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Sexuality (25)
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Apples and OrangesLynne Fernie 2003 17 minThis short documentary with interspersed animated vignettes is designed to raise children's awareness of the harmful effects of homophobia and gender-related bullying. In the course of a lively in-class discussion, children's paintings magically dissolve into two short animated stories. In Anta's Revenge, Anta finds out that creativity, not revenge, is the best way to deal with a school bully. Defying Gravity tells the story of two skateboarders whose friendship is tested when one of them finds out the other is gay. The animated stories in this video will help elementary school students explore name calling and bullying. The video can assist children aged 8-12 in learning about families, differences and respect. -
Baby BluesAnnie O'Donoghue 1990 24 minThis dramatic short is intended to be a conversation starter on the topic of sex, responsibility and contraception. When young, popular Kristen suspects that she's pregnant, she and her boyfriend Jason are forced to answer some difficult questions: Will they keep the baby? What are their thoughts on abortion? Adoption? How will their actions affect their futures? Baby Blues reflects the teenage point of view without moralizing or sugar-coating the issue and dramatizes the consequences of ignoring birth control in a way that breaks through the "it can't happen to me" barrier. Appropriate for classroom use.
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Beauty Begins Inside - The "P" SyndromeSheila Murphy 1995 17 minIsabel is determined to go on a diet. Bruce and Melanie can't understand their attraction for each other. Jake spends hours in front of the mirror trying to achieve the right look, while Patrick is so grown up he is already a businessman. Enter Detective Stark, and the hunt for the Painfully Pugnacious Prickley Problem--puberty--is on. With help from his assistant Levert and intrepid biologist Fritz, he tracks down the syndrome. A hilarious send-up of detective movies, science-information shows and almost every other genre you can think of, the film cajoles, informs and inspires. A film for any teen who ever grew an inch.
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BeautyChristina Willings 2018 23 minBeauty explores the lives of five gender-creative kids, each uniquely engaged in shaping their own sense of what it means to be fully human. Whether it’s dealing with bullies, explaining themselves to their parents, or navigating the uncharted waters of relationships, Bex, Lili, Fox, Tru and Milo talk about their experiences and struggle to live in authenticity.
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ChangesMoira Simpson 1989 18 minThis film explores the physical and emotional changes associated with puberty. Imaginative, animated sequences illustrate the amazing physical changes the body undergoes. Myths are dispelled and youngsters are encouraged to feel pride in themselves and their emerging sexuality.
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Feeling Yes, Feeling NoMoira Simpson 1984 43 minFeeling Yes, Feeling No is a sexual-assault prevention program for young children. The purpose is to give children the skills to protect themselves from sexual assault--from strangers, from family members, from other trusted persons. Part 1 teaches children basic skills that build self-worth, self-confidence and good judgment. Part 2 reinforces the understanding of 'Yes' feelings and 'No' feelings and introduces skills to keep children assess potentially dangerous situations involving strangers. Part 3 introduces the issue of sexual assault by a trusted adult.
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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. -
The GameGeorge Kaczender 1966 27 minThis perceptive short fiction film by George Kaczender (You’re No Good) offers an affecting look at teenage dating. It’s the typical boy-meets-girl game, but played without rules and at a time when the boy must prove himself. Touching on the subject of teenage sexuality, the film shows that the game often starts with a challenge to the boy’s masculine ego from his peers.
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The HatMichèle Cournoyer 1999 6 minA young woman works as an exotic dancer in a bar. She recalls an incident from her childhood in which she was physically abused by a male visitor. This inner journey brings back painful memories, including the obsessive image of a hat. Black-ink drawings, spare and rapidly executed, flow together in a succession of troubling and striking metamorphoses. The Hat is a tough, visceral experience. With naked honesty, animator Michèle Cournoyer invites the audience to share in the pain of a woman whose body is on display and whose soul is forever soiled. A film without words.
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Head Full of QuestionsMoira Simpson 1989 19 minThe first film in the Growing Up series tells curious pre-adolescents the facts they want to know, with an appealing mix of humour and imagination. Topics discussed include sexual attraction and sexual intercourse, fertilization, the growth of an embryo and birth of a baby, as well as a brief look at AIDS and at birth control. Detailed information about relationships is presented through the loving connection between two animated characters, Fred and Anna. The two hosts engage the students in discussion, encouraging them to ask questions and share their thoughts and feelings.
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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.
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A Kind of FamilyAndrew Koster 1992 53 minThis feature documentary tells the complex and touching story of Winnipeg city councilor Glen Murray and his 17-year-old adopted son Mike, whose struggles with addiction and behavioural problems cyclically repeat. Glen, now an Ontario Member of Provincial Parliament, was one of the first openly gay elected politicians in Canada. He adopted Mike during an era when homophobic stereotypes often prevented gay men and women from adopting children. Glen and Mike's relationship is always tenuous and always turbulent as they struggle to define themselves together and alone.
