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Education and School Life (26)
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1, 2, 3, CocoPierre M. Trudeau 1991 3 minAn animated film for five- to eight-year-olds on children's right to receive an education. A teacher gives extra, individualized help to a student who is having difficulty with arithmetic and helps her find fun in numbers. -
... And MusicMichel Lam 2008 1 h 14 minA documentary that follows a year in the life of the children at Sacré-Coeur primary school, in Sherbrooke, Quebec, as they learn to play music. Filmmaker Michel Lam returns to the school where as a child, he learned piano and cello, to connect with the students and see how learning about music develops their curiosity, sense of autonomy and emotional intelligence. This gentle and powerful film explores the impact of arts teaching in children's eduction.
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3. Intergenerational ConflictsJean-Martin Gagnon & Nicolas Wadimoff 2023 26 minDifferent generations come together to discuss major issues, revealing wildly divergent points of view. How can we live together while respecting each other’s differences?
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4. Collective ResponsibilitiesJean-Martin Gagnon 2023 28 minThe 2017 Quebec mosque attack renews the debate over radicalization. In this tension-filled period, the Maisonneuve community finds itself grappling with questions of personal and social responsibility.
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1. Collateral DamageJean-Martin Gagnon 2023 27 minCollège de Maisonneuve is shaken by a shocking turn of events. Both students and faculty are deeply affected and try to make sense of this disturbing development.
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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.
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Beating the StreetsLorna Thomas 1998 48 minBeating the Streets traces six years in the lives of Marilyn Brighteyes and Lance Marty, two inner-city Aboriginal teenagers struggling to turn their lives around. And it is the story of Joe Cloutier, the teacher -- and former dropout -- determined to help them.
In Beating the Streets, Marilyn and Lance candidly discuss the abuse and violence that drove them into prostitution and drug dealing. The video also introduces Joe's innovative approach, combining alternative education and popular theatre as a way to get young people off the streets.
The film begins in 1986, when Joe creates the Inner City Drama Association (ICDA) for teens like Marilyn and Lance. They participate in theatre workshops led by actors like Tantoo Cardinal Dances with Wolves and their plays explore important issues like substance abuse, family violence, suicide and racism. Performances lead to discussions with the audience in an effort to seek healthy solutions.
Then, in 1993, Lance encourages Joe to take on the immense challenge of opening an alternative school -- Inner City High -- for teens at risk. And we witness a remarkable transformation in Lance and Marilyn as they become leaders at the school. -
YehudaBeverly Shaffer 1994 26 minThis short documentary introduces us to 10-year-old Yehuda, a radiant example of the Hasidic belief in the joy of prayer. Living with his parents and 10 brothers and sisters in West Jerusalem, Yehuda brings old customs and traditions to life as he prepares to celebrate the Sukkot festival.
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A Crack in the Pavement: Growing DreamsJane Churchill & Gwynne Basen 2000 19 minThis short documentary shows initiatives kids take to transform bare pavement into dream schoolyards. Some grow trees for shade, and vegetables for a food bank. Others build a greenhouse or a rooftop garden, while others yet construct a courtyard pond as an outdoor classroom and refuge for wildlife.
A Crack in the Pavement is a two-part video set that shows children, teachers and parents how they can work together to 'green' their school grounds and make positive changes in their communities. -
The Child of the Future: How Might He LearnTheodore Conant 1964 58 minEducation is increasingly affected by technological advance. How the changes affect the child are shown in this far-ranging study of what is new in educational theory and practice. Appearing in the film are several leading educators and innovators, including Dr. Jerome Bruner of Harvard University and host-narrator Dr. Marshall McLuhan.
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A Crack in the Pavement: Digging InJane Churchill & Gwynne Basen 2000 18 minThis short documentary follows students from Toronto's Jesse Ketchum School as they take steps towards the greening of their schoolyard. Along the way they get how-to advice and inspiration from kids across the country; from Pauline Public School, where students raised $10,000, to Broadacres School, where a family of wild ducks found a home in their pond.
A Crack in the Pavement is a two-part video set that shows children, teachers and parents how they can work together to 'green' their school grounds and make positive changes in their communities -
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.
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Door to DoorZabelle Côté 1992 4 minAn animated film for five-to eight-year-olds that presents the familiar situation of big kids bullying little ones in the schoolyard. This time, however, the little kids refuse to accept it and their constructive efforts in their own defence prove that might does not necessarily mean right. Film without words.
