Skip to content
Accessibility
Adolescent Social Behaviour (31)
-
1999Samara Grace Chadwick 2018 1 h 33 minWhen death haunts a high school in a small town in the late 1990s, everyone is forever transformed. In this gentle, prismatic film, Samara returns to the town she fled as a teen to re-immerse herself in the memories still lurking there, in its spaces and within the dusty boxes of diaries, photos and VHS tapes. 1999 is not a ghost story, but the ghosts are palpable at every turn. The snow-covered streets, the school’s hallways and lockers are preserved as in a dream. The absences left by the relentless teenage suicides still shimmer with questions, trauma and regret. Samara encounters people who are as breathtaking as they are heartbroken, and, finally, 16 years later, the community strengthens itself by sharing the long-silenced memories. Ultimately the film weaves together multiple voices in a collective essay on how grief is internalized—and how, as children, we so painfully learn to articulate our desire to stay alive. -
All the Right StuffConnie Littlefield 1997 22 min"I always have a good time. Lots of teenagers hang out at the mall. It's like walking around in a big TV set." Brendan, 13.
All the Right Stuff is about kids, malls, media and money. This video puts the role of youth in today's corporate economy into perspective.
Join Brendan on a tour through the local mall. With two hundred dollars of birthday money in his pocket, he's ready to do some serious spending on music, clothes, and video games.
Teenagers represent a huge and lucrative market for advertisers. They may work in low-paying service sector jobs, but as Brendan says "I pay no rent. My income is one hundred percent disposable."
Intercut with Brendan's shopping trip are interviews with shopkeepers, young people who talk about the pressure on them to consume and to sport all the right logos, and members of the bands Thrush Hermit and Hip Club Groove on how the music and clothing industries target young people.
With poor job prospects and little access to the political process, teens come to see themselves primarily as consumers. It's a self-image marketers are only too happy to encourage and exploit. -
AkoHiroshi Teshigahara 1965 28 minThis short film from 1965 paints a portrait of Ako, a 16-year-old girl who is trying to live in freedom while escaping the traditions of her country. Ako works at a bakery where others like her manipulate masses of dough while engaging in conversation and laughing. Filmed in a disjointed style, the images and dialogue are reminiscent of a dream.
-
Becoming 13Victoria King 2006 47 minThis smart documentary explores the intimidating terrain of girlhood by following three 12-year-olds over the period of one year. As these girls move from childhood to maturity, it's clear that peer pressure is an important influence, but as the films shows, the greatest influence in a young girl's life is family.
Filmmaker Victoria King's creative approach, including the use of "diary-cam" footage, not only follows the girls but allows them to question the world in their own voices. Ultimately, the film reveals the complexities of being 12, both satisfying our curiosity and inviting us to ask, What happens next? -
Beauty Begins Inside - The Pressure ZoneSheila Murphy 1995 11 minThe Pressure Zone is a hilarious send-up of the forces that try to shape adolescent minds and bodies. Two mirrors--one promoting the perfect body through a merciless regime of muscle building and dieting, the other through tapping into the "essential essence" via meditation and herbal remedies--vie for loyal customers. As each advertises their vision as the right way, the teens are prodded, taunted and provoked into submission by making them believe that their bodies need improvement, but then the teenagers take control back from the mirrors and accept themselves from the inside out.
-
Being DifferentJulia Murphy 1957 9 minThis short film from the late 1950s looks at peer pressure among adolescents, using the example of a 13-year-old boy who collects butterflies. While the boy adores his passion, his friends laugh at him, making him question whether he should pursue his interest or conform to fit in with the crowd.
-
The Cora PlayerCilia Sawadogo 1996 7 minTwo young Africans from different social backgrounds want to defy tradition and be free to love each other. This Burkina Faso/Canada co-production is based on Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which particularly upholds the right to love freely, blind to convention and social class. An animated film without words for twelve to seventeen yers olds.
-
Colour BlindJinder Oujla-Chambers 1999 25 minThis film shows kids that being racist is not cool and that even subtle racism can explode into violence. Shot in Vancouver and Toronto schools, the film features teens from a variety of backgrounds. The students speak from personal experience, providing a startling look into the average high school--a place where the kids themselves create de facto segregation by hanging out only with others of the same colour.
-
Dark IntentMireille Dansereau 2000 51 minA poetic meditation by a man and a woman whose teenage son has threatened to end his lifee. What drives someone to that terrible extreme? In an effort to understand and demystify the phenomenon of suicide, the two parents search for answers within themselves. Their personal reflection is intercut with dramatic sequences, archival footage, animation, interviews and first-person accounts that look at suicide from an emotional, rational, cultural, social or medical perspective. Mireille Dansereau has made a sobering film that nevertheless expresses an abiding faith in life. In French with English subtitles.
-
The End of SummerMichel Brault 1964 27 minFilmed at a summer cottage in the Laurentians north of Montreal, this film penetrates briefly the charmed world of the adolescent. Watching and listening, you sense the bittersweet mood of childhood's end, the poignant awareness that nothing will ever be the same after this summer at the lake. With English subtitles.
