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Violence (39)
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AsylumGarry Beitel 1998 1 h 18 minThis feature documentary follows three newly arrived people in Canada and their experiences with the Canadian Refugee process. As claims are assessed and paperwork is double checked, we begin to examine exactly who can be considered a refugee. -
BalablokBretislav Pojar 1972 7 minBretislav Pojar's animated short explores the human phenomenon of resorting to violence over reason. The cubes live happily amongst themselves until one of them encounters a ball. War erupts and they fight until they all become the same again – this time in the form of hexagons. All is right in the world until one of them stumbles upon a triangle… Winner of the 1973 Grand Prix du Festival for Short Film at the International Film Festival in Cannes.
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Boys, Toys and the Big Blue MarbleMarquise Lepage 2007 52 minBoys living in poverty across the world tell us of their lives, amusements and sometimes their hopes. Boys, Toys and the Big Blue Marble appraises childhoods destroyed by slavery, criminality, war, sexual exploitation and human stupidity.
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Bully DanceJanet Perlman 2000 10 minThis short animated film examines the roles of peer pressure, accountability and power struggles in bullying – a pervasive phenomenon.
When a bully picks on a smaller member of his group, the whole community becomes involved. The bully, they learn, is himself a victim at home. -
Colour BlindJinder Oujla-Chambers 1999 25 minThis film shows kids that being racist is not cool and that even subtle racism can explode into violence. Shot in Vancouver and Toronto schools, the film features teens from a variety of backgrounds. The students speak from personal experience, providing a startling look into the average high school--a place where the kids themselves create de facto segregation by hanging out only with others of the same colour.
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The Day OffSidney Goldsmith 1980 10 minThis short animated film is a reflection on the work world and the solace we seek from it on our days off. Here, people enjoying a day off are constantly being reminded of tragic events happening elsewhere while they play and relax on the beach.
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DominoesDaniel Schorr 2006 10 minDominoes animates the tiles of this age-old game to illustrate an oddly shaped domino's struggle to belong. Set to tunes inspired by Brazil's chorinho music, the film gives a new spin to the old domino theory as the characters ultimately learn about openness, flexibility, cooperation... and sharing one's dots.
This film is part of the ShowPeace series of lively animated films about conflict resolution. This series has received support from UNICEF and Justice Canada.
Technique: Cut-out animation -
Dinner for TwoJanet Perlman 1996 7 minWhen it comes to conflict, even chameleons won't change! Peace in the rain forest is disrupted when two chameleons literally get stuck in a conflict, with catastrophic results. Relationships are severed, opportunities are lost, innocent bystanders are harmed and violence seems imminent. Luckily for the lizards, a frog observing the fracas turns into exactly what they need - no, not a prince - a mediator.
Dinner for Two tackles conflict in a lively, humorous and provocative way. It shows that amidst the chaos that differences create, there are still paths to reconciliation.
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Elbow RoomDiane Obomsawin 2002 8 minThis animated short tackles the subjects of personal space, conflict, and conflict resolution in the workplace. At the office, tempers flare as two coworkers who are sitting dangerously close find themselves bumping elbows and spilling ink. The film demonstrates four common approaches to interpersonal tensions: retreat, aggression, denial and - finally – negotiation. This film is part of the ShowPeace series of lively animated films about conflict resolution. This series has received support from UNICEF and Justice Canada.
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Forgiveness: Stories for Our TimeJohanna Lunn 2007 53 minThis feature-length documentary focuses on four individuals who have lived through painful and horrific events but have managed to find the ability to forgive. Lesley Parrott, Anne Marie Hagan, Alan McBride, and Reverend Julie Nicholson have all lost family members through violent crimes and are trying to absorb, cope with, and move past it. In a world wracked by increasing violence and horror, the film brings hope that there are other possibilities beyond blind revenge; that in forgiving others we can set ourselves free.
