The NFB is committed to respecting your privacy

We use cookies to ensure that our site works efficiently, as well as for advertising purposes.

If you do not wish to have your information used in this way, you can modify your browser settings before continuing your visit.

Learn more
Skip to content Accessibility

Rural Life (31)

  • Andrew Britt at Shoal Bay
    Andrew Britt at Shoal Bay
    Colin Low 1967 14 min
    By using film as a means of communication, the people of Fogo Island, Newfoundland, voice some of their daily concerns. This film discusses fishermen's cooperation, the need for a fish plant, and adult education.
  • Alexis Tremblay: Habitant
    Alexis Tremblay: Habitant
    Jane Marsh 1943 37 min
    This short documentary illustrates rural French Canadian life in the early 1940s. The film follows Alexis Tremblay and his family through the busy autumn days as they bring in the harvest and help with bread baking and soap making. Winter sees the children revelling in outdoor sports while the women are busy with their weaving, and, with the coming of spring young and old alike repair to the fields once more to plough the earth in preparation for another season of varied crops. One of the first NFB films to be produced, directed, written and shot by women.
  • The Best Damn Fiddler from Calabogie to Kaladar
    The Best Damn Fiddler from Calabogie to Kaladar
    Peter Pearson 1968 49 min
    The setting for this drama is a logging community, focusing on a man who chooses the unfettered life and uncertain income of an itinerant bush worker, even though it means that his family lives poorly as a result. The film is a study of the effects on family life of isolation and deprivation. Features a wonderful performance from a young Margot Kidder.
  • Bella Bella
    Bella Bella
    Barbara Greene 1975 27 min
    This documentary short is an introduction to the Bella Bella (Heiltsuk) of Campbell Island, 500 km North of Vancouver on the Pacific Coast. Since the coming of settlers, these fishing people have watched their ancient Heiltsuk culture and their independence all but disappear. Today, in an energetic attempt to become self-sufficient, they are regaining both - successfully combining economic development with cultural revival.

    We hear the Heiltsuk language spoken in the film (Haíɫzaqvḷa).
  • The Children of Fogo Island
    The Children of Fogo Island
    Colin Low 1967 17 min
    This short film from Colin Low presents the problems faced by the people of Fogo Island, Newfoundland and what keeps them committed to the land. Witness some of the magic of the island, as seen through the eyes of children, and understand why its inhabitants cling to its shores.
  • Citizen Discussions
    Citizen Discussions
    Colin Low 1967 28 min
    By using film as a means of communication, the people of Fogo Island, Newfoundland, voice some of their concerns. This film discusses efforts to obtain provincial support for the United Maritimes Fisheries Co-op to run the Seldom fish plant, and comments on the subsequent decision by the Newfoundland government in favour of the Yellow Fish Company.
  • Dan Roberts on Fishing
    Dan Roberts on Fishing
    Colin Low 1967 16 min
    Through the use of film as a means of communication, the people of Fogo Island, Newfoundland, voice some of their daily concerns. This film looks at the success of the longliner and the problems encountered in obtaining and running it.
  • Discussion on Welfare
    Discussion on Welfare
    Colin Low 1967 6 min
    A discussion about the effects of welfare on Fogo Island residents.
  • Fishermen's Meeting
    Fishermen's Meeting
    Colin Low 1967 27 min
    By using film as a means of communication, the people of Fogo Island, Newfoundland, voice some of their daily concerns. In this film, some of the problems discussed are the lack of fish and the inability to market any species but cod.
  • Fogo's Expatriates
    Fogo's Expatriates
    Colin Low 1967 15 min
    Individuals who have moved away from Fogo Island express their opinions on the life and problems of the Island.
  • Gore Road
    Gore Road
    Sarah Evett 1972 8 min
    This short documentary is a contemplative road-trip down an old Québec country road in the southwest corner of the province. Family pictures, snapshots, live photography, the homespun philosophy of old folks, some glimpses of the new generation - the impressions are many, varied and gathered at random to build this evocative portrait. Mostly monochrome, with a touch of colour here and there for contrast.
  • A Good Harvest
    A Good Harvest
    Bogdan Stefan 2016 6 min
    Viewer Advisory: This film contains scenes of animal slaughter.