-
FlutterHowie Shia 2006 6 minIn this short animation, a young boy takes a flying leap away from normal, waves goodbye to his classmates, and disappears into the cityscape and beyond. At the same time, a young girl is inspired to reinvent her space with art.
-
Geneviève1965 28 minTwo teenage girls go to winter carnival in Quebec City for the first time. Their ambiguous, tentative relation with a young boy brings both of them the sweet intensity and disillusionment of first love.
This short is one of four film sketches that comprise the feature La Fleur de l'âge. A co-production initiated by the NFB, it also included Fiametta by Gian Vittorio Baldi (Italy, 1965), Marie-France et Véronique by Jean Rouch (France, 1965) and Ako by Hiroshi Teshigara (Japan, 1965). In French with English subtitles. -
GuidelinesJean-François Caissy 2014 1 h 15 minThis feature documentary explores the world of adolescence in rural teenagers' interactions with various authority figures. Outside the classroom, though, the teens enjoy more control of their world; in this playground, they can test the limits of their temporary freedom. A work of patient observation relying mostly on uninterrupted long takes,Guidelines emphasizes the contrast between adult and adolescent, between the regulated classroom and the great outdoors, gradually revealing the interior drama of adolescence with its shifts from fragility to reckless abandon.
-
The Hangman at HomeMichelle Kranot & Uri Kranot 2021 14 minThe animated film invites you into five interwoven stories featuring people caught in a pivotal moment: they are fragile, playful, terrified, contemplative, confused, curious. We watch their intimate deeds in a reflective state, and they gaze back, transforming us from spectators to witnesses. The film is not about hanging people, but about the awkward intimacy that comes with being human, and the connection between spectator, witness, and accomplice. The Hangman at Home reveals that we are all alike in these moments, while also raising questions of responsibility.
-
The Invention of the AdolescentPatricia Watson 1967 28 minThis short documentary studies the fate reserved to young people through the ages. Drawing from paintings, archival footage and various other documents, the film demonstrates that during the 16th and 17th century, young people lived happily alongside their elders. This equilibrium was broken in the 19th century, when the defense of the young and the protection afforded by reformers and educators created the generation gap evident in Western society today. Will dialogue between society’s young and less young ever resume
-
In Other WordsJan Padgett 2001 27 minThis short documentary explores homophobic language and its consequences among teenagers. Name-calling and cruel language hurt, say the teens who speak in this video. Homophobic language is a common verbal put-down among young people, but many adults feel uncomfortable responding. This video is a tool for teachers, counsellors and youth groups to explore the origins of the words, how young people feel about them and how to overcome the pain they cause.
-
Kid SentimentJacques Godbout 1968 1 h 27 minBlending fiction with documentary, this French feature by Jacques Godbout takes a critical look at Quebec youth in the 1960s. An exploration of first loves, the film focuses on the exploits of one teenager, Kid Sentiment, who shies away from tenderness because she's embarrassed. Featuring the music of two members of the band, The Sinners.
-
Love TapsAnnie O'Donoghue 1996 22 minHigh school students Mark and Terese are involved in a dangerous relationship. Mark is becoming more possessive and abusive. Terese thinks it's probably her fault but is convinced she can handle it... until Mark physically attacks her in front of a group of friends. Kelly cares deeply for her boyfriend Benson, but she is always making sarcastic remarks about his intelligence. When Benson reacts to her verbal abuse, Kelly says she's "just joking." A powerful drama about teens, relationship, and dating violence. Previewing before use is recommended.
-
A Monster's CallingLouise Johnson 2001 5 minA Monster's Calling is a humorous animated film about the nature of personal anxieties, and body image. An "under-the-bed" monster wanders through a slumbering household, wreaking typical monster havoc. First a little girl, then an older brother, and finally the teenaged big sister. It's surprising, to both the monster and to us, what frightens each of them. A film without words. Ce court métrage d'animation 2D raconte l'histoire d'un monstre qui rôde dans une maison, telle une ombre insaisissable venue troubler le sommeil d'un gamin et de ses deux sœurs. Avec une terrifiante habileté, il s'infiltre tour à tour dans leurs pensées pour réveiller leurs plus grandes peurs. Pour l'adolescente, la pire crainte serait de ne pas correspondre à l'idéal de beauté véhiculé par les médias.
D'où viennent ces monstres qui nourrissent leur sentiment d'insécurité? Pourquoi exercent-ils tant de pouvoir? Conçu pour de jeunes spectateurs, ce film d'animation plein d'humour favorisera les échanges sur l'origine des angoisses suscitées par l'image corporelle. Film sans paroles. -
Nobody Waved Good-byeDon Owen 1964 1 h 20 minThis award-winning feature-length drama from the 1960s tells the story of a teenage boy who rebels against his parents' middle-class goals and conventions.
