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Natural Resources (32)
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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. -
Across Arctic Ungava1949 20 minThis documentary follows four scientists and their Native guides into the unmapped wilderness of the Ungava Peninsula, in northern Quebec. Crossing this territory in large canoes, they collect samples of Arctic flora and rocks, take readings of soil temperature and record the correct bearings for rivers and lakes en route. The keen excitement of opening a new chapter in Canadian exploration is evident throughout the film.
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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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CitiesLillian Chan 2020 3 minDesigner Bruce Mau views the COVID-19 pandemic as a short-term crisis in a long-term trend toward positive development. He dares us to abandon our toxic lifestyle habits and urges us toward bolder urban design.
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Chemical ConquestLarry Gosnell 1956 25 minA documentary about the chemical research that was used against crop-threatening insects, plant diseases and weeds in the 1950s. The film shows laboratory experiments at a government research station and poses questions about the ultimate effects of toxic substances on food-producing soil.
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DeserterMichel Murray 1991 19 minIn this short fiction film, the observation satellite Zenon has, on its own, left its assigned orbit and is refusing to send back vital data concerning the Earth's water reserves. Those in charge of the Research Center that sent the satellite up are threatening to destroy this free and intelligent "spirit" if Estelle, the scientist controlling it, cannot make her "friend" see reason.
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A Day in ForillonMichel Bouchard 1978 7 minThis short film illustrates a day in the life at Forillon National Park. Situated on the Gaspé peninsula in Quebec, the park offers spectacular views of sea, mountain and forest. A monumental landscape not to be missed. A film without words.
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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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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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Fire - EnergyMichel Barbeau 2000 21 minThis short documentary is about Canada's energy resources: wind, water, sun, oil, uranium and natural gas. The film is part of the TRANSIT series on Canada's geography, which travels from the humid rainforests of British Columbia, to the desert-like badlands of Alberta; from the frosty Arctic where no trees grow, to the fertile farmland of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Region.
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For Future GenerationsBoyce Richardson 1985 54 minThis documentary is about the conservation ethic in Canada that led to the national parks systems around the world. Includes interviews with the then-Minister of Natural Resources, Jean Chretien.
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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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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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Recycle Paper?Winston Washington Moxam 1999 4 minThis short film depicts what happens to all that paper we put in our recycling boxes.
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High Arctic: Life on the LandDalton Muir 1958 21 minAn ecological study of plant and animal life on the Queen Elizabeth Islands in the Canadian Arctic. The film includes profiles of animals such as musk-oxen, lemmings, arctic hares and various forms of plant life.
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The Hole StoryRichard Desjardins & Robert Monderie 2011 1 h 19 minIn this feature documentary, Richard Desjardins and Robert Monderie continue in the same provocative vein as their earlier Forest Alert, this time turning their lens on Canada's mining industry. Using striking images, rare archival footage and interviews, The Hole Story analyzes company profits and the impact of mining on the environment and workers’ health.
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The LumberfrosStéphanie Lanthier 2010 1 h 11 minIn Abitibi, hundreds of kilometres from the city, thousands of workers go North, as did Jos Montferrand and François Paradis. Working as brush cutters, these 21st-century lumberjacks discover Quebec's boreal forest. Far from their families, they spend 5 or 6 months a year in logging camps that mirror a new Quebec, those of French-Canadian descent and neo-Quebecers from Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia. All have come to earn a living in the forest. Filmmaker Stéphanie Lanthier invites us to spend an entire season inside this northern micro society. Using a direct cinema technique in the style of Pierre Perrault, she documents the lives of the brush cutters.
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Let's Look at WaterHarold Randall 1947 20 minThis short documentary shows how a city's water supply is purified at a filtration plant. The complex system of the underground mains that supply all parts of the city with water is also illustrated, as is the safeguarding of water supplies on trains, ships and aircrafts.
