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Forests (17)
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Another Side of the ForestRaoul Fox & Strowan Robertson 1974 20 minThis documentary looks at developments in the Canadian forestry industry from the 1970s. Turning a Newfoundland bog into woodland, fostering British Columbia seedlings that withstand mechanical planting, inoculating Ontario elms against the bark beetle, devising ways of controlling fire... these are some of the experiments shown being carried out in laboratories and in the field to protect and conserve the country's vast forests. -
AttunedSteve Verreault & Sébastien Dave Tremblay 2020 4 minIMPORTANT: For the optimal experience, please use headphones and turn up the volume.
Steve Verreault and Sébastien Dave Tremblay accompany the naturalist photographer and biologist Hugues Deglaire during an observation walk in the forest. Rich in meditations on the benefits of being in nature, this contemplative and colourful short film gives voice to the whispers of the forest. Filmed in two days in the vicinity of Matane, Attuned calls on the sensorial to evoke the symbiosis between man and nature. -
Battle for the TreesJohn Edginton 1993 57 minThis documentary examines the battle strategies of citizens, scientists, loggers, environmentalists and First Nations people who are fighting over the liquidation of public forests and, with it, a way of life.
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BorealisKevin McMahon 2020 1 h 33 minIn his new feature documentary Borealis, acclaimed director Kevin McMahon (Waterlife) travels deep into the heart of the boreal forest to explore the chorus of life in Canada’s iconic wilderness. How do trees move, communicate and survive the destructive forces of fire, insects, and human encroachment? Borealis offers an immersive portrait of the lifecycles of the forest from the perspective of the plants and animals that live there.
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The Changing ForestMaurice Constant 1958 17 minA brief essay on the ecology of a forest along the Laurentian Shield, in Quebec. We see the forest as an integrated community of living things, balanced by conflict as well as harmony, and learn why the maple tree is best able to survive the struggle for supremacy in the Laurentian forest area.
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Eye Witness No 67Fernand Ménard & Robert Anderson 1954 11 minThe two stories covered in this edition of the Eye Witness series include: Apprentices Learn While Building School, about young men in Chicoutimi finding purpose in apprenticeship programs; and Serial Attack on Spruce Budworm, about the low-flying planes of New Brunswick’s Forest Protection Limited buzzing the treetops with DDT.
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The Forest WatchersPeter Raymont 1975 25 minThis 1975 documentary examines the challenges faced by the Canadian forestry industry, such as deforestation, pest control and forest fire.
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Forbidden ForestKevin W. Matthews 2004 1 h 9 minThis feature-length documentary tells the story of two very different men brought together by New Brunswick's decision to hand the management of millions of acres of Crown land to six multinationals. One man is an Acadian woodlot owner retired after nearly 40 years in a pulp mill; the other is a painter and winemaker with homes in France and New Brunswick.
The activitists travel to Finland, home of UPM-Kymmene, one of the largest licence holders of New Brunswick Crown lands, to urge company officials to practise responsible forestry. They also go head-to-head with the provincial government to secure a new community-based forestry policy that is environmentally sustainable and produces more jobs than the highly mechanized techniques used today. -
ForestersWerner Aellen 1968 13 minThis short documentary looks at how modern technology affects the forestry industry and the role of the forester in ensuring the sustainability of this great natural resource. It was in the '60s that people started to realize that the forests did not provide an endless supply of wood, and thanks to recent developments in the science of forestry, people are learning how to manage the resources more effectively.
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From Ashes to ForestTony Ianzelo 1984 52 minFilmed in several of Canada's national parks (including Banff and Wood Buffalo), this feature documentary looks at forest fires versus fire suppression. Sometimes forest fires are essential for plant renewal, healthy growth, soil enrichment and new environments for wildlife.
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Hadwin's JudgementSasha Snow 2015 1 h 27 minA compelling hybrid of drama and documentary, this feature film covers the events that led up to the infamous destruction of an extraordinary 300-year-old tree held sacred by the Indigenous Haida Nation of Haida Gwaii, British Columbia. Inspired by John Vaillant’s award-winning book The Golden Spruce, the film introduces us to the complex character of Grant Hadwin, a logging engineer and survivalist who lived and worked happily for many years in BCʼs ancient forests. Witnessing the devastation wrought by clear-cutting, Hadwin was finally driven to commit what some would say was an extraordinary and perverse act, one that ran contrary to all he had come to value. Interweaving speculation, myth and reality, the film charts Hadwin’s emotional crusade against the destruction of the world’s last great temperate rainforest and explores the possible motives for his unprecedented crime.
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Look to the ForestDonald Fraser 1950 21 minThis 1950 documentary examines the penalties of forest destruction: fire, flood, wasted resources and barren lands. The film describes measures to preserve Canada's prime source of national wealth. Scenes of the wilderness created by stripping land of protective trees show the need to halt careless exploitation. Contrasting the slow process of re-seeding with the swift, modern methods of felling trees, the film urges planned cutting to ensure a protected yearly crop.
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Small Smoke at Blaze CreekMichael Scott 1971 9 minForest fire in mountainous British Columbia, as experienced by the men who must try to quench it from the air and at close quarters on the ground. Over half of fire outbreaks occur through carelessness, and this film affords a close, vivid view of the result: a whole mountainside turned into a searing, crackling holocaust until nothing remains but gray, desolate waste--mute reproach to all who travel or work in the forests.
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Treasure of the ForestRoger Blais 1958 12 minFrom the Canada Carries On series, this archival film is about the industries that draw their wealth from the raw material supplied by Canada's forests. Filmed in the rain forests of the British Columbia coast, it shows how giant conifers are felled, transported by water routes to sawmills and cut into lumber or reduced to Canada's greatest single export, newsprint. Realization of the need for conservation has led to an extensive program of aerial stocktaking and a system of planned cutting and reforestation.
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Timber FrontFrank Badgley 1940 21 minThis black-and-white archival film outlines the importance of Canada's forests in the national war effort during the Second World War.
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Two and TwoAbraham Côté 2009 3 minA man reads a newspaper; a tree falls. A copy machine hums; a tree falls. As the hours go by, a forest disappears. Since 2004, the travelling studios of Wapikoni Mobile have enabled Quebec First Nations youth to express themselves through videos and music. This short film was made with the guidance of these travelling studios and is part of the 2008 Selection - Wapikoni Mobile.
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Trees Are a CropJack Bordelay 1950 23 minThis short documentary demonstrates how to efficiently manage a woodlot in order to maximize yearly income. Joe Kelly, a farmer who sold his trees to be cut down wholesale, illustrates the danger of short-sighted planning. Given a second chance on his father's farm, Joe learns to practise selective cutting, which allows for a sustainable woodlot and a steady income. The film also offers information on which trees to cut and how to market the wood.