-
NadinePatrick Péris 2017 4 minFrom out of nowhere, the most beautiful girl in the world sits at the table across from me at the library. Is this a stroke of good luck or bad? Her smile paralyzes me…
How will Sam win Nadine’s heart? Must he seek out his inner samurai to fight the monster of his anxiety? Real courage is conquering your fear. -
One of ThemElise Swerhone 2000 25 minThis short fictional film features high school seniors discovering and battling against homophobic discrimination and stereotypes. Jamie must face up to her own reactions as she realizes that her friend is gay and needs her support. Jamie's boyfriend must decide if he will support Jamie. One of Them focuses on homophobia and discrimination in a human rights context. The dramatization prompts viewers to examine their own responses and promote a safe school environment for all.
-
Social MeKatia Café-Fébrissy 2015 23 minThis short documentary examines the role of social media in the lives of teenagers. To the younger generation, social media is more than just a communication tool: it’s a way of life, a sphere in which to explore and create their own universes -- often at the expense of face-to-face interaction. As young Nya enters adulthood, she takes a critical look at how social media has impacted and continues to influence the shaping of her identity, experiences and values.
-
Sexy Inc. Our Children Under Influence (Youth Version)Sophie Bissonnette 2007 26 minAre children being pushed prematurely into adulthood? Sophie Bissonnette’s documentary Sexy inc. Our Children Under Influence – Youth Version analyzes the hypersexualization of our environment and its noxious effects on young people. Psychologists, teachers and school nurses criticize the unhealthy culture surrounding our children, where marketing and advertising are targeting younger and younger audiences and bombarding them with sexual and sexist images. These stereotypes treat girls of all ages as sexual objects, and exercise a damaging the effect on their identities. Because they see degrading images of sexuality on the Internet, some children confuse sexual relations with pornography. Sexy inc. suggests various ways of countering hypersexualization and the eroticization of childhood and invites us to rally against this worrying phenomenon.
-
Sexy Inc. Our Children Under InfluenceSophie Bissonnette 2007 35 minSophie Bissonnette's documentary analyzes the hypersexualization of our environment and its noxious effects on young people. Psychologists, teachers and school nurses criticize the unhealthy culture surrounding our children, where marketing and advertising are targeting younger and younger audiences and bombarding them with sexual and sexist images. Sexy Inc. suggests various ways of countering hypersexualization and the eroticization of childhood and invites us to rally against this worrying phenomenon.
-
Speak It! From the Heart of Black Nova ScotiaSylvia Hamilton 1992 28 minIn their predominantly white high school in Halifax, a group of black students face daily reminders of racism, ranging from abuse (racist graffiti on washroom walls), to exclusion (the omission of black history from textbooks). They work to establish a Cultural Awareness Youth Group, a vehicle for building pride and self-esteem through educational and cultural programs. With help from mentors, they discover the richness of their heritage and learn some of the ways they can begin to effect change.
-
Star Wars Kid: The Rise of the Digital ShadowsMathieu Fournier 2022 1 h 19 minIn this Mathieu Fournier documentary on the first viral phenomenon of the digital age, Ghyslain Raza (the “Star Wars Kid”) breaks his silence and reflects on his story for the first time. In doing so, he also explores our collective experience living in an online world in which we have to make peace with our digital shadows.
-
A Strange HatMélanie Léger 2007 13 minThis short fiction film takes place one afternoon in a public park. An urban fairytale unfolds in front of our eyes, featuring a girl selling lollipops, a writer, colourful passersby and a hat with extraordinary powers. The girl has difficulty making conversation, but this headgear lends her a completely new aura: now things turn weird and wonderful. In French with English subtitles.
-
WowClaude Jutra 1969 1 h 34 minPrompted by the filmmaker, nine teenagers individually act out their secret dreams and, between times, talk about their world as they see it. Babette conceives of herself as an abbess defending her fortress, a convent; Michelle is transported in a dream of love where all time ceases; Philippe is the revolutionary, defeating all the institutions that plague him, and so on, through all their fantasies. All the actual preoccupations of youth are raised: authority, drugs, social conflict, sex. With English subtitles.
-
XS Stress: Teens Take ControlPatricia Kearns 2004 28 minIn this short film, three youths draw on their own experiences to provide an essential guide to staying afloat while navigating the choppy waters of adolescence. It's a time when youth undergo big changes and assume new responsibilities, juggling school, family and friends. Throw in work, dating, exams, racist remarks and extracurricular activities, and it's no wonder teens get knocked off balance. Spoken word performer Kyra Shaughnessy and a diverse chorus of young voices provide running commentary, making XS Stress an insightful report from the teens of today.
-
You're No GoodGeorge Kaczender 1965 28 minThis short fiction tells the story of Eddie, a young man who "borrows" a motorbike parked in front of a store and takes his girl for a spin—a brash decision with disastrous and alienating consequences. The film, a commentary on a society that often offers youth little purpose or sense of accomplishment, is a play-by-play exploration of the clash between young people's impulsiveness and society's need for law and order.
