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Great Depression (7)
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Atlantic CrossroadsTom Daly 1945 10 minThis short documentary focuses on Newfoundland's role in WWII. Due to its geographical position, Newfoundland became a central point of activity during the war, housing military air bases and becoming the link between the Allied forces and Europe. In stark contrast with the Depression in the 1930s, this film highlights Newfoundland's opportunities for economic growth during, and after, the war. Part of the Canada Carries On series. -
CourageGeoff Bowie 2011 52 minIn Toronto, Izabel, Bebeth, Natasha, Benoît, Grace and Jean, members of Ontario’s “working poor” directly affected by the economic crisis, agree to take part in group sessions organized by filmmaker Geoff Bowie. They talk about having to work multiple jobs to get by, describe the stress generated by financial vulnerability, and courageously explain their strategies for getting out of their difficult situation. Touching, insightful and full of hope, Courage is a participatory social-issues film that emphasizes the importance of mutual aid and succeeds admirably in condemning the taboo of poverty.
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Canada Between Two World Wars1963 21 minA vivid review of life in Canada between the end of WW I and the beginning of WW II. Students of Canadian history will gain a new awareness of the people and events that made these 20 years such an important part of the growth of the country. Here were years of prosperity followed by the years of the Great Depression, as Canada went through a severe maturing process.
While political, economic and social changes are emphasized, they are viewed against the total life of the Canadian people. For those who lived during this era, the film is full of nostalgia and reminiscence; for younger Canadians, however, it offers an eye-opening glimpse of Canada's past. (Abridged version of Between Two Wars series.) -
The DispossessedMathieu Roy 2017 3 h 2 minThe Dispossessed examines the global food crisis from the viewpoint of farmers in various countries, exploring how their situation relates to the economic crisis, rural exodus, and dwindling natural resources.
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The End of CertaintiesJean-Daniel Lafond 2020 45 minMore than a decade after the worldwide financial crisis of 2007–08, what does globalization mean today? Filmmaker-philosopher Jean-Daniel Lafond takes us behind the scenes of the International Economic Forum of the Americas, a massive annual gathering at which economists, financiers and politicians hold forth on the key issues of the day. Featuring first-hand testimonials by nearly two dozen influential men and women, The End of Certainties unfolds as a multi-voice meditation on the state of the world. This observational documentary offers a cogent assessment of globalization—and its ideals, disillusionment, fears and hopes—and the quest for a new humanism, characterized by greater inclusiveness and fairness.
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Gopher BrokePeter Thurling 1979 24 minThe Depression era. A small town in Saskatchewan, Dominion Day, 1935. A Royal Canadian Mounted Police sergeant runs up against a group of desperate people who plan to join the Trekkers on their march to Ottawa in protest against the daily wage of twenty cents a day paid by the government to the unemployed in federal labour camps. Kid, the hero, has wrangled a truck and is planning to transport people and food to the Regina meeting place. Because of its illegal nature, their mission is thwarted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. But only briefly. Humour, suspense and music enliven this short historical drama.
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Sunshine and Eclipse (1927-1934)1960 28 minThis short documentary is an overview of the events that marked Canada between 1927 and 1934. It shows a confident and prosperous Canada expanding in all directions until the stock market crash of 1929. Despite it all, Canada maintains an optimistic outlook. The period is witness to bargains by mail order, extremes in women's fashions, political seesawing, hockey broadcasts by a very youthful Foster Hewitt, and the word "quintuplets" in every headline.
