This #documentary tells the story of a #Chinese #cemetery in #VictoriaBC that became a #NationalHeritage site. For Chinese #pioneers who died in Canada, Victoria's Chinese Cemetery at #HarlingPoint was a temporary resting place until their bones could be returned home. (Traditional Chinese belief says that the soul of a person who dies in a foreign place wanders lost until their bones are returned home.) This film traces the rich history of the #VancouverIsland cemetery from controversy and neglect to its revival as a #historic site. Told by those closest to it, the story of Harling Point is a metaphor for #Canada , a country still working on making a home for all who live within its borders.

https://www.nfb.ca/film/from_harling_point/

#AsianMastodon #ChineseInBC #CanadianHistory #ChineseCanadian #ChineseDiaspora #ChinesePioneers #ChineseCanadianHistory #History #Canada #Immigrants #CulturalHistory #CulturalDiversity #BritishColumbia #BCHistory #Racism #Resilience

Julia Kwan’s feature-length #documentary Everything Will Be captures a significant moment of time in #VancouverBC #Chinatown, with the influx of condos and new, non-Chinese businesses. The film follows a year in the life of several #Chinatown denizens, including a 90-year-old #Chinese newspaper street vendor and a second-generation tea shop owner, as they navigate this #community in flux.

https://www.nfb.ca/film/everything_will_be/

#AsianMastodon #ChineseInBC #CanadianHistory #ChineseCanadian #ChineseDiaspora #ChineseCommunity #ChineseCanadianHistory #History #Canada #Immigrants #CulturalHistory #CulturalDiversity #BritishColumbia #BCHistory #Racism #gentrification #YVR

In this feature #documentary Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Shuibo Wang (Sunrise Over Tiananmen Square) aims his camera at the astonishing story of 21 #AmericanSoldiers who opted to stay in #China after the #KoreanWar ended in 1954.

Back home in the United States, #McCarthyism was at its height and many Americans believed these men were brainwashed by Chinese communists. But what really happened? Using never-before-seen footage from the Chinese camps and interviews with former #PoWs and their families, They Chose China tells the fascinating stories of these forgotten American #dissidents.

https://www.nfb.ca/film/they_chose_china/

#geopolitics #USAHistory #AnandoningUSA

When Phillip Wong died by suicide, his family thought that silence would end their pain. But his sister, filmmaker Michelle Wong, needed to make sense of her brother's death. What drove him to end his life at age 36?

Weaving together intimate conversations with those closest to Phillip, as well as her own candid reflections, Wong embarks on a personal journey. Gently peeling away layers of silence, she uncovers her brother's story of gambling addiction and his lonely spiral into desperation, isolation and depression.

Filmed against the backdrop of the noisy casinos of Las Vegas and the quiet town of St. Paul, Alberta, the documentary lays bare the grief of family and friends. Sifting through feelings of guilt, sadness and shame, the once-fragmented family begins to discover a new closeness. This heart-wrenching film is a sister's uncompromising search for the truth and healing--for herself, her family, and others struggling with addiction.

https://www.nfb.ca/film/pieces-of-a-dream-a-story-of-gambling/

#AsianMastodon #AsianTaboos #SilenceIsDeadly #Compassion #Suicide #Trauma #ChineseCanadian #MentalHealth #ChineseFamily #Addiction #Gambling #Depression #Healing #Documentary #DocFilms

This feature-length #documentary reveals the unspoken truth about #war - it never really ends. #Archival images and personal stories portray the lingering devastation of war. Filmed on location in #Russia #France #Bosnia and #Vietnam the film features individuals involved in the cleanup of war: de-miners who risk their lives on a daily basis, psychologists working with distraught soldiers, and scientists and doctors who struggle with the contamination of dioxin used during Vietnam. Based on the Gelber Award-winning book by Donovan Webster, this film conveys the fact that war doesn't end when the fighting stops.

https://www.nfb.ca/film/aftermath_the_remnants_of_war/

#History #geopolitics #EndWars #StopWars #WarSurvivorsForPeace #NoWinnersInWar #humanity #trauma #PTSD

In their predominantly white high school in #Halifax , a group of #BlackStudents face daily reminders of #racism ,ranging from abuse (racist graffiti on washroom walls), to #exclusion (the omission of #BlackHistory from textbooks). They work to establish a #CulturalAwareness #YouthGroup , a vehicle for building pride and self-esteem through #educational and #cultural programs. With help from mentors, they discover the richness of their heritage and learn some of the ways they can begin to effect change.

https://www.nfb.ca/film/speak_it_from_heart_of_black_nova_scotia/

#BlackCanadians #NovaScotia #Canadians #RacistHistory #BlackPride #BlackHeritage #BlackYouths #CulturalDiversity #BlacksInCanada #Maritimes #CanadianHistory #AntiRacism #Canada #Documentary

At the height of the golden age of reggae, some of #Jamaica ’s brightest stars left their homeland behind to shine their light in an unlikely hub of #Caribbean creativity: #Toronto.

