Interest: Global Experiences

Women: Take on the World 150 Canadian Films

Manufactured Landscapes

Director Jennifer Baichwal
Year 2006
Run Time 86min
Genre Documentary
A remarkable meditation on humanity’s impact on the environment, this doc follows internationally acclaimed photographer Edward Burtynsky to China, where he documents industrial landscapes and their impact on the surrounding natural world. Exploring the surprising beauty amid the waste generated by factories and dumps, Burtynsky and documentarian Jennifer Baichwal travel across the vast landscape, capturing incredible visuals that need little commentary.

An impactful but subtle statement about humanity’s impact on the world, Manufactured Landscapes’ powerful images raise more questions than answers.

Director

Jennifer Baichwal

Baichwal and de Pencier are known for their CSA-winning docs, Manufactured Landscapes, Watermark and Anthropocene. They are frequent collaborators, with Baichwal directing and de Pencier as her cinematographer and producer. Their credits include The Holier it Gets, Act of God and Payback, and their newest film together, Into the Weeds.

Cast

Edward Burtynsky

Producers

Jennifer Baichwal, Nick de Pencier, Daniel Iron

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Environment, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

English

Ratings by Province

G
 Alberta
G
 British Columbia
G
 Manitoba
G
 New Brunswick
NR
 Newfoundland and Labrador
G
 Nova Scotia
G
 Northwest Territories
G
 Nunavut
G
 Ontario
G
 Prince Edward Island
G
 Québec
G
 Saskatchewan
NR
 Yukon
Back to the Canadian Film Collection

Lights for Gita

Director Michel Vo
Year 2002
Run Time 7min
Genre Animation
In her first winter in Canada after her family moved from India, Gita finds a special way to celebrate Divali, the Hindu festival of lights.

Director

Michel Vo

Genre

Animation

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Global Experiences

Original Languages

English, French

Ratings by Province

NR
 Alberta
NR
 British Columbia
NR
 Manitoba
NR
 New Brunswick
NR
 Newfoundland and Labrador
NR
 Nova Scotia
NR
 Northwest Territories
NR
 Nunavut
NR
 Ontario
NR
 Prince Edward Island
NR
 Québec
NR
 Saskatchewan
NR
 Yukon
Back to the Canadian Film Collection
Own Voice

Al Ghorba

Director Alia Hijaab
Year 2019
Run Time 6min
Genre Animation, Drama
Through a conversation with her family back home, a Syrian immigrant in Canada expresses her loneliness, and faces her mounting fears about the future.

Director

Alia Hijaab

Writer

Alia Hijaab

Producer

Alia Hijaab

Genres

Animation, Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, Newcomer Stories, Social Justice & Politics

Original Languages

English, Other Language

Ratings by Province

NR
 Alberta
NR
 British Columbia
NR
 Manitoba
NR
 New Brunswick
NR
 Newfoundland and Labrador
NR
 Nova Scotia
NR
 Northwest Territories
NR
 Nunavut
NR
 Ontario
NR
 Prince Edward Island
NR
 Québec
NR
 Saskatchewan
NR
 Yukon
Back to the Canadian Film Collection
Own Voice

Âme Noire (Black Soul)

Director Martine Chartrand
Year 2000
Run Time 10min
Genre Animation, Documentary, Drama

An exhilarating voyage through the def ining moments of black history.

Director

Martine Chartrand

Writer

Martine Chartrand

Producers

Yves Leduc, Pierre Hébert, Marcel Jean

Genres

Animation, Documentary, Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences

Original Languages

English, French

Ratings by Province

NR
 Alberta
NR
 British Columbia
NR
 Manitoba
NR
 New Brunswick
NR
 Newfoundland and Labrador
NR
 Nova Scotia
NR
 Northwest Territories
NR
 Nunavut
NR
 Ontario
NR
 Prince Edward Island
NR
 Québec
NR
 Saskatchewan
NR
 Yukon
Back to the Canadian Film Collection

Blind Vaysha

Director Theodore Ushev
Year 2016
Run Time 8min
Genre Animation, Drama
This Oscar-nominated NFB animated short tells the story of Vaysha, a young girl born with one green eye and one brown eye. But colour isn’t the only thing that’s different about Vaysha’s gaze. While her left eye sees only the past; her right sees only the future. Like a terrible curse, Vaysha’s split vision prevents her from inhabiting the present. Blinded by what was and tormented by what will be, she remains trapped between two irreconcilable temporalities. “Blind Vaysha,” they called her. 

In this metaphoric tale of timeless wisdom and beauty based on the eponymous short story by Georgi Gospodinov, filmmaker Theodore Ushev reminds us of the importance of keeping our sights on the present moment.

Director

Theodore Ushev

Writers

Georgi Gospodinov, Theodore Ushev

Cast

Caroline Dhavernas

Producers

Marc Bertrand, Julie Roy

Genres

Animation, Drama

Interests

Arts and Culture, Global Experiences, Literary Adaptation

Original Languages

English, French

Ratings by Province

NR
 Alberta
NR
 British Columbia
NR
 Manitoba
NR
 New Brunswick
NR
 Newfoundland and Labrador
NR
 Nova Scotia
NR
 Northwest Territories
NR
 Nunavut
NR
 Ontario
NR
 Prince Edward Island
NR
 Québec
NR
 Saskatchewan
NR
 Yukon
Back to the Canadian Film Collection

Bone Mother

Directors Sylvie Trouvé, Dale Hayward
Year 2018
Run Time 8min
Genre Animation, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
A traveller wanders deep into the forest to visit Baba Yaga, a mysterious woman who is said to possess the powers of life and death.

