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Human Geography (63)
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645 WellingtonKaveh Nabatian 2002 54 minA stone's throw from downtown Montreal, quirky artists, blue-collar workers and unconventional families are being forced to leave their old neighbourhood as high-tech firms move in. Like in so many other cities, the tech companies arrive with the promise of a rosy future--but it's one built on demolitions, evictions and the conversion of low-rent property to high-priced condos.
This is a portrait of one building and its residents--people like Constanzo 'Fartman' Manna, an eccentric shipper and packer who's headed for Chile to marry the love of his life and bring her back to Montreal; artist Luc Bourbonnais, who is fighting desperately to hold on to the loft that inspires so much of his art; and Cuban émigré Rolando Zambrano, who ran a neighbourhood snack bar for nearly 30 years.
Shot over a period of six months and set to a pulsing Latin and rock soundtrack, 645 Wellington not only opens a window onto the lives of the building's residents but brings the building itself to life. We come to know the dark hallways, the corners and the doorways. We get to know them well. Just as they are about to change, forever.
645 Wellington was produced as part of the Reel Diversity Competition for emerging filmmakers of colour. Reel Diversity is a National Film Board of Canada initiative in partnership with CBC Newsworld. -
54 HoursBruce Alcock & Paton Francis 2014 13 minThis short animation is a remarkably vivid account of the 1914 tragedy in which 132 men were stranded on the ice during a severe snowstorm off the coast of Newfoundland. 78 men froze to death on the pack ice. In the spring of 1914, the last of the wooden seal hunting ships in a steel-dominated industry was the Newfoundland, manned by men from across the province. The ship was unable to reach a seal pack due to its lack of ice-breaking power, and 132 men were ordered off the boat and onto the ice to hunt. The ship had no radio equipment, and the men spent two unbearable nights on the ice. Survivor testimony, striking archival materials, weather visualizations, inventive animation and puppetry are seamlessly blended to recreate this harrowing ordeal.
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Air - ClimateMichel Barbeau 2000 19 minThis documentary takes us on a visual tour of Canada's extreme weather and climate. The film is part of the Transit series, which explores Canada's natural landscape, from the humid rainforests of British Columbia, to the desert-like badlands of Alberta; from the frosty Arctic where no trees grow, to the fertile farmland of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Region.
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AbegweitSerge Morin 1998 1 h 11 minA day-to-day record of the construction of the Confederation Bridge linking Prince Edward Island to the mainland, Abegweit reveals some of the innovations that made this mammoth project one of the most impressive engineering feats in Canadian history.
The film also gives a voice to the people affected by the bridge--construction workers happy to have the work and proud to be part of the project, ferry employees sad about losing their jobs and their seagoing family, islanders whose lives will be forever changed by the fixed link, and fishermen worried about the impact it will have on the environment and their livelihood. It is a stunning meeting of technology, politics, high finance and intense emotions. -
AzzelGuy L. Coté 1979 28 minThis short documentary looks at Azzel, one of the Niger Department of National Education’s first schools for nomads. The film describes the traditional nomadic lifestyle of the Tuareg and the changes brought about by these government-run boarding schools.
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Act of DishonourNelofer Pazira 2009 1 h 30 minSet in the northern region of Afghanistan, this feature drama tells the story of a young bride-to-be who strays from local customs after befriending an Afghan-Canadian translator. Part lament against injustice, part testament to the spirit of a people who have survived decades of war, this film is a compelling drama in which East and West, love and honour, modernity and custom clash with tragic consequences.
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Atlantic CrossroadsTom Daly 1945 10 minThis short documentary focuses on Newfoundland's role in WWII. Due to its geographical position, Newfoundland became a central point of activity during the war, housing military air bases and becoming the link between the Allied forces and Europe. In stark contrast with the Depression in the 1930s, this film highlights Newfoundland's opportunities for economic growth during, and after, the war. Part of the Canada Carries On series.
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Beautiful Lennard IslandBeverly Shaffer 1977 23 minThis short documentary introduces us to Lennard Island, a tiny island near Tofino, British Columbia, and the family of 4 who are its sole occupants. There we meet the lightkeeper’s son, Steven Thomas Holland, age 10, and his father, mother and brother. A gracious host and great fan of his island home, the boy takes us on a tour and dispels any ideas that living in isolation might be boring. This film is part of the Children of Canada series.
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Black and White in South AfricaJohn Howe & Ronald Dick 1957 29 minThis 1957 documentary short offers an analysis of South Africa's acute race problem, an issue that causes dissension not only within its borders but within the Commonwealth and beyond. In South Africa, a country of 14 million people, 4 out of 5 people are black. The film gives a dispassionate appraisal of the motivations behind the policy of apartheid and of whether the practice of segregation provides a satisfactory, long-term solution.