Sounds & Pressure: #Reggae in a Foreign Land follows the journeys of these icons. Through rare archives and infectious beats, this captivating five-part #anthology series takes you from #Kingston to #KensingtonMarket to see and hear how reggae made roots in #Canada against all odds.

https://www.nfb.ca/series/sounds-pressure/?hp_=feature_1

#BlackCanadians #Immigrants #Jamaicans #Canada #Ontario #BIPOC #BlackCulture #CulturalDiversity #FilmSeries #NFB #CanadianFilm

When a child reveals who they truly are on the inside, how does a parent set aside their own expectations to help them become their most authentic self? Sheona McDonald’s #documentary captures a season of change as a #mother and #child navigate the complexities of #GenderIdentity together.

https://www.nfb.ca/film/into-light/

#LGBTQ #Parents #QueerKids #FamilyRelationships #NFB #CanadianFilm

Renee Thompson is trying to make it as a top fashion model in New York. She's got the looks, the walk and the drive. But she’s a black model in a world where white women represent the standard of beauty. Agencies rarely hire black models. And when they do, they want them to look “like white girls dipped in chocolate.”

The Colour of Beauty is a shocking short documentary that examines racism in the fashion industry. Is a black model less attractive to designers, casting directors and consumers? What is the colour of beauty?

https://www.nfb.ca/film/colour_of_beauty/

#BlackWomen #Racism #FashionIndustry #BIPOC #BlackExperience #CulturalDiversity #DocFilm #NFB #CanadianFilm #BeautyStandards #Fashion #BlackMastodon #FashionModels #BlackModels #documentary #WhitePrivilege #Discrimination

This short #documentary highlights how the mechanism of #discrimination prevents foreign-trained #doctors from practicing in #Canada – even after they've received their #Canadian qualifications. Every year, scores of these doctors are turned down for the residencies they need in order to practice – and many of those residencies stay vacant. Through interviews with #medical professionals and #HumanRights advocates it becomes clear that #SystemicRacism is to blame. Strikingly, several doctors interviewed for this film would not speak on camera, fearing repercussions from the medical establishment. What is the real problem: the incompetence of foreign-trained doctors or the #injustice of the system?

https://www.nfb.ca/film/doctors-without-residency/

#Racism #HealthCare #CDNpoli #ForeignDoctors #MedicalResidency #DoctorsResidency #ShameOnCanada #ShortDocs #FilmDocs #NFB

This feature #documentary offers a shocking look at the living and working conditions of #Haitian agricultural laborers in the #DominicanRepublic. Each year, some 20,000 #workers cross the border to cut sugar cane, lured by promises of good money. Instead, they toil up to 14 hours per day and live in unhealthy, cramped camps without running water, electricity, medical or educational facilities.

https://www.nfb.ca/film/black_sugar/

#MigrantWorkers #Caribbean #HumanRights #Exploitation #ModernDaySlavery #Inhumane #CanadianFilm #NFB #BlackWorkers #LabourRights #BlackMastodon

#Hopscotch is universal. #Girls around the world trace squares on the ground, then hop through them, trying hard to reach the end. Girls share other interests too; they all like to talk about school, what they want to be when they grow up, who they will marry, how many children they will have, their hopes for a better life for themselves and their family.

But all too often, through poverty, perversion, spite, ignorance or superstition, adults shatter these dreams by denying girls the right to an education, entering them into forced labour, subjecting them to mutilation, sexual abuse and other injustices.

