Social Justice & Politics Archives - National Canadian Film Day

In researching the fates of her two half-brothers, filmmaker Barri Cohen uncovers the tragic history of neglect and abuse of institutionalized patients at the Huronia Regional Centre in Orillia.

Director

Barri Cohen

Writer

Barri Cohen

Producers

Craig Baines, Peter Raymont

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Discrimination, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

English

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An urgent examination of the root causes of the widespread issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. This powerful documentary juxtaposes the heart-wrenching stories of the victims with the experiences Indigenous activists and survivors who are fighting to raise awareness of the issue and to put an end to this enduring trauma.

Director

Kim O'Bomsawin (Abenaki)

Cast

Lorelei Williams, Angel Gates, Tantoo Cardinal (Cree/Métis)

Producer

Michèle Rouleau

Genre

Documentary

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

French

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A monumental historical documentary that exposes the injustices in the child and welfare services provided to Indigenous children, while giving voice to the childcare workers at the heart of the battle. Legendary filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin shines a light on the decades-long battle and continuing urgent need for justice to be served.

Director

Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki)

Legendary Abenaki filmmaker Obomsawin has made over 50 documentaries on issues affecting Indigenous peoples in Canada, including Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance, Trick or Treaty?, Is the Crown at War with Us?, Our People Will Be Healed and Jordan River Anderson, The Messenger. Her most recent film is the short documentary Honour to Senator Murray Sinclair. Next, she is set to appear in an episode of Marie Clements’ Bones of Crows: The Series.

Writer

Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki)

Producer

Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki)

Genre

Documentary

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

English

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In the early 2000s, members of the Saskatoon police force drove Indigenous men into remote fields and abandoned them to die. These acts became known as the Saskatoon "freezing deaths," a terrifying story blown open by one survivor.

Director

Tasha Hubbard (Cree)

Hubbard is an award-winning filmmaker and an assistant professor in the University of Saskatchewan’s Department of English. Her writing-directing project Two Worlds Colliding won a Gemini and a Golden Sheaf Award. She has also directed the short film 7 Minutes, and the feature docs Birth of a Family and nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up, which won Best Canadian Documentary at Hot Docs and at the CSAs. She is currently directing the feature doc Singing Back the Buffalo.

Writer

Tasha Hubbard (Cree)

Cast

Andrea Menard

Producer

Bonnie Thompson

Genre

Documentary

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Discrimination, Female Filmmaker, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

English

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When Jordan River Anderson, who suffered from a rare muscle disorder, died in 2005, he had spent all five years of his short life in a hospital while the federal and provincial governments argued over which of them was responsible for his care. In 2007, Canada’s Parliament passed a motion in support of “Jordan’s Principle,” a policy meant to ensure that First Nations children have equitable access to government-funded health, social, and educational services.

Master documentarian Alanis Obomsawin interviews Jordan’s family as well as other Indigenous families across Canada who have had to fight for basic human rights for their children.

Director

Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki)

Writer

Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki)

Cast

Ernest Anderson, Jordan River Anderson, Virginia Anderson

Genre

Documentary

Interests

BIPOC Stories, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

English

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This CBC mini-series is based on the internationally celebrated novel by Canadian author Lawrence Hill. A compelling tale of loss, courage, love and the triumph of the human spirit, it follows the extraordinary journey of Aminata Diallo (Ellis), an indomitable African woman.

In 1750, 11-year-old Aminata is kidnapped from her village in West Africa and begins a rich journey that takes her through the harrowing ordeal of slavery, to the turmoil of the American Revolution and ultimately to freedom in the British colony of Nova Scotia. Brilliant and determined, Aminata is a remarkable heroine whose unshakeable connection to her own African heritage guides her over unimaginable obstacles in her quest for freedom and ultimately allows her to assume the mantle of leadership for which she is destined.

Deeply moving and inspiring, The Book of Negroes explores painful historical realities through the unblinking eyes of a strong female protagonist whose story will stay with you long after the telling.

Director

Clement Virgo

Virgo rose to prominence with his first feature, Rude, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and garnered two Genie nominations. He has also directed the films Poor Boy’s Game and Lie With Me, and hit TV shows such as The Wire, Regenesis and The Listener. He recently produced the show Greenleaf and directed episodes of Empire and Billions. His most recent film, Brother, premiered at TIFF 2022.

Writers

Lawrence Hill, Clement Virgo

Cast

Aunjanue Ellis, Lyriq Bent, Cuba Gooding, Jr, Ben Chaplin, Allan Hawco

Producers

Damon D'Oliveira, Clement Virgo

Genre

Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, History, Literary Adaptation, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

English

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In this compelling and still timely documentary, linguist and liberal political activist Noam Chomsky presents his ideas on how the mass media works against the best interests of democracy. He argues that the corporations that control the outlets from which most people get their news are selectively picking what to cover for their own reasons and private agendas, rather than being the impartial news-dispensing entities we believe them to be.

