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Sports, Leisure and Play (32)
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Asthma TechJonathan Ng 2006 7 minIn this animated short, young Winston, who suffers from chronic asthma, isn’t able to participate in the everyday activities of his peers and classmates. He copes with the predicament through his vivid imagination, with paper and crayons. On one particularly rainy afternoon, Winston discovers that the magic of imagination has the power to transform and empower, and his skills and talents save the day.
Part of the Talespinners collection, which uses vibrant animation to bring popular children’s stories from a wide range of cultural communities to the screen. -
All About Kids1964 8 minThis vintage short doc from the sixties brings together three quaint vignettes about Canadian childhood. In Quebec Aquarium, school children see marine life at close range, while Children's Play Therapy focuses on the importance of games and handicrafts for young patients recovering at Winnipeg’s Children’s Hospital. Finally, Soccer School takes us to British Columbia, where British coach Trevor Churchill is helping to spark interest in the increasingly popular sport.
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The Big SwingPaula Gillgannon 2011 1 minThe macabre tale of a child trying to overcome her fear of the swing.
Produced as part of the 7th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship. -
BenoîtBeverly Shaffer 1978 20 minAcademy Award®-winning director Beverly Shaffer presents Benoit, a highly accomplished 11-year-old boy from Joliette. A member of the Orchestre symphonique des jeunes de Joliette, he still finds time for his busy social life with peers and elders alike. Part of the Children of Canada series, the film is in French with English subtitles.
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Boys, Toys and the Big Blue MarbleMarquise Lepage 2007 52 minBoys living in poverty across the world tell us of their lives, amusements and sometimes their hopes. Boys, Toys and the Big Blue Marble appraises childhoods destroyed by slavery, criminality, war, sexual exploitation and human stupidity.
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The Challenge in Old CrowGeorges Payrastre 2006 54 minThis documentary focuses on the Yukon's Far North, where 280 Aboriginal people live in the village of Old Crow. Deep in this wilderness, the health of the children is a source of concern—the rise in obesity, diabetes and delinquency rates underscores the extent to which health and social problems are linked. With compassion and insight, this film shows how a handful of parents took control of a situation to ensure a future for their children.
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Distant IslandsBettina Maylone 1981 6 minThis short animation uses appliqué and embroidered tapestries to recall a young girl's happy summers spent sailing with her family off the coast of British Columbia. Each tapestry, meticulously stitched by hand with brightly coloured yarns, evokes the memory of leisurely days at sea, drifting among the islands.
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The Devil's ToyClaude Jutra 1969 15 minThis short 1969 documentary dedicated "to all victims of intolerance” depicts the dawn of skateboarding in Montreal. A new activity frowned upon by police and adults, skateboarding gave youngsters a thrilling sensation of speed and freedom. This film - the first Canadian documentary ever made about the sport - captures the exuberance of boys and girls having the time of their lives in free-wheeling downhill locomotion.
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Gaston's RecitalAndré Melançon 1981 21 minThis short fiction film about a young boy torn between conflicting loyalties is resolved with humour and wisdom. Sunday, 2 o'clock, is zero hour for Gaston. He must be in two places at once: performing at a music recital and playing hockey with his teammates. What is Gaston to do?
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Universe Within - SeoulKaterina Cizek 2015 3 min"Incredible Miracle" is a team of teenage boys who are world champion e-sports (competitive video gaming) players. They live, work and train on video games together in a highrise compound in central Seoul, often not leaving the premises for days on end.
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He Acts His AgeJudith Crawley 1949 14 minHow a child's emotional development normally keeps pace with his physical growth; the behaviour he exhibits at certain ages. This introductory film ten from one to fifteen years of age and shows the characteristics of each group.
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Hot IceIrving Jacoby 1940 19 minThis short documentary offers a close-up view of a hectic hockey game in which the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New York Rangers fight to break a tied score. From the flash of blades, the spurting ice, and the echoing roar of avid fans, the film occasionally turns back to neighbourhood games where youngsters learn skating and stickhandling, the fundamentals of professional skill. Stars, such as Smyths, Davidson, Apps and others, are seen in action.
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Ice BreakersSandamini Rankaduwa 2019 15 minJosh Crooks is a promising teen hockey star in a sport where Black players like him are chronically underrepresented. Ice Breakers reveals the buried history of a pioneering Black hockey league in Atlantic Canada, as Crooks discovers that his unshakable passion is tied to a rich and remarkable heritage.
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JuniorIsabelle Lavigne & Stéphane Thibault 2008 1 h 36 minThis full-length documentary offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at our national sport, hockey. Taking in an entire season of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar, this film reveals the daily lives of players and managers on this Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team.
Admired and treated like professionals, junior hockey players are teenagers absorbed by their future. Trainers, shareholders, agents, scouts and parents: all eyes are fixed on these elite young players, even though only a tiny number of them will succeed in playing at the highest level. -
Ludovic - A Crocodile in My GardenCo Hoedeman 2000 9 minThis is the second film in the collection Seasons in the Life of Ludovic. Here the bear cub is playing. Magical thinking governs Ludovic's world as he reigns over his menagerie of paper animals and their jungle home. In his improvised Africa, Ludovic goes from one surprise to another until the animals help themselves to the surprise brought by his mother. When they refuse to obey him, Ludovic doesn't want to play anymore. He bangs the door and pouts. But children's fights don't last. Reconciliation is not far off, especially when there is a snack to be shared by everyone. (See also Ludovic - The Snow Gift.)
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Memory of SummerStanley Jackson 1958 30 minAn attempt to recapture the magic of childhood as the cameras follow children at play.
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The MidwayKathleen Weldon 2014 1 minChildren wait their turn for a once-in-a-lifetime roller coaster ride. A loving and poignant meditation on childhood and the passage of time.