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CitiesLillian Chan 2020 3 minDesigner Bruce Mau views the COVID-19 pandemic as a short-term crisis in a long-term trend toward positive development. He dares us to abandon our toxic lifestyle habits and urges us toward bolder urban design.
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The Chairmaker and the Boys1959 20 minThis short fictional film evokes rural life in Cape Breton’s Margaree Valley, with its rich colours, bright sunshine, and crystal-clear streams. The film tells the story of a young boy and his grandfather, a carpenter with a hearing impairment. The young boy frolics joyfully in the rural landscape, but eventually he’ll need to learn a lesson from his grandfather about safety, responsibility, and maturity. The film features original music by Maurice Blackburn, one of Canada’s foremost composers.
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China Mission: The Chester Ronning StoryTom Radford 1980 57 minTom Radford's documentary chronicles the life of Chester Ronning, best remembered for his close and longstanding relationship with China. Over the course of his life, Ronning worked as a cowboy, ambassador, college president, missionary and a member of the Alberta legislature. But throughout all of his careers, his lifelong ambition was to explain China to the western world. His story is a rare example of the meeting of East and West in a compassionate, remarkable man.
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CalliopeTony Ianzelo 1980 2 minA vignette on the travelling calliope (also known as steam organ), a musical instrument that produces sound by sending steam through large locomotive whistles.
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A Drop in the OceanLise Éthier 2002 48 minWhen Doctors without Borders, the humanitarian medical aid agency, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999, Dr. Claudette Picard was in Liberia. Her first mission with the agency had begun in this small country of West Africa six years before. In the meantime, she had practised medicine in other wartorn countries such as Zaire and Afghanistan, always in extremely hazardous conditions.
What impels women and men like Dr. Picard to leave their easy lives behind and go off to do what little they can to alleviate human suffering? Whatever the motivation, the doctors are in the field, providing medical care and helping to draw attention to distant places often forgotten by the world's media. Places like Harper, a small town in Liberia devastated by a decade of civil war. This is where we follow Dr. Picard on her rounds. With her halting English, her comforting presence and a few scarce drugs, she sometimes manages to do the impossible. But not always...
Some subtitles. -
The Danish PoetTorill Kove 2006 14 minIf you’ve heard of the butterfly effect, how about the falling cow impact? Whimsical, philosophical and absurdly hilarious, this NFB animated short by Oscar®-winning director Torill Kove follows Kasper, a poet whose creative well has run dry, as he attempts to answer some big questions. Can we trace the chain of events that lead to our own birth? Is our existence just coincidence? Do little things matter? It turns out that where Kasper is concerned, seemingly unrelated factors such as bad weather, an angry dog, a careless postman, hungry goats and the aforementioned deadly bovine might play important roles in the grand scheme of things after all.
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Exile - A Myth Unearthed (BBC Version)Ilan Ziv 2013 59 minIt has been depicted in artwork and lamented in poetry and prayer for nearly 2,000 years: the exile of the Jewish people from their homeland in the first century AD, following the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.
But what if the exile never happened?
That is the central, provocative question of Exile: A Myth Unearthed, a documentary that looks at the exile through the lenses of archaeology, history, myth and religion, asking what it means for our understanding of history and the contemporary struggle over land in the Middle East.
Since 1985, teams of archaeologists have been painstakingly unearthing artifacts from the ancient town of Sepphoris, in Galilee. Their findings are revolutionizing our knowledge of Jewish history.
Exile travels from Sepphoris to Masada, from Jerusalem to the catacombs of Rome, and features interviews with leading historians and archaeologists. Throughout the film we also follow a group of tourists visiting sites in the Holy Land and hear the traditional interpretation of events such as the siege of Masada—an interpretation which stands in sharp contrast to recent evidence.
The issues raised in Exile are of more than passing historical interest. The myth of exile is an essential narrative in Middle Eastern and European history, and of critical importance to both Christian and Jewish theology. And the possibility that many Jews, such as those of Sepphoris, simply remained where they lived, raises uncomfortable questions. Could some Palestinians actually be their descendants?
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Exile - A Myth UnearthedIlan Ziv 2012 1 h 37 minThis feature documentary looks at new evidence that suggests the majority of the Jewish people may not have been exiled following the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Travelling from Galilee to Jerusalem and the catacombs of Rome, the film asks us to rethink our ideas about an event that has played a critical role in the Christian and Jewish traditions.
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EpilogueWilliam Pettigrew 1971 15 minThis 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.
