasm for and commitment to their work makes them convincing role models for high-school girls who might be considering engineering as a career possibility. As well, the film is effective in fostering positive attitudes towards women working in the traditionally male professions of science and technology. Support material available.
  • If You Love This Planet
    If You Love This Planet
    Terre Nash 1982 25 min
    The NFB’s 7th Academy-Award winning film. This short film is comprised of a lecture given to students by outspoken nuclear critic Dr. Helen Caldicott, president of Physicians for Social Responsibility in the USA. Her message is clear: disarmament cannot be postponed. Archival footage of the bombing of Hiroshima and images of its survivors seven months after the attack heighten the urgency of her message.
  • Careers and Cradles
    Careers and Cradles
    Jack Olsen 1947 11 min
    This short documentary is a snapshot of the revolutionary change in status enjoyed by women between the turn of the 20th century and 1947. The film notes the significance of this evolution, highlighting women who today command respect as leaders in government, industry, science and the arts. Women's organizations and leaders, among them Senator Cairine Wilson, symphony orchestra conductor Ethel Stark and Madame Thérèse Casgrain, discuss the challenges of their times.
  • Observation
    Observation
    Patrick Bossé 2023 16 min
    Laurie returns to the Ashuapmushuan Wildlife Reserve to meet with her father. Here, as a child, she honed her sense of observation, which today serves her well in her astronomy career.
  • Research
    Research
    Patrick Bossé 2023 13 min

    Laurie is a resident astronomer at the prestigious Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. On the summit of Mauna Kea, this Quebec scientist is helping unravel the mysteries of star formation.
  • Light
    Light
    Patrick Bossé 2023 14 min

    Laurie and her intern Justine Giroux take a dive into Hawaiian culture and tour the impressive CFHT observatory, more than 4,200 metres above sea level.
  • Collaboration
    Collaboration
    Patrick Bossé 2023 14 min

    Laurie and her intern Justine talk about the role women play in the field of astrophysics, and the creation of SIGNALS, the massive project headed by Laurie.
  • Origins
    Origins
    Patrick Bossé 2023 17 min

    Laurie’s worldview is unique, drawing from elements of both Innu culture and her scientific knowledge. Her insight makes her an inspiring guest speaker for four high-school girls.

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