March 2012
111 posts
9 tags
WatchCanadians Advance Near Cambrai 3 (1918) by NFB This silent short film from 1918 demonstrates the devastating effects of shelling. Firemen, soldiers and civilians fight several fires in a village, brick buildings are reduced to rubble, and a water tank in a factory is totally destroyed.
12 tags
WatchThe Chinese Violin (2002) by Joe Chang In this animated short from the Talespinners Collection, a young girl and her father move from China to Canada, bringing only their Chinese violin along for the journey. As they face the challenge of starting fresh in a new place, the music of the violin connects them to the life they left behind and guides the girl towards a musical future.
13 tags
WatchA Charman Event (2008) by Carl Bessai Eric Charman is the life of the party, and not only because he’s usually the person organizing it. As a lifelong patron of the arts, Charman has raised money for the Victoria Symphony, the Pacific Opera Victoria, and, most significantly The Victoria Conservatory of Music.
9 tags
WatchCongratulations, Mr. Levy (2008) by Robin Neinstein A legend in his own mind, as well as a few other places, actor Eugene Levy’s (American Pie, Best in Show) eyebrows alone deserve a place in the hallowed halls of national treasures. Join director Robin Neinstein as he engages Levy in an infotainment interview that goes horribly wrong. This film was produced for the 2008 Governor...
6 tags
WatchCanada Vignettes: The Egg (1979) by Robert Bélisle & Jean-François Pouliot In this animated short from the Canada Vignette series, learn how societies in evolution are often in danger of self-destruction.
12 tags
WatchCrapshoot: The Gamble with Our Wastes (2003) by Jeff McKay A hazardous mix of waste is flushed into the sewer every day. The billions of litres of water - combined with unknown quantities of chemicals, solvents, heavy metals, human waste and food - where does it all go? And what does it do to us?
5 tags
WatchCanada Vignettes: News Canada (1978) by Yossi Abolafia In this short film from the Canada Vignettes series, historical events are depicted through simulated 1878 news broadcasts.
7 tags
WatchCityscape (1966) by Ryan Larkin In this experimental animated short, Ryan Larkin (Walking) creates a series of figures who move across the screen and disappear into a hole. Eventually, the hole metamorphoses into a bridge, on top of which stands the young man from whom the others figures originated.
13 tags
WatchCanada Vignettes: Men of the Deeps, Cape Breton (1978) by Sandra Dudley A series of vignettes featuring coal mines in New Waterford and Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, with traditional Cape Breton folk songs sung by Men of the Deeps, a miners’ choral group.
5 tags
WatchThe Commissioners (2009) by Philippe Baylaucq Former commissioners of the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) talk about their experiences at the institution. In conjunction with celebrations marking the NFB’s 70th anniversary, director Philippe Baylaucq met with Jacques Bensimon (2001-2006), Sandra M. Macdonald (1995-2001), Joan Pennefather (1989-1994), François N. Macerola (1984-1988) and André...
9 tags
WatchCitizen Harold (1971) by Hugh Foulds This short is the tale of a man roused from the torpor of his TV viewing by the sound of chainsaws whining their way through neighbourhood trees! Harold has to do something, and how he does it is the subject of this film.
8 tags
WatchCome Again in Spring (2007) by Belinda Oldford This gentle tale about mortality works in subliminal ways. When an old man is visited by Death at his home in the meadows, he has to delve deep to secure more time for himself. Does he have the strength to find the answers he needs?
13 tags
WatchCactus Swing (1995) by Susan Crandall & Beth Portman Based on a song by the Great Western Orchestra, this animated short traces the adventures of Pete, the North West Mounted Police officer who is awakened in the badlands by a varmint band and witnesses a cactus line dance.
9 tags
WatchCanada Vignettes: Canada’s Snowbirds (1980) by Joan Henson This installment in the Canada Vignettes series depicts the Canadian Forces Air Demonstration Aerobatics team at work.
10 tags
WatchCorvette Port Arthur (1943) by Joris Ivens This doc examines the role of convoy ships during World War II, focusing on the Corvette Port Arthur. The corvette, a highly mobile weapon of destruction, is used to combat German U-boats and escort convoys through the Atlantic Ocean. Following the corvette through an encounter with an enemy submarine, the film offers a glimpse into a day in the life of...
13 tags
WatchCanada Remembers Part Three: Endings and Beginnings (1995) by Terence Macartney-Filgate Endings and Beginnings focuses on the final phase of WWII in Europe in 1945 and the aftermath. Veterans recount their memories of the conflict at the Rhine and the celebrations on VE Day, followed by their contribution to the victory in the Far East. These recollections are complemented by outstanding footage...
12 tags
WatchCanada Remembers Part Two: The Liberators (1995) by Terence Macartney-Filgate The Liberators focuses on WWII during the period between June and December 1944. While following the action from the D-Day landings on the shores of Normandy up into Belgium and Holland, the film also highlights the contributions of the women who remained on the homefront.
10 tags
WatchThe Romance of Transportation in Canada (1952) by Colin Low A light-hearted animated short about how Canada’s vast distances and great obstacles were overcome by settlers. The story is told with a tongue-in-cheek seriousness and takes us from the intrepid trailblazers of long ago to the aircraft of today and tomorrow.
10 tags
WatchJust Another Job (1972) by Pierre Letarte This short film takes you behind the scenes of the Quebec Nordiques. Coached by the legendary Maurice Richard, the team is playing its opening World Hockey Association game at the Quebec Coliseum.
8 tags
WatchHothouse 4: Biology Made Un-easy (2007) by James Braithwaite This animation film is a close look at the microscopic world that surrounds us. Within each basic human interaction there is something strange festering under the surface, and we just need a good magnifying glass and a strong stomach to see it.