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Finding DawnChristine Welsh 2006 1 h 13 minAcclaimed Métis filmmaker Christine Welsh brings us a compelling documentary that puts a human face on a national tragedy – the epidemic of missing or murdered Indigenous women in Canada. The film takes a journey into the heart of Indigenous women's experience, from Vancouver's skid row, down the Highway of Tears in northern BC, and on to Saskatoon, where the murders and disappearances of these women remain unsolved.
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Feeling Yes, Feeling NoMoira Simpson 1984 43 minFeeling Yes, Feeling No is a sexual-assault prevention program for young children. The purpose is to give children the skills to protect themselves from sexual assault--from strangers, from family members, from other trusted persons. Part 1 teaches children basic skills that build self-worth, self-confidence and good judgment. Part 2 reinforces the understanding of 'Yes' feelings and 'No' feelings and introduces skills to keep children assess potentially dangerous situations involving strangers. Part 3 introduces the issue of sexual assault by a trusted adult.
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Hollow WaterBonnie Dickie 2000 48 minThis documentary profiles the tiny Ojibway community of Hollow Water on the shores of Lake Winnipeg as they deal with an epidemic of sexual abuse in their midst. The offenders have left a legacy of denial and pain, addiction and suicide. The Manitoba justice system was unsuccessful in ending the cycle of abuse, so the community of Hollow Water took matters into their own hands. The offenders were brought home to face justice in a community healing and sentencing circle. Based on traditional practices, this unique model of justice reunites families and heals both victims and offenders. The film is a powerful tribute to one community's ability to heal and create change.
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The Tribal MindTorben Schioler 1994 51 minSouth Africa isn't the only society where racial and tribal identity have profoundly marked the way people live together--it's just one very striking example. Against a backdrop of ongoing violence, a new breed of South Africans are rising above old tribal reflexes as they struggle towards real democracy. Initiatives in South Africa may well provide models to the larger world where old tribal politics of narrow self-interest continue to wreak havoc. But is the rest of the world prepared to relinquish its own tribes? Is there enough time? Some scenes contain explicit language. Viewer discretion is advised.
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A House Divided: Caregiver Stress and Elder AbuseLyn Wright 1988 35 minThrough 4 moving portraits, this short documentary sheds light on the tragedy of caregiver stress and elder abuse. The abuse takes many forms, ranging from wilful neglect and financial exploitation to physical assault. The film portrays the emotional complexity of family relationships that can lead to abuse of the elderly, the anguish and isolation of its victims, and the need for community understanding and support.
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Love TapsAnnie O'Donoghue 1996 22 minHigh school students Mark and Terese are involved in a dangerous relationship. Mark is becoming more possessive and abusive. Terese thinks it's probably her fault but is convinced she can handle it... until Mark physically attacks her in front of a group of friends. Kelly cares deeply for her boyfriend Benson, but she is always making sarcastic remarks about his intelligence. When Benson reacts to her verbal abuse, Kelly says she's "just joking." A powerful drama about teens, relationship, and dating violence. Previewing before use is recommended.
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Live TVAnnie O'Donoghue 1996 21 minThis short live-action comedy satirizing TV's violent ways tells the story of 4 children who go searching for their school’s 2 missing turtles. In this task, the children are assisted by a television set that morphs to life as a goofy action superhero. As the search progresses, the children discover that TV solutions and real-life solutions don't always mix. When the kids take charge and use their own wits, the turtle mystery is solved in a jiffy.
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Last ResortJacques Godbout 1987 1 h 10 minThis feature length documentary by Jacques Godbout tackles a topic all too rarely explored in the media: terrorism in Canadian society. From Montreal to Vancouver, and Quebec City to Toronto, exasperated individuals find a new calling as self-style saviours of humanity and decide to mete out their own justice. Part reportage, part essay and part critical analysis of the phenomenon, this film includes first-hand accounts by Serge Daoust, Franco Piperno, François Schirm, Pierre Vallières and young militants from the journal Révoltes.