Produced as part of the 10th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship. -
OverdoseClaude Cloutier 1994 5 minIn this short animation, we meet a young boy leads such a regimented life that he has no more time just to be a kid. Between school, tennis lessons, swimming lessons, art classes, homework and piano practice, he can barely get any rest. Inspired by Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, this short animated film by Claude Cloutier pleads for children’s right to rest and leisure.
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The Reluctant DeckhandJan Padgett 1995 33 minTess is ten years old--old enough to join her mother, Sue, for a summer's fishing in the northern waters off Vancouver Island on their boat the Henry Bay. However Tess is reluctant to go: she fears the stormy waters and would rather stay at home for the summer with her best friend, Candice. Tess does go, and with her goes Maa-mou the cat, a parting gift from Candice, as her lively companion. Together they rise to the challenges of life on a fishing boat, and thrill in the summer's unexpected pleasures.
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Spirit of the GameAnnie Fraziér Henry 2003 47 minIn this short documentary, award-winning filmmaker Annie Frazier Henry follows an elite handful of Indigenous athletes from British Columbia for two years as they make their way to the 2002 North American Indigenous Games in Winnipeg. Over 6,000 young sportsmen and women from across Canada and the US compete in the games, and this film serves as a tribute to their hard work, dedication, and achievements.
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Summer Is For KidsStanley Jackson 1949 11 minThis short film presents a delightful portrait of a young boy's sojourn at summer camp. In idyllic mid-century fashion, two weeks at a Muskoka summer camp are presented as a welcome respite from the congestion of an urban area. From the preliminary scramble for the upper bunk in the cabin to exploring in the woods, cooking food over a fire, and—most exciting of all—passing the beginner's swimming test, Roger's camp adventures are full of joy, camaraderie, and learning.
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The SweaterSheldon Cohen 1980 10 minIn this animated short, Roch Carrier recounts the most mortifying moment of his childhood. At a time when all his friends worshipped Maurice "Rocket" Richard and wore his number 9 Canadiens hockey jersey, the boy was mistakenly sent a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey from Eaton's. Unable to convince his mother to send it back, he must face his friends wearing the colours of the opposing team. This short film, based on the book The Hockey Sweater, is an NFB classic that appeals to hockey lovers of all ages.
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Sea DreamEllen Besen 1979 5 minChildren, like adults, have days that go wrong. This film shows how one little girl overcomes the day's frustrations by diving into an underwater fantasy where she spends time with her friend, the lady octopus. After playing many wonderful games together, the little girl re-enters the world of reality feeling fine and refreshed.
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Sports and Seasons1946 9 minScenes of Canadian children at play throughout the year show how they suit their sports to this country's changing seasons.
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The Sound CollectorLynn Smith 1982 11 minThis animated short features Leonard, a 6-year-old boy with the unusual hobby of collecting sounds. Transforming household noises around him into exciting fantasies, he creates an adventure story for his older brother in which knights chase away monsters and perform other daring deeds.
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ToysGrant Munro 1966 7 minThis stop-motion animation takes a dark look into the war toys often given to children at Christmas time. Starting off as harmless objects, the toys quickly take on the gestures of real soldiers, mimicking the actions and penalties of a real war. This critical commentary on war and glamorized violence creates a real and frightening battle.
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The TournamentSam Vint 2020 22 minOver the course of a weekend tournament, youth sledge hockey teams from the U.S. and Canada battle for supremacy. Designed for players who have a physical challenge, the fundaments of the sport — passing, shooting, trash talking your opponents – remain the same. Director Sam Vint captures the end-to-end action as the Manitoba Sledgehammers do it all.
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Thousand Islands SummerRoger Blais 1960 13 minThis is a light-hearted film about a summer camp for young girls and their energetic enthusiasm for outdoor life--swimming, hiking, campfire gatherings. Photographed at Camp Mohawk in the beautiful Thousand Islands holiday area of the St. Lawrence River, this colour film provides a good example of the organization, care and preparation that make a summer camp a happy, healthy experience.
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Tuktu and the Trials of StrengthLaurence Hyde 1967 14 minIn this short docu-fiction film, strong and hardy Inuit hunters demonstrate and test their strength in boxing, tug-of-war, and other strenuous activities. We see and hear the drum dance, a demonstration of Inuit poetry and rhythm.
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True North: Inside the Rise of Toronto Basketball (Feature)Ryan Sidhoo 2019 1 h 29 minOn the heels of the Toronto Raptors’ historic NBA Championship and the record-setting number of Canadian draft picks, the Toronto hoop dream is more alive than ever. In this feature-length doc, director Ryan Sidhoo shines the spotlight on 12-year-old Elijah Fisher, 15-year-old Keone Davis and 18-year-old Cordell Veira as they navigate today’s youth basketball machine in pursuit of their own NBA dreams.
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When Hockey Came to BelfastLinda Conway 2004 50 minThis documentary tells the moving story of Northern Irish teenage hockey players Andrew and Paul, best friends in a city divided by religion. In Belfast, hockey is bringing Northern Irish youth together in a shared love of the game, providing a respite from the Protestant-Catholic turf warfare that pervades their lives. Set against the backdrop of a post-conflict society, the film provides an intimate glimpse into the realities of life in Belfast—the 12-metre-high walls that divide Catholic and Protestant, the precautions Andrew and Paul must take to be friends, and the safety they find on the rink at Dundonald.
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Winter in CanadaGuy L. Coté 1953 18 minThis film shows the influence of winter on the lives of Canadian people generally and, in particular, on the varied activities and experiences of two boys residing in widely separated localities, one in a Québec Laurentian town and the other on a ranch in the Alberta foothills.