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Dans la vie...Pierre Veilleux 1972 5 minHere the film animator gives vivid expression to his own memories of a child's first encounter with elementary school--at that tender age when grown-ups seem ten feet tall, a monster lurks in every corridor, and the very walls have eyes. Feeling, but not understanding, the regimentation imposed on him, the child seeks, in spite of it all, to be himself. A film without words; titles in French.
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Eye Witness No. 291950 9 minThis installment of the Eye Witness series focuses on Indigenous children at Fort Simpson; a miniature naval battle between radio-operated vessels attended by the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets in Montreal; a drive-in theatre near Ottawa used to provide church services to passing motorists; and how Toronto's subway system is starting to take shape.
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Growing Up Canadian: SchoolSheila Petzold 2003 46 minGrowing up has become marked in school years but at the beginning of the 20th century most children attended primary school only. This bygone era is wonderfully evoked by still photos and archival film showing what children studied and where, from the one-room schoolhouse to a railway car.
School in the 1940s and '50s is brought to life through interviews with adults who remember the first day at kindergarten, feared and loved teachers and encounters with the strap. The '60s and '70s brought television into the classroom and the concept of the open school, which changed the actual building.
School is one of a 6-part series entitled Growing Up Canadian. These documentaries explore the myths and realities of Canadian childhood through family life, schooling, work, play, health and the media. The series marks the contribution of childhood and youth experience in defining Canada as it grew into full nationhood in the 20th century. -
The Hungry SquidJohn Weldon 2002 14 minIn this animated short, Oscar® winner John Weldon spins a tall tale about young Dorothy and her myriad troubles: absentee parents, bad hair and a menagerie that devours her homework. But when her pet squid rampages through town and people finally realize that the homework-eating creatures aren't a figment of her imagination, Dorothy realizes that it's time to get the situation under control.
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KindergartenGuy L. Coté 1962 21 minThis short documentary focuses on one day in a kindergarten classroom. We watch the teacher encouraging children to turn their curiosity into questions and organizing group activities and play periods. Filmed at Van Horne Public School in Montreal.
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A Mind of Your OwnGail Sweeney 1999 37 minIt is estimated that in every Canadian classroom, there are two or three kids affected by a learning disability. Although they are generally of average or higher intelligence, these kids struggle every day to keep up with the class and to be accepted. Meet Henry, Stephanie, Matthew and Max, four incredible kids who won't let their learning differences hold them down. As they confront their disabilities and revel in unique talents like singing and chess, it becomes clear that "different" can also mean wonderful. This warm and inspirational video will encourage and boost the self-esteem of kids struggling with learning disabilities, and foster understanding in their peers.
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Nightmare at SchoolCatherine Arcand 2007 8 minWho hasn't felt apprehensive at the thought of starting high school? Playing on imagination and humour, this short film offers viewers a thought-provoking piece dealing with the transition that young people between the ages of 10 and 13 experience. Inspired by the work of Escher and Magritte, Catherine Arcand has created a graphically rich film through optical illusions and trompe-l'oeil effects. Her style aptly illustrates the theme of perceptions and is perfectly suited to conveying the dream world into which the film takes us. A film without words.
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A Trumpet for the ComboMorten Parker 1965 8 minIn a city high school, a jazz combo needs a trumpet player. Randy is the natural choice since he is the most talented, but the music teacher favours Bruce, a black student. What should come first? The band? The opportunity it affords to Bruce? The teacher's pleasure? These are questions for the audience to decide.
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Tomorrow's CitizensGordon Weisenborn 1947 11 minThis film examines contemporary educational methods and policies in the light of an age that has released new natural energies, to be used for or against mankind. It reiterates the question sociologists ask: is the development of social responsibility in today's children keeping pace with their technical knowledge?
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Two Films by LipsettDonald Rennick 1968 28 minIn this short documentary, teenagers discuss experimental Arthur Lipsett films they have just watched. What do these films mean? What feelings or thoughts do they evoke? What do they suggest about the evolution of mankind and the future of life on Earth? The 2 Arthur Lipsett films being discussed, Free Fall and A Trip Down Memory Lane, are also included.
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The World at 10Aeyliya Husain 2004 40 minFilmed over a school year, this cinéma vérité documentary shows the changing face of our culturally diverse, inner-city classrooms. It tracks the progress of two 10-year-olds, Mahfuzur and Neola, as they learn about fairness, the consequences of their actions and the realities of life in Canada. Their teacher Ken Scott, having been raised in a single-parent, low-income family himself, has a deep understanding of his students' lives.
The World at 10 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. -
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.
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Your Country, My CountryMarquise Lepage 1993 6 minEnglish version of a film about a friendship between two ten-year-old Montréal schoolkids. She is black and serious, he is white and rather nonchalant, and they look at life in different ways!
