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Subjects (65)
Cultural Diversity and Multiculturalism (46)

Immigration in Western Canada (7)

  • The Hutterites
    The Hutterites
    Colin Low 1964 27 min
    The followers of religious leader Jacob Hutter live in farm communities, devoutly holding to the rules their founder laid down four centuries ago. Through the kindness of a Hutterite colony in Alberta, this film, in black and white, was made inside the community and shows all aspects of the Hutterites' daily life.
  • Iceland on the Prairies
    Iceland on the Prairies
    Radford Crawley 1941 21 min
    This film tells the inspiring story of the rise of the Icelandic communities in western Canada and their fine contribution to the Canadian heritage. Like many people who have emigrated to Canada and become true Canadians, the prairie Icelanders have retained many of the customs and traditions of their ancestral land. Their food, for instance, is prepared in Icelandic fashion; and although their children go to Canadian schools, they also learn the sagas and legends of their forefathers.
  • Jenny Belzberg: Home is Where the Art Is
    Jenny Belzberg: Home is Where the Art Is
    Will Prosper 2024 4 min
    “Being part of communities is how you understand them.” Taking audiences into the renowned Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, and featuring live music and imagery from some of Canada’s most exciting creative talents, Home Is Where the Art Ispays homage to Calgary’s Jenny Belzberg and her unwavering dedication to the power of community and creativity in people’s lives.
  • Kurelek
    Kurelek
    William Pettigrew 1967 10 min
    A documentary about the self-taught painter William Kurelek, told through his paintings. There are scenes of village life in the Ukraine and the early days of struggle on a prairie homestead and the growing comfort of family life. In Ontario, Kurelek paints the present life of Canada with the same pleasure he painted the old.
  • Someone Like Me
    Someone Like Me
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    Sean Horlor  &  Steve J. Adams 2021 1 h 19 min
    TRIGGER WARNING: This film contains scenes depicting homophobia and violence, which may be disturbing to some viewers.

    Someone Like Me follows the parallel journeys of Drake, a gay asylum seeker from Uganda, and a group of strangers from Vancouver’s queer community who are tasked with supporting his resettlement in Canada. Together, they embark on a year-long quest for personal freedom, revealing how in a world where one must constantly fight for the right to exist, survival itself becomes a victory.
  • Teach Me to Dance
    Teach Me to Dance
    Anne Wheeler 1978 28 min
    In this drama, Lesia convinces her English-Canadian friend Sarah to perform a Ukrainian dance with her as part of their school's Christmas pageant. Sarah's father, angry at the growing number of Ukrainian settlers, won't allow his daughter to participate. Despite the prejudices of their parents, the girls' friendship remains strong, and they meet in Sarah's barn to celebrate Christmas Day together. Part of the Adventures in History series.
  • Ukrainian Winter Holidays
    Ukrainian Winter Holidays
    Laura Boulton 1942 22 min
    This short documentary offers a glimpse into the Ukrainian communities of the Canadian prairies during the 1940s, specifically their rituals surrounding Christmas. Still following the Julian calendar, they celebrate Christmas on the seventh of January. On Christmas Eve, they eat traditional foods as soon as the first star appears in the sky. They sing carols and dance in costume. And the next day, they gather in Greek Orthodox churches to worship in a solemn service.

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