Directed by Mark Achbar, who later made The Corporation, and the late Peter Wintonick, one of our country’s leading documentarians, Manufacturing Consent is a fascinating analysis of how society and the media are driven by corporate interest, and a primer on how to be a well informed citizen in spite of it all.

Directors

Mark Achbar, Peter Wintonick

Producers

Mark Achbar, Peter Wintonick, Adam Symansky

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Arts and Culture, History, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

English

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Troubled teen Sean (Jessup) is misunderstood, alienated and bullied at school. When he establishes an unlikely friendship with preppy Deanna (Fast), her angry and threatened boyfriend forces a confrontation. In an attempt to protect himself, Sean makes a fateful online mistake, and is soon falsely accused of planning a Columbine-style school shooting. Thrust into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, Sean must now overcome stereotypes, prejudices and the mistrust of his community and prove his innocence to the town, and especially to Deanna.

Tense, challenging and told with a great deal of emotional honesty, Blackbird is a powerful film with a breakout lead performance by Jessup.

Director

Jason Buxton

Writer

Jason Buxton

Cast

Connor Jessup, Alexia Fast, Michael Buie

Producers

David Miller, Marc Almon, Jason Buxton

Genre

Drama

Interests

Bullying, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

English

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Based on the award-winning novel by Canadian author Rohinton Mistry, Such a Long Journey is the story of Gustad Noble (Seth), whose life is thrown into turmoil when he is asked by an old friend to deposit a large sum of money at the bank where he works. Set in Bombay on the eve of the war between India and Pakistan, Gustad’s troubles become an allegory for the chaos and upheaval occurring around him.

His son would rather become an artist than attend engineering school, his daughter has malaria and his wife (Razdan) spends an increasing amount of time with a neighbour that he fears is a witch. On top of all this, the local government threatens to tear down the wall surrounding his housing complex. Ingeniously, Gustad asks an artist (Chowdhry) to paint a multi-faith mural on the wall so believers of all religions will be compelled to save it. A rich and thoughtful portrayal of the power of spirituality and how to overcome even the most daunting of circumstances.

Director

Sturla Gunnarsson

Born in Iceland and raised in Vancouver, Gunnarsson earned an Oscar nomination for his debut feature doc, After the Axe. His films include Beowulf and Grendel, Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie and Monsoon, and he has directed hit TV shows such as Motive, Degrassi: The Next Generation, The Art of More, and most recently Schitt’s Creek and Ransom.

Writer

Sooni Taraporevala

Cast

Roshan Seth, Soni Razdan, Ranjit Chowdhry, Om Puri, Kurush Deboo

Producers

Paul Stephens, Simon MacCorkindale

Genre

Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Global Experiences, History, Literary Adaptation, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

English

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In Montreal's West Indian community, Pat (Dillon) shares an apartment with two unmarried mothers on welfare and is naturally jaded on the subject of men. But she soon finds herself involved with the hopeless Fabian (Gibbs). A high-school dropout, Fabian doesn’t stand much of a chance in the job market. His work at a local warehouse lasts just long enough to launch them both on the road to economic disaster.

Boasting an infectious reggae score by Jimmy Cliff, the film was developed as part of the National Film Board’s Alternative Drama program, which placed non-professional actors in realistic situations. Issues including racism, poverty and teenage pregnancy are highlighted in what is also a very warm and pleasing film.

Sitting in Limbo achieved Honourable Mention for “its freshness and vitality” at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Director

John N. Smith

Smith’s credits include award-winning TV docudramas such as The Boys of St. Vincent, Dieppe and Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story, as well as numerous feature films, including Dangerous Minds, A Cool Dry Place, Geraldine’s Fortune and Love & Savagery among others. Sitting in Limbo won the Best Canadian Feature Film award at TIFF 1986.

Writer

David Wilson

Cast

Pat Dillon, Fabian Gibbs, Sylvie Clarke

Producers

John N. Smith, David Wilson

Genre

Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Classics, Discrimination, Global Experiences, Social Justice & Politics, Strong Female Leads

Original Language

English

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Unloved: Huronia’s Forgotten Children

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Ce Silence Qui Tue (Quiet Killing)

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We Can’t Make the Same Mistake Twice

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Two Worlds Colliding

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Jordan River Anderson, The Messenger

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The Book of Negroes

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Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media

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Blackbird

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Such a Long Journey

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Sitting in Limbo

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