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Learning Peace: A Big School with a Big HeartTeresa MacInnes 2002 57 minLearning Peace: A Big School with a Big Heart chronicles a year at Annapolis East Elementary. A school where over 700 kids play, study, meet and--like kids everywhere--sometimes fight.
But thanks to an anti-violence program introduced in 1996 by principal Heather Harris, bullying and fighting have become a rarity.
Peace education has been fully integrated into the school curriculum. Meanwhile, a peer mediation program helps students settle disputes, good behaviour is rewarded at monthly assemblies, and a full-time counsellor devotes his days (lunch hours and breaks included) to helping kids address anger.
Over the course of a year, it becomes clear that peace is hard work--but well worth the effort. -
A Love That KillsAnnie O'Donoghue 1999 19 minA Love That Kills is a powerful documentary that tells the tragic story of Monica, a nineteen-year-old woman who was murdered by her former boyfriend. Monica's mother speaks passionately throughout the video, bravely telling viewers about her daughter's life and tragic death. She describes the helplessness she felt watching the emotional and economic abuse. She later discovered that physical battering was also part of the violence that Monica endured. In a parallel conversation, young people list the symptoms of partner abuse from male and female points of view. A Love That Kills helps to identify the warning signs of partner abuse, especially in young people, and the damage it causes emotionally and physically.
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MercySam Flamont 2020 1 h 26 minA headstrong, farm boy wants to get back what he loses after landing in prison, only to discover what's on the outside, isn't what he wants at all.
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The Nitinaht Chronicles - Part 3Maurice Bulbulian 1998 47 minThe Nitinaht Chronicles is a searing portrait of a small Indigenous community on Canada's west coast struggling to come to terms with a legacy of sexual abuse, incest and family violence. Seven years in the making, the film is a first-hand look at the extraordinary efforts of the people of Nitinaht to overcome the cycle of physical and sexual abuse that touched the lives of nearly all the members of the community.
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The Nitinaht ChroniclesMaurice Bulbulian 1997 2 h 22 minThis feature documentary profiles an Indigenous community coming to terms with a legacy of sexual abuse, incest and family violence. The film follows the Ditidaht First Nation over a seven-year period, after a respected elder is found guilty of sexual assault. Award-winning filmmaker Maurice Bulbulian records the community's stories, becoming a part of their healing process. With the hope and courage of participants, the powerful interviews in this film play a key role in helping the community overcome the cycle of abuse. The continuing, devastating effects of the residential school system are also revealed; in this system, physical, emotional and sexual abuse were all too often routine. The Nitinaht Chronicles contains strong language, including graphic sexual detail. Please preview before showing to an audience.
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The Nitinaht Chronicles - Part 1Maurice Bulbulian 1998 46 minThe Nitinaht Chronicles is a searing portrait of a small Indigenous community on Canada's west coast struggling to come to terms with a legacy of sexual abuse, incest and family violence. Seven years in the making, the film is a first-hand look at the extraordinary efforts of the people of Nitinaht to overcome the cycle of physical and sexual abuse that touched the lives of nearly all the members of the community.
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ProtestThe Sanchez Brothers 2017 42 sMOST OF US DON’T BELIEVE IN ANYTHING THIS MUCH. POV into an ultimate act of protest: self-immolation. What compels someone to go this far?
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NCR: Not Criminally Responsible (Short Version)John Kastner 2013 51 minWhile gripped by psychosis, a troubled young man stabs a complete stranger six times in a crowded shopping mall. Declared not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder, the young man is confined to a forensic mental health institution. NCR: Not Criminally Responsible offers a timely and provocative examination of violence and mental illness, and the rights of victims. With unprecedented access to the patient, the victim, and the mental institution, the film looks at both sides of the debate and puts a human face on the complex ethical issues raised.