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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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Marilyn Waring on the Environment Show ThreeTerre Nash 1996 26 minMarilyn Waring, ex-MP in the New Zealand Parliament and spokesperson for global feminist economics, now lives and works on her farm in the lush green hills of New Zealand. While in office, Waring fought to preserve the priceless natural resources of her riding, drawing on the pragmatic wisdom of her neighbours--farmers whose livelihoods depend on sustainable land use, and the Maori, who have lived in harmony with their environment for countless generations. Waring makes a convincing argument for changing a system that does not value what may be our most precious assets: clean air, water, and the unspoiled ecosystems that sustain and enrich life on earth.
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The New AlchemistsDorothy Todd Henaut 1974 28 minThis short documentary profiles a community engaged in developing sustainable living methods, including food production and small-scale solar and wind technology, on a farm in Massachusetts in the 1970s. Well before sustainability was a mainstream concern, these prescient innovators attempted to create a vision of a greener, kinder world. "Think small," say the New Alchemists. "Look what thinking big has done."
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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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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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Surviving ProgressMathieu Roy & Harold Crooks 2011 1 h 26 minThis feature documentary connects the financial collapse, growing inequity and the Wall Street oligarchy with future technology, sustainability, and the fate of civilization itself. Inspired by Ronald Wright's bestseller A Short History of Progress, Surviving Progress digs deep into human nature and patterns of history to challenge and redefine the very idea of progress.
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Taking StockNigel Markham 1994 47 minIt was a way of life. It was the backbone of a society. And then the cod fishery off the east coast of Newfoundland collapsed. Taking Stock traces the history leading up to the crisis and the calling for a moratorium of the northwest Atlantic cod fishery. It presents the key players in this complex and tragic story, focusing on those who are now trying to come to grips with an uncertain future. How did the calamity happen? What signals did we ignore? Did we chose the right model in setting up an industry? Ultimately, Taking Stock holds a message for the Canadian as well as the global community: In trying to attain economic success, we must recognize that there are limits to how far we can exploit nature's delicate ecosystems.
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Turning TidesMathieu D'Astous 2007 24 minIn this documentary short, summer trippers line up for the famous local fried clams and whole families dig for the white mollusc in the tangy air of the sandbars. But as the clams dwindle, so do these tableaux from Maritime culture. For commercial fishermen it's the end of a livelihood; for others, it's the death of a tradition. Can this really be the end of a resource that used to be as plentiful as the air we breathe? In French with English subtitles.
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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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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.
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Water for the PrairiesLawrence Cherry 1951 18 minThis 1950s' film looks at the measures to preserve water flow from the Rocky Mountains. With the steady falling of the water table, the exploitation of timber stands and the recession of glaciers, water conservation was an urgent concern of the Alberta and federal governments.
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Windbreaks on the PrairiesEvelyn Cherry 1943 21 minThis short film serves as a cautionary tale to farmers who recklessly cut down trees on their land. When prairie farmers engaged in this practice to facilitate plowing, they discovered that the trees had served as windbreaks protecting top soil from erosion. The Dominion Department of Agriculture's experimental station at Indian Head, Saskatchewan, cultivated acres of young trees for distribution to farmers.
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Water - Reserves and NetworksMichel Barbeau 2000 20 minCanada possesses the greatest supply of fresh and salt water on the planet. This video examines the country's waterways, reserves and networks, and looks at the important role water has played in the past and present. Water shows how this precious resource has been both a boon and a challenge. Early explorers trying to locate the Northwest Passage to Asia ended up marooned and shipwrecked on the treacherous ice floes of the Canadian Arctic. Yet coastal waters have been treasured the world over for their bountiful fish stocks. And inland, the country's intricate systems of rivers and lakes have served as navigational arteries, sources of energy and playgrounds for leisure.
TRANSIT features five videos that examine Canada's rich and diverse geography. Each film in the series combines spectacular cinematography and lively animation, using the Earth's basic elements as themes: Air explores climate; Water showcases the country's network of rivers, lakes and oceans; Land looks at the vast territory that makes Canada the second largest country in the world; Fire documents old and new sources of energy; plus Life, which develops the themes of people, fauna and flora. -
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.