    In a rural setting, the bleeding of a pig is depicted plainly, as an autumn ritual. A just and moving tribute to the handing down of actions that, shared across families and generations, also perpetuate true social solidarity.
  • Hanging On
    Hanging On
    We're sorry, this content is not available in your location.
    Germán Gutiérrez 1993 11 min
    The deplorable situation of peasants who try to subsist in the overexploited land of the Northeastern Brazil.
  • Introduction to Fogo Island
    Introduction to Fogo Island
    Colin Low 1968 16 min
    This film introduces the Fogo Island/Newfoundland Project series which is an experiment in how film can be a catalyst for social change by serving as a direct means of communication. It gives some basic facts about Fogo Island, Newfoundland, and explains why it was chosen for the film project.
  • Joe Kinsella on Education
    Joe Kinsella on Education
    Colin Low 1967 7 min
    Joe Kinsella talks about the problem of young people leaving Fogo Island after they finish their education.
  • Le quêteux Tremblay (English Version)
    Le quêteux Tremblay (English Version)
    Michel Brault  &  André Gladu 1977 25 min
    Gaspé fiddler William Tremblay describes his lifestyle. In times past, Quebec’s quêteux—neither beggars nor homeless—had a social function. They were respected figures who brought news, told tales and stories, cast spells, and were often fine musicians. In exchange, they were welcomed, lodged, and fed.
  • A Memo from Fogo
    A Memo from Fogo
    Roger Hart 1972 41 min
    A retrospective look at Fogo Island, Newfoundland, four years after the original Newfoundland Project series was made. This is an assessment of the value of the programs initiated, and an illustration of what film can do to help spark new life in a fading community.
  • Maritime Montage
    Maritime Montage
    Julian Biggs  &  Rollo Gamble 1955 30 min
    There are two subjects in this film--the cooperative movement stemming from St. Francis-Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, and a rural fair at Egmont Bay, Prince Edward Island.
  • The Mercer Family
    The Mercer Family
    Colin Low 1967 9 min
    The Mercer family discusses the pressures that force the young people to leave Fogo Island and their families.
  • The Noise of Engines
    The Noise of Engines
    Philippe Grégoire 2021 1 h 19 min
    Alexandre, an instructor at the Canadian customs college, returns home to his small town after his employer places him on compulsory leave. As he forms a new friendship with a female Icelandic drag racer, he finds himself under surveillance by police investigators trying to get to the bottom of the sexually explicit drawings that have been troubling the town.
  • Prairie Women
    Prairie Women
    Barbara Evans 1986 45 min
    This film illustrates the struggles of Canadian prairies women to achieve a more just and humane society within the farm movement and at large. During the early 1900s, women on the prairies looked for ways to overcome their isolation. Out of the resulting farm women's organizations grew a group of women possessing remarkable intellectual abilities, social and cultural awareness, and advanced worldviews.
  • Paula
    Paula
    Scott Munn 2019 9 min
    Before her operation, Paula was the husband, father, son and neighbour known as Paul. Now, she’s the only transgender person her community has ever met.
  • Some Problems of Fogo
    Some Problems of Fogo
    Colin Low 1967 21 min
    By using film as a means of communication, the people of Fogo Island, Newfoundland, voice some of their daily concerns and thoughts about the future. Some of the problems discussed are the fishermen's unions, the fish plant, able-bodied men on welfare, the problems of education, and the issue of the consolidation of schools.
  • The Songs of Chris Cobb
    The Songs of Chris Cobb
    Colin Low 1967 7 min
    By using film as a means of communication, the people of Fogo Island, Newfoundland, voice some of their daily concerns. In this film, Islander Chris Cobb sings his own songs and recites his poems about the old days and the recent changes on Fogo.
  • Sovereign Soil
    Sovereign Soil
    We're sorry, this content is not available in your location.
    David Curtis 2019 1 h 31 min
    Set in the northern wilds surrounding the tiny sub-Arctic town of Dawson City, Yukon, Sovereign Soil is an ode to the beauty of this ferocious, remote land and the wisdom of those who’ve chosen to call it home.
  • Thoughts on Fogo and Norway
    Thoughts on Fogo and Norway
    Colin Low 1967 16 min
    A discussion on the methods of fishing, marketing, organization and welfare in Norway, with reference to the situation on Fogo Island.
  • Topics: Beyond the City
    Topics: Beyond the City
    Nettie Wild 2007 10 min
    Community health nurse Wendy Bradley (Yukon) and nurse educator Gayle Carriere (BC Interior Health Authority) describe drug use in rural areas and how they deal with the challenges of working in isolation and confronting stigma.

    *Watch the complete documentary.
    *View all 10 educational playlists.
    *Explore the Teacher's Guide for this chapter.
  • To Kill a Tiger
    To Kill a Tiger
    We're sorry, this content is not available in your location.
    Nisha Pahuja 2022 2 h 5 min
    On the night of a family wedding in a village in India, Ranjit’s 13-year-old daughter is abducted and sexually assaulted by three men. Ranjit takes on the fight of his life when he demands the men be brought to justice. With tremendous access to all facets of this story, To Kill a Tiger charts the emotional journey of an ordinary man thrown into extraordinary circumstances—a father whose love for his daughter forces a social reckoning that will reverberate for years to come.
  • Undertaker for Life!
    Undertaker for Life!
    We're sorry, this content is not available in your location.
    Georges Hannan 2022 52 min
    Undertakers are anything but gloomy; they’re funny, generous and dedicated. We would gladly go on vacation with them, but sadly, they never have any dead time.
  • William Wells Talks About the Island
    William Wells Talks About the Island
    Colin Low 1967 11 min
    William Wells defends the viability of Fogo Island and expresses his apprehension about the exodus of young people.
  • A Woman's Place
    A Woman's Place
    Colin Low 1967 16 min
    Two women discuss the roles and problems of women, education, and shopping on Fogo Island.