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The Global Struggle for Food1961 28 minA progress report on efforts to find new ways of feeding the Earth's swelling population. Water control, land redistribution and agricultural advances of all kinds are shown as examples of gains being made to stem the tide of hunger.
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Grassroots in Dry LandsHelene Klodawsky 2015 1 h 29 minGrassroots in Dry Lands tells the story of three unconventional social workers united by a common vision that transcends the antagonisms between their countries. Nuha, from Nablus (Occupied Palestinian Territories), Talal, from East Amman (Jordan), and Amit, from Sderot (Israel) are empowering some of the region’s most disenfranchised, war-scarred communities in an effort to build a just and civil society.
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Henry Settles in Upper CanadaEva Szasz 1995 10 minAfter a long, hard ocean voyage across the Atlantic, twelve-year-old Henry and his mother arrive in Upper Canada. Uncle Ned meets them and takes them to rest up. Homesick, Henry takes a turn around the village and discovers what village life is like in a well-established farming community. He soon settles in and brings some good news to his mother.
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Homesteading on the PrairiesEva Szasz 1995 11 minSet in Manitoba in the 1890s, the story traces an Ontario farm family as they move west in search of cheap land. They experience travel on the recently completed CPR, build a sod house, battle a prairie fire and celebrate their first harvest.
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A House on the PrairieRon Bashford & Bob Lower 1978 17 minThis documentary describes the unfortunate legacy of the lone house on the prairie, an example of a dwelling entirely unsuited for the harsh winter or summer. We meet some builders and home owners experimenting with designs that are more energy efficient, such as the dome, the underground house and a ranch with wind, solar energy and methane gas from animal waste.
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Hunters and BombersHugh Brody & Nigel Markham 1991 53 minThe hunters are the Innu people and the bombers are the air forces of several NATO countries, which conduct low-level flights over the Innu's hunting terrain. The impact of the jets is hotly debated by peace groups, Indigenous people, environmentalists and the military. But what is often overlooked are the many complex changes underway in Innu society, as social and technological changes confront a traditional hunting culture.
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Home to the LandStanley Jackson 1944 21 minThis documentary from 1945 explains The Veteran's Land Act, which provided for low-cost loans to veterans who wished to purchase properties and re-establish themselves in Canada after the war. The loans were for properties ranging from town lots to full-scale farms. The Act also provided aid in purchasing farm machinery, fishing boats, building materials and livestock. Produced by the NFB for the Canadian Department of Veterans Affairs.
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"I Just Didn't Want to Die": The 1914 Newfoundland Sealing DisasterJoe MacDonald 1991 19 minIn March 1914, the Newfoundland set sail from Wesleyville, taking 132 men out sealing. Miles from shore, the ship got stuck in the ice so the men went over the side to walk to the sealing ground. When a terrible storm struck, they were stranded. It took rescuers 3 days to arrive; by then, 78 men were dead and another 9 missing. This tragic story is told through the words of men who were there and the haunting prints of David Blackwood.
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In the LabyrinthRoman Kroitor , Colin Low , … 1979 21 minA film without commentary in which multiple images, sometimes complementary, sometimes contrasting, draw the viewer through the different stages of a labyrinth. The tone of the film moves from great joy to wrenching sorrow; from stark simplicity to ceremonial pomp. It is life as it is lived by the people of the world, each one, as the film suggests, in a personal labyrinth.
In the Labyrinth was first released as a multi-screen presentation for Chamber III of the Labyrinth at Expo 67. These separate images were integrated into a single strand of film, using a "five-on-one" cinematic technique. -
I Was a Child of Holocaust SurvivorsAnn Marie Fleming 2010 15 minThis short animation is director Ann Marie Fleming’s animated adaptation of Bernice Eisenstein’s acclaimed illustrated memoir. Using the healing power of humour, the film probes the taboos around a very particular second-hand trauma, leading us to a more universal understanding of human experience. The film sensitively explores identity and loss through the audacious proposition that the Holocaust is addictive and defining.
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In Pursuit of PeaceGarry Beitel 2015 1 h 24 minIn Pursuit of Peace makes the case for unarmed civilian peacemaking and mediation as a response to violent international conflict. We follow four Canadian peacemakers as they take us inside the drama of their work in some of the world’s hottest conflict zones: land disputes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the civil war in South Sudan, IDP camps with displaced minorities in Kurdistan in Northern Iraq.
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Julie O'BrienBeverly Shaffer 1981 18 minThis short film depicts Newfoundland’s “old times” as seen by Julie O’Brien, an 11-year-old living in Tors Cove. Told in the first person with cutaway shots to the girl’s many activities, the film illustrates the way traditions are maintained, remembered and evolved. This film is part of the Children of Canada series.