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Little Big GirlsHélène Choquette 2014 52 minIn this feature documentary, director Hélène Choquette sheds light on the phenomenon of early-onset puberty in girls. Today, it isn't unusual to see the earliest signs of puberty in girls younger than the age of 9, though this was not the case a few decades ago. A number of causes are suspected: could obesity and exposure to environmental contaminants, for instance, be to blame? The physical, psychological and psychosocial repercussions on young girls results in a disconnect between their physical and emotional maturity. Far from being a marginal issue, early-onset puberty is fast becoming a worldwide public health concern. Little Big Girls alerts us to the need to adapt, as a society, so as to minimize the impact of this phenomenon on our children.
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ManivaldChintis Lundgren 2017 12 minManivald, a fox, is turning 33. Overeducated, unemployed and generally uninspired, he lives with his overbearing, retired mother and spends his days learning piano while she makes his coffee and washes his socks. It is an easy life, but not a good one. Their unhealthy co-dependence is about to collapse when the washing machine breaks down and Toomas, a sexy and adventurous wolf repairman, arrives to fix it, and them.
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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.
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Puberty - Part 2Alanis Obomsawin 1975 17 minElder Marie Leo recounts her experiences going through puberty. Growing up on the Líl̓wat Nation near Mount Currie, B.C., Marie details the important process of preparing for womanhood. The various tasks and duties she undertakes demonstrate a complex, beautiful journey a young Líl̓wat person undergoes as they welcome adulthood and increased responsibilities.
This short is part of the L’il’wata series. In the early 1970s, at the outset of her documentary career, Alanis Obomsawin visited the Líl̓wat Nation, an Interior Salish First Nation in British Columbia, and created a series of shorts that provide personal narratives about Líl̓wat culture, histories and knowledge. -
Puberty Part 2 - Kwaozán'tsut ti án'wasa 2 (Salish Version)Alanis Obomsawin 1975 17 minElder Marie Leo recounts her experiences going through puberty. Growing up on the Líl̓wat Nation near Mount Currie, B.C., Marie details the important process of preparing for womanhood. The various tasks and duties she undertakes demonstrate a complex, beautiful journey a young Líl̓wat person undergoes as they welcome adulthood and increased responsibilities.
This short is part of the L’il’wata series. In the early 1970s, at the outset of her documentary career, Alanis Obomsawin visited the Líl̓wat Nation, an Interior Salish First Nation in British Columbia, and created a series of shorts that provide personal narratives about Líl̓wat culture, histories and knowledge. -
PhoebeGeorge Kaczender 1964 27 minA film story exploring the state of mind of a teenage girl when she learns she is pregnant. The film slips in and out of the present, past and future in a way that communicates her feelings in an almost subjective way. Her need to tell her parents, her boyfriend, her school principal, and to find some help in her predicament is the heart of the film.
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Street KidsPeg Campbell 1985 21 minIn this short documentary, a succession of black and white photographs provides a gritty look at juvenile prostitution and at the young people, male and female, struggling to get off the streets. Highlighting the links between being sexually abused as a child, loss of self-esteem, and turning to the streets, the film quickly dispels the images of glamor and big money usually associated with prostitution, and shows the positive efforts of child-care workers to help juvenile prostitutes find a way out.
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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.
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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.
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Sweet ChildhoodZviane 2017 3 minIn this animated short, cartoonist Zviane comes across an old audiocassette while packing up before a move. Just the sight of the tape plunges her back into her childhood fantasies and her perceptions of the world. But the reality of what's on the tape results in a hilarious episode that questions just how "sweet" childhood really is. This film is part of the Comic Strip Chronicles, a collection of shorts celebrating the strong affinity between comic strips and animated film. Inspired by moments of everyday life, these films showcase the playful imaginations of renowned artists Guy Delisle, Zviane, Aude Picault, Lewis Trondheim, and Jean Matthieu Tanguy. Produced by the NFB, Canal+, and Sacrebleu.
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Sweet JesusLori Malépart-Traversy 2022 3 minThis film discusses topics of sex and masturbation; viewer discretion is advised. What happens when masturbation has its “come to Jesus” moment? This animated short takes a light and humorous approach to examining religion’s moral taboos around the female body and desires. A story full of kindness and questioning, in which good and evil intermingle with prayer and caresses.
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Turquoise FishLori Malépart-Traversy 2022 3 minThis film discusses topics of sex and masturbation; viewer discretion is advised. A young woman recalls a kooky ritual involving masturbation that she’d invented as a child. A candid and introspective short film about forgetting the outside world and abandoning oneself to pleasure (and fish).
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Where Did You Sleep Last Night?Cliff Skelton 2001 22 minThe sexual exploitation and recruitment of teens into the sex trade is a reality in our suburbs today. This graphic drama is a tool for teachers, counsellors and youth groups wanting to explore and address this issue.
Jodie is a teenager bored with life, her family, her school and even her friends... until she meets Silas. With a new car, pockets full of cash and all the right lines, he's everything Jodie ever dreamed off. But Silas is no ordinary boyfriend. He's a pimp.
Where Did You Sleep Last Night? illustrates how sex trade recruiters lure teens away from friends and family, gain their trust, then force them into an often violent life on the streets - sometimes in only 24 devastating hours. Viewer discretion is advised. Previewing recommended.