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NCR: Not Criminally ResponsibleJohn Kastner 2013 1 h 39 minDirected by John Kastner, this feature documentary about violence, mental illness, and the rights of victims tells the story of a troubled young man who stabbed a complete stranger 6 times in a crowded shopping mall while gripped by psychosis. Twelve years later, his victim, who miraculously survived, is terrified to learn that he’s out, living in the community under supervision. He’s applying for an absolute discharge, and if he succeeds, he’ll no longer be required to take the anti-psychotic drugs that control his mental illness. With unprecedented access to the patient, the victim, and the mental institution, the film looks at both sides of the debate and puts a human face on the complex ethical issues raised.
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The Nitinaht Chronicles - Part 2Maurice Bulbulian 1998 53 minThe Nitinaht Chronicles is a searing portrait of a small Indigenous community on Canada's west coast struggling to come to terms with a legacy of sexual abuse, incest and family violence. Seven years in the making, the film is a first-hand look at the extraordinary efforts of the people of Nitinaht to overcone the cycle of physical abuse that touched the lives of nearly all the members of the community.
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Out of Mind, Out of SightJohn Kastner 2014 1 h 27 minThis feature documentary profiles four residents of the Brockville Mental Health Centre, a forensic psychiatric hospital for people who have committed violent crimes. Four patients—two men and two women—struggle to gain control over their lives so they can return to a society that often fears and demonizes them. Shrouded in stigma, institutions like this one are places into which patients disappear from public view for years.
Four-time Emmy winner John Kastner was granted unprecedented access to the Brockville facility for 18 months, allowing 46 patients and 75 staff to share their experiences with stunning frankness. -
The Question of Television ViolenceGraeme Ferguson 1972 56 minA film report of the hearings of the United States Senate Subcommittee on Communications investigating the effects of television violence. An NFB crew recorded the four days of intensive debate in Washington, where representations were made by the three major networks, the Surgeon General of the United States, independent scientists, and representatives of concerned parent groups. The hearings established that there is a correlation between violence on the screen and violence in real life.
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Rocks at Whiskey TrenchAlanis Obomsawin 2000 1 h 45 minStories of resistance, strength and perseverance are laid bare in this examination of a dark day in Canadian history. At the height of tensions at Oka, Quebec, in 1990, Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) women, children and Elders fled their community of Kahnawake out of fear for their safety. Once past the Canadian Army that surrounded their home, they were assaulted by angry non-Indigenous protesters who pelted their convoy with rocks. This visceral display of hatred and violence – rarely seen so publicly in Canada – shocked the nation and revealed the severity of the dangers that faced the Kanien’kehá:ka in their struggle to defend a sacred site.
This film is the fourth in Alanis Obomsawin’s landmark series on the Mohawk resistance at Oka that would become a pivot point in contemporary relationships between Indigenous nations and Canada. -
A Score for Women's VoicesSophie Bissonnette 2002 1 h 26 minBetween March and October 2000, millions of people around the world took to the streets to denounce poverty and violence against women. The historic World March of Women was a bold initiative of the Québec Federation of Women and represented a turning point in global solidarity.
Director Sophie Bissonnette invited five filmmakers from around the world to cover the march. She also asked each one to film an innovative project. In Senegal a community battles female genital mutilation through education. In Australia a women's circus teaches survivors of sexual assault to become skilled performers. In India a group of low-caste women mediate domestic disputes in informal women's courts. Native women in Ecuador offer leadership training programs to create women leaders. In the United States, Linda Carney describes why she founded Survival Inc. for poor women in Boston: this wealthy city refused her and her son welfare benefits unless she quit her minimum-wage job.
Set against the backdrop of a song, A Score for Women's Voices ends at the UN, where women deliver 5 million cards signed during the marches. Their goal? To change the world!
