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Treatment and Rehabilitation (11)
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AlannaJulie Plourde 2009 25 minTaken in by a loving family at the age of eight weeks, Alanna grew up in the majestic wilderness of the Yukon mountains. Because her mother drank heavily during pregnancy, Alanna’s development was seriously compromised. She has fetal alcohol syndrome. She will never be like other kids.
Tackling the subject with sensitivity, Julie Plourde’s documentary speaks to the heart. Alanna is a wake-up call about a tragedy that’s largely underestimated by the public but of growing concern to health professionals around the world. In French with English subtitles. -
All About Kids1964 8 minThis vintage short doc from the sixties brings together three quaint vignettes about Canadian childhood. In Quebec Aquarium, school children see marine life at close range, while Children's Play Therapy focuses on the importance of games and handicrafts for young patients recovering at Winnipeg’s Children’s Hospital. Finally, Soccer School takes us to British Columbia, where British coach Trevor Churchill is helping to spark interest in the increasingly popular sport.
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Canadian Screen Magazine No. 41945 10 minBig Liz Brings Home 12 000 Happy Canadians: Canadian soldiers return home from Europe on the S.S. Queen Elizabeth. Troop Carrier to Airliner: Military aircraft are converted for use as commercial airplanes. B.C. Salmon Run: Commercial salmon fishing and processing in British Columbia is shown. Vets Regain Efficiency with Artificial Limbs: Rehabilitation programs for Canadian veterans allow them to become proficient in the use of artificial limbs. Students Produce Art China in New Industry: In Woodstock, Ontario, high school students participate in local ceramic-ware production.
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The DogwalkerRosie Dransfeld 2007 1 h 16 minThis feature-length, cinéma-vérité documentary presents a moving account of one man’s battle to reconstruct a shattered identity. Michael Borowski is an amateur playwright, rambling philosopher, and survivor of childhood brain injury. He is also a neighbourhood dog walker, using his daily walks to meditate on life. Get to know Michael and the four-legged friends who provide him with companionship and comfort.
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The DogwalkerRosie Dransfeld 2007 50 minA happy gang of dogs heads into the woods. Leading the pack is Michael Borowski - amateur playwright, rambling philosopher and survivor of childhood brain injury.
The Dogwalker is a remarkable cinéma-vérité portrait, a moving account of one man's battle to reconstruct a shattered identity - and a winning meditation on Zen and the art of dogwalking.
"I'm the alpha,"Michael says, untanglling the leashes. Meet The Dogwalker. Take a walk with the master. -
F.A.S.: When the Children Grow UpSharon Bartlett & Maria LeRose 2002 40 minWhen a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, she can do irreparable harm to her baby. This program explores the realities of living with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (F.A.S.) and partial F.A.S., called Fetal Alcohol Effects (F.A.E.), the leading causes of birth defects. The effects associated with F.A.S. continue even when children become adults.
This documentary tells the stories of three adults living with F.A.S., along with commentary from experts in the field. -
Jordan River Anderson, The MessengerAlanis Obomsawin 2019 1 h 5 minAlanis Obomsawin's 52nd film tells the story of how the life of Jordan River Anderson initiated a battle for the right of First Nations and Inuit children to receive the same standard of social, health and educational services as the rest of the Canadian population.
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Mental Patients' AssociationRichard Patton 1977 28 minThis short documentary is a fascinating portrait of the Vancouver Mental Patients' Association (MPA), a unique, democratically-organized advocacy and support group for people who have sought care in the mental health system. While client-centred care and advocacy in mental health are relatively more common now, they were unfamiliar concepts in the 1970s, and this film sheds light on the birth of this nascent movement. The MPA provides support and a space for discussion, which helps those dealing with mental health problems to re-integrate into their communities after sojourns in hospitals or other institutions. Members' comments afford some insight into what has been called the "mental health industry."
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New Faces Come BackRichard Jarvis 1946 28 minNew Faces Come Back shows the part that plastic surgery played in giving disfigured servicemen a chance to resume normal lives. The story is told from the point of view of a Canadian flight engineer who has been injured in a plane crash. The onlooker lives with the young airman through the whole process of his physical treatment, his social readjustment during convalescence, his appearance in public again, his treatment by English friends and, finally, his boarding the boat for home, hope and anxiety struggling in his heart. Some of his old buddies are on the deck. They not only recognize him but welcome him joyously. We know that if the home folks do as well, his chances for a happy return are good.
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A Place in the WorldRobert Lang 1997 40 minThis short documentary introduces us to Martin Langlois, an autistic 22 year-old who is transferred to Maison Emmanuel when his devoted parents can no longer care for him. Maison Emmanuel is an alternative therapeutic community in Quebec’s Laurentian mountains that offers residents the ability to develop their life skills and particular gifts and abilities. Run by Inge Sell and her team, it is now home to 20 children and young adults, and forms part of a worldwide network of similar communities.
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UnspeakableJohn Paskievich 2006 55 minStuttering is as old as human speech. The biblical Moses stuttered. Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe, King George VI and James Earl Jones were also afflicted with the disorder--yet it remains a medical enigma. Unspeakable examines the nature, history and treatment of a speech impediment that affects about 1% of the world’s population regardless of language, culture, class or ethnicity.
Throughout the ages there have been all sorts of explanations for what causes stuttering but attempts at curing it have been as frustrating as finding its cause. While stuttering inevitably causes emotional distress, which aggravates the disorder, there is no evidence that it is a personality disorder. Speech therapy for pre-schoolers who stutter can be quite effective but treatment for older children and adults is often frustrating and disappointing.
John Paskievich, the film's director, is a person who stutters. He also narrates and is an active participant in the film. His story and the stories of others in the film are poignant, funny, angry and courageous, providing eloquent testimony to what it means to live imprisoned in what the poet W.H. Auden called "the tower of stutter."
According to Paskievich, "the film is a call for liberation, not from stuttering, but from the ignorance and stigma that surround it."