Directors

Sylvie Trouvé, Dale Hayward

Writers

Lanan Adcock, Dale Hayward, Sylvie Trouvé

Cast

Rafael Petardi, Renee Madeline Le Guerrier

Producers

Michael Fukushima, Jelena Popovic

Genres

Animation, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Interests

Arts and Culture, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences

Original Language

English

Ratings by Province

NR
 Alberta
NR
 British Columbia
NR
 Manitoba
NR
 New Brunswick
NR
 Newfoundland and Labrador
NR
 Nova Scotia
NR
 Northwest Territories
NR
 Nunavut
NR
 Ontario
NR
 Prince Edward Island
NR
 Québec
NR
 Saskatchewan
NR
 Yukon
Back to the Canadian Film Collection

The Danish Poet

Director Torill Kove
Year 2006
Run Time 14min
Genre Animation, Drama

In this Oscar-winning short, a young woman tells the story of how the Danish poet Kasper Jørgensen found inspiration and ultimately caused her parents to find one another.

Director

Torill Kove

Writer

Torill Kove

Producers

Lise Fearnley, Marcy Page

Genres

Animation, Drama

Interests

Arts and Culture, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences

Original Languages

English, French

Ratings by Province

NR
 Alberta
NR
 British Columbia
NR
 Manitoba
NR
 New Brunswick
NR
 Newfoundland and Labrador
NR
 Nova Scotia
NR
 Northwest Territories
NR
 Nunavut
NR
 Ontario
NR
 Prince Edward Island
NR
 Québec
NR
 Saskatchewan
NR
 Yukon
Back to the Canadian Film Collection

Funny Boy

Director Deepa Mehta
Year 2020
Run Time 109min
Genre Drama, Romance
This heartbreaking tale of love and loss follows Arjie (Nand as a child, Ingram as an adult), a Tamil child in Sri Lanka, who is referred to as a “funny boy” by his family, because he doesn’t behave like the other boys. He draws inspiration from his free-spirited Canadian cousin to explore his identity, and goes on to pursue his crushes on the boys in his class. When he reaches adulthood, his life, family, and his first real love are all threatened as the Sri Lankan Civil War breaks out and brings about life-changing tragedies and upheavals.

Based on the celebrated novel by Shyam Selvadurai, Funny Boy was nominated for nine Canadian Screen Awards, winning for directing, screenplay and score.

“An attractive journey, gilded in summery light throughout by Douglas Koch’s camera.” – Guy Lodge, Variety

Director

Deepa Mehta

Mehta gained acclaim for her trilogy, Fire, Earth and the Oscar-nominated Water. Her adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children was nominated for eight CSAs. She has also directed Bollywood/Hollywood, Beeba Boys, Anatomy of Violence, and many others. Her most recent film Funny Boy has also won multiple awards, including the CSA for best direction. Most recently, she directed an episode of the series Yellowjackets. She has numerous projects in development as a writer, director and producer. 

Writers

Deepa Mehta, Shyam Selvadurai

Cast

Brandon Ingram, Arush Nand, Nimmi Harasgama, Agam Darshi, Ali Kazmi

Producers

Hussaini Amarshi, Lodi Butler, Gopi Darmaratnam, David Hamilton, Neil Mathieson

Genres

Drama, Romance

Interests

Asian Filmmaker, BIPOC Stories, Bullying, Discrimination, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, LGBTQ2S+, Literary Adaptation

Original Languages

English, Other Language

Ratings by Province

14A
 Alberta
NR
 British Columbia
NR
 Manitoba
NR
 New Brunswick
NR
 Newfoundland and Labrador
NR
 Nova Scotia
14A
 Northwest Territories
14A
 Nunavut
NR
 Ontario
NR
 Prince Edward Island
NR
 Québec
NR
 Saskatchewan
NR
 Yukon
Back to the Canadian Film Collection

Flux

Director Christopher Hinton
Year 2002
Run Time 8min
Genre Animation, Drama
A whimsical piece that plays with both the significant and mundane events in the lives of a large family.

Director

Christopher Hinton

Writer

Christopher Hinton

Producer

David Verrall

Genres

Animation, Drama

Interests

Family Relationships, Global Experiences

Original Languages

English, French

Ratings by Province

NR
 Alberta
NR
 British Columbia
NR
 Manitoba
NR
 New Brunswick
NR
 Newfoundland and Labrador
NR
 Nova Scotia
NR
 Northwest Territories
NR
 Nunavut
NR
 Ontario
NR
 Prince Edward Island
NR
 Québec
NR
 Saskatchewan
NR
 Yukon
Back to the Canadian Film Collection

Green Grass

Director Michael Greco
Year 2020
Run Time 8min
Genre Drama

A father and daughter seek refuge in a far away land, but what they find there may not be what they were expecting.

Director

Michael Greco

Writer

Michael Greco

Producer

Mariana Ospina-Arteaga

Genre

Drama

Interests

Global Experiences, Newcomer Stories

Original Language

English

Ratings by Province

NR
 Alberta
NR
 British Columbia
NR
 Manitoba
NR
 New Brunswick
NR
 Newfoundland and Labrador
NR
 Nova Scotia
NR
 Northwest Territories
NR
 Nunavut
NR
 Ontario
NR
 Prince Edward Island
NR
 Québec
NR
 Saskatchewan
NR
 Yukon
Back to the Canadian Film Collection
Accessibility by WAH