Some subtitles. -
A Scream from SilenceAnne Claire Poirier 1979 1 h 35 minThis feature film documents the rape and eventual suicide of Suzanne, a nurse whose physical and emotional health deteriorates beyond repair as a result of the violence inflicted on her. Images of ritual and mass rape reinforce the horror of this act of domination. In this docudrama drawn from case histories, the filmmaker explores social attitudes that cause women to feel guilty for being raped. It touches upon the physical, emotional, spiritual and legal aspects of this crime.
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Tête à Tête à TêteMarv Newland 2005 12 minThis short animation film tells the story of three heads who share a single body. The heads live in perfect harmony until one day... one of them begins to have a mind of its own. The film playfully explores how we're all "connected" but at the same time need to think for ourselves and respect differences.
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TradeKireet Khurana 1997 6 minA young girl is taken away to a large city by train, but she knows nothing about the man her parents entrust her to. During the journey she recalls good times she spent with her family at a village fair, where she had a pretty flower tattooed on her hand. On their arrival, the child is dazzled by the lights of the city. She trustingly follows this stranger, who is leading her to a brothel. When she sees money passing from the hands of the madam to the pimp, she remembers that her father took a large sum of money from this same stranger. She realizes with horror that she has been sold.
A prisoner in the brothel, the young girl is dressed up in beautiful clothes before being shut in a filthy room. A wealthy customer appears. Through the blinds, she sees him hand a wad of bills to the madam. The man enters her room, drooling in his excitement. The child screams for help with all her might, but her cries mingle with the whistling of the train as it flies into the night... An animated film without words for 12- to 17-year olds. -
Taking ChargeClaudette Jaiko 1996 25 minTaking Charge shows teens taking the initiative to overcome the fears and vulnerabilities of growing up in an increasingly violent and rapidly changing society. Through role-playing, theatre groups, peer discussion groups and anti-violence collectives these young activists have "taken charge," educating themselves and their peers towards a deeper understanding of the effects of violence rooted in sexism, racism and homophobia.
We see through their various initiatives, as well as personal testimonies, that teens speaking and organizing against violence sends a positive message to everyone. Taking Charge encourages the viewer to re-examine definitions of violence, and shows how to effect change.
The defiant lyrics of the theme song match the bold and creative energy alive in these teens. Witty animation sequences add a layer of visual playfulness, but the message remains: Do something before it is too late! -
View from the SummitMagnus Isacsson 2002 1 h 15 minThis feature documentary takes us back to April 20, 2001, as Quebec City prepares to host the 3-day Summit of the Americas. A 4-kilometre fence has been erected, cutting off the Upper Town from the rest of the city. Thirty-four heads of state from the Americas will meet behind closed doors to discuss agreements for a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). Those opposed to the FTAA are mobilizing and gathering in Quebec City, too. Several thousand delegates have come to participate in the People's Summit, and tens of thousands will march in protest. Six thousand police officers fill the streets and it looks as if the historic Quebec capital is under siege. The local population fears the worst. Will the Quebec capital become a battleground?
Shot in cinéma vérité style by 7 of Quebec's best documentary filmmakers, View from the Summit vividly portrays what happens when passionate and creative protesters clash with the ideologies of those in power. -
Warrior BoyzBaljit Sangra 2008 43 minDirector Baljit Sangra's documentary takes an unflinching look at the root causes of gang violence in the South Asian community of Vancouver. To date, more than a hundred young men in the community have died in gang-related violence. Gangs are a reality of urban life, yet behind the body count and the headlines, a far different battle is being waged. Educators and parents are taking action against gang violence, seeking real solutions and fighting for change.
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Who Shot My Brother?Germán Gutiérrez 2005 1 h 35 minSome phone calls can turn your life upside down. That's what happened to filmmaker Germán Gutiérrez when he got a call from Colombia informing him there had just been an assassination attempt on his older brother Oscar, a political activist hated by the establishment but adored by the disenfranchised. In this film, Germán Gutiérrez, who has been living in Montreal for the past thirty years, recounts his quest to find the hired gunmen who tried to kill Oscar, and also to expose the roots of the violence that has taken hold of his native country.
