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Freshwaters and Marshlands (15)
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The BiosphereWilliam Pettigrew 1979 56 minThe Mackenzie and Amazon valleys are 10 000 km apart and are ecologically distinct. Yet, in a subtle sense they are collaborating elements within the biosphere, the Earth's thin layer of living matter. In this film are seen two of the world's myriad river ecosystems and how they are linked within the biosphere. -
Beyond the Naked EyeClaudia Overing 1973 18 minA film of marvels, an amazing view of the living, pulsing universe contained in a single drop of water from an aquarium. Colour film and a microscope, and the infinite patience of the filmmakers, reveal life that no one would ordinarily see. This is a view of creation, of birth, life and death, of the laws of nature that apply even to the smallest of living things. It is a film that will add knowledge and insight to the pleasure of any audience.
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Eye Witness No. 301951 10 minThese vignettes from 1951 covered various aspects of life in Canada and were shown in theatres across the country. Subjects included here are British Columbia's Cariboo Trail, once the scene of a great gold rush and which still pays off for the placer miner and occasional prospector; Canada's new state residence at 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa, a redesigned old stone mansion destined to become Canada's No. 10 Downing Street; a unique ceremony in remote Chesterfield Inlet as the first Inuit girl in history receives the veil of the Grey Nuns; Great Lakes conservationists outsmart the eel-like bloodsucker that preys on fish; and the new blue model uniforms designed for the Women's Division of the Air Force.
Please note that this is an archival film that makes use of the word “Eskimo,” an outdated and offensive term. While the origin of the word is a matter of some contention, it is no longer used in Canada. The term was formally rejected by the Inuit Circumpolar Council in 1980 and has subsequently not been in use at the NFB for decades. This film is therefore a time-capsule of a bygone era, presented in its original version. The NFB apologizes for the offence caused. -
Footprints in the DeltaPeter Campbell 1999 43 minThe Peace-Athabasca River Delta is a stunning habitat. Rivers converge in a rich, marshy wetland before draining into the Slave River. But the Delta is in trouble. Since the building of the WAC Bennett Dam in 1967, annual floodwaters--once the ecosystem's lifeblood--have become a thing of the past. The Delta is drying up, and lakes and wetlands are being replaced by brush. Species like the muskrat are disappearing. Footprints in the Delta explores the changes that have buffeted the region for several decades. Scientists, activists and Indigenous Peoples describe how lives have been fundamentally altered by the changes. And satellite images show the dramatic pace of degradation. Footprints in the Delta is essential viewing for anyone who cares about wetlands. It is a revealing account of the rapid change and environmental havoc humans can bring to a delicate ecosystem.
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Freshwater WorldGiles Walker 1974 24 minThis documentary explores a variety of projects undertaken by scientists at Environment Canada's Freshwater Institute in Winnipeg to study the processes that pollute or disrupt clean and balanced freshwater environments.
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The Great Clean-upJames Carney 1976 52 minThis documentary is about pollution in the Great Lakes. To tidy up the biggest body of fresh water in the world is a massive operation. The Great Clean-up documents changes to legislation affecting the emission of industrial pollutants into the environment on both sides of the Canada/U.S. border.
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Poplar RiverKevin Settee 2021 10 minThis episode explores the special connection that Poplar River First Nation has to the lands and waters surrounding their community. Poplar River community members Sophia Rabliauskas and Clint Bittern share their perspectives on the importance and intergenerational responsibility of protecting the lands and waters in their territory for generations to come.
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Oceans of ScienceBané Jovanovic , Douglas Kiefer , … 1974 26 minLearn all about fisheries science in this short documentary that was filmed both at sea and ashore. The film focuses on species survival and examines various projects and research directed towards restoring and protecting marine life.
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River (Planet Earth)Peter Raymont 1977 27 minRiver (Planet Earth) is a student's audio-visual presentation of a river system and the importance of water to humans, to his professor who hates to be bored. Both serious and humorous, the film shows how water sustains life, feeds industry, provides power and irrigates the land. It shows how water is inverted, dammed, used and expelled. It talks of pollution. The film demonstrates how water affects the economy, sociology and ecology of a country.
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Red RunMurray Jurak 2001 25 minIn 1913, a railway blast sent hundreds of tons of rock cascading into the Fraser River, blocking the path of thousands of returning salmon. The Fraser Valley Aboriginal people rallied for days to save their fish, carrying them one at a time over the fallen rock. Red Run recalls this dramatic tale and reveals its impact today. Shimmering salmon still battle the Fraser's currents every summer. And the 'River People' balance on the treacherous cliffs, waiting to scoop them from the river with traditional dip and gill nets. Director Murray Jurak, from the region's Lower Nicola Band, follows members of three Siska families to the river's edge. To provide for her family, Alice follows the time-honoured fishing methods traditionally practised by men. Percy and Fred pass on their skills and respect for the turbulent river to their two young sons. Set in the BC Interior, Red Run captures an event as spectacular as it is dangerous.
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River with a ProblemGraham Parker 1961 28 minA film on water pollution, using the Ottawa River as an example of what happens when a river is used as a dumping place for municipal and industrial waste. Colour animation illustrates exactly what happens to river water as it becomes polluted. Engineers, health authorities and civic officials voice concern over this urgent problem.
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The Rise and Fall of the Great LakesBill Mason 1968 16 minIn this short documentary from conservationist Bill Mason, he illustrates that although the Great Lakes have had their ups and downs, nothing has been harder to take than what humans have done to them lately. In the film, a lone canoeist lives through the changes of geological history, through Ice Age and flood, only to find himself in the end trapped in a sea of scum.
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Red Runs the FraserE. Taylor 1949 11 minThis short documentary looks at the deep gorge of the Fraser River, shadowed by the mountain ranges of British Columbia. It is a highway for the mysterious migration of the Pacific salmon. The river shallows appear red with the flailing fish as they push up-river to spawn and die. A natural wonder puzzling to the scientist, the fish migration of spring and summer provides renewed activity for fishermen and cannery workers.
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WaterlifeKevin McMahon 2009 1 h 49 minWaterlife is a documentary film about the Great Lakes that follows the flow of the lakes' water from the Nipigon River to the Atlantic Ocean. The film's goal is to take viewers on a tour of an incredibly beautiful ecosystem that is facing complex challenges.
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"Water, Water, Everywhere ..."Gilles Blais 1971 4 minAn underwater close-up of the death of a trout in polluted water. A film for conservationists and for all audiences concerned about preserving the natural world and the creatures that inhabit it.