Soni, Kamlesh, Mou, Yui, Dalal, Esmeralda, Fatou, Adiaratou, Safi and Maude range in age from 8 to 14. Some are frail, some strong; all are beautiful. Whether they live in #India #Thailand #Yemen #Peru #BurkinaFaso or #Haiti , they all speak of having much of their #childhood stolen from them. Because they are girls. With subtitles.

https://www.nfb.ca/film/of_hopscotch_and_little_girls/

#BIPOC #ChildrenOfColor #StolenChildhood #ChildrensRights #HumanRights #Documentary #CanadianFilm #NFB #ProtectChildren #ChildAbuse #ChildExploitation #KidsDeserveMore

This #documentary from Min Sook Lee follows a #poverty stricken father from Central #Mexico along with several of his countrymen, as they make their annual migration to southern #Ontario to pick tomatoes. For 8 months a year, the town's population absorbs 4,000 #MigrantWorkers who toil under conditions, and for wages, that no local would accept. Yet despite a fear of repercussions, the workers voice their desire for dignity and respect.

https://www.nfb.ca/film/el_contrato/

#ForeignWorkers #Labourers #FarmWorkers #WorkersRights #HumanRights #Racism #Discrimination #Canada #CanadianFilm #NFB #LaborExploitation #CDNpoli

For years, Julius Arile and Robert Matanda thrive among the bands of warriors that terrorize the North #Kenyan countryside. Stealing cattle, raiding and running from the police is the only life they know. So when both warriors suddenly disappear from the bush, many assume they are dead or have been arrested. Instead, they trade in their rifles for sneakers—in the hopes of making it big as professional #MarathonRunners.

https://www.nfb.ca/film/gun_runners/

#StoryOfHope #Kenya #Africa #Running #BlackMastodon #BlackKids #documentary #CanadianFilm #NFB #Inspiring

In this feature #documentary , a #Chilean #filmmaker returns to the motherland for the first time in 23 years. Time is passing. A generation of young Chileans has grown up with no knowledge of the facts surrounding the #MilitaryCoup of September 11, 1973. In his suitcase, The #BattleOfChile his 3-part #cinéma vérité chronicle of the #political tensions in #Chile in 1973 and of the violent #counterrevolution against the democratically elected government of #SalvadorAllende. His documentary toured the world but was never seen in Chile. Discreetly, he shows it to his friends and a small group of students. After the screening, the young people are in a state of shock. They have an urgent need to know the truth, for it is they who must build the Chile of tomorrow. In #Spanish with English subtitles

https://www.nfb.ca/film/chile_obstinate_memory

#SouthAmerica #GlobalSouth #Revolutions #CanadianFilm #NFB #LatinAmerica

Raised in a refugee camp in the #WestBank while her mother was in an Israeli prison, Walaa is determined to become one of the few #women in the #Palestinian Security Forces—not easy for a #girl who breaks all the rules. Following Walaa from the ages of 15 to 21 with an intimate POV, What Walaa Wants tells the compelling story of a defiant young girl who navigates formidable obstacles, disproving the negative predictions from her surroundings and the world at large.

https://www.nfb.ca/film/what-walaa-wants/

#PalestinianGirl #Documentary #CanadianFilm #NFB #MiddleEast #FreePalestine

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.

https://www.nfb.ca/film/to-kill-a-tiger/

#Rape #SexualAssault #FamilyBonds #FamilyProtection #CanadianFilm #NFB #documentary #GlobalSouth #Injustice #FightingForJustice

Parade: #Queer Acts of #Love & #Resistance is a bold and unflinching documentary that charts the rise of Canada’s #2SLGBTQI+ rights movement through powerful first-person testimony and rarely seen archival footage. From drag shows and community organizing to police raids and protests on Parliament Hill, the film honours the elders and #activists whose defiance helped shape a more #inclusive society. Director Noam Gonick brings audiences to the frontlines of a decades-long struggle, reminding us that the rights hard-won through #grassroots #resistance are far from guaranteed. At once enraging, hopeful and celebratory, Parade is a vital reminder of queer resilience and a rallying cry for renewed #solidarity today.

https://www.nfb.ca/film/parade/

#LGBTQ #HumanRights #Canada #documentary #CanadianFilm #NFB

In the fall of 1985, a small group of #Haida people stood on a muddy #logging road on #LyellIsland —and refused to move. What followed was a landmark act of peaceful #resistance that helped spark a nationwide reckoning around land, #sovereignty and #environmental #justice. Drawing from over a hundred hours of electrifying #archival footage, The Stand immerses us in the tension, #courage and quiet #humanity of that moment.

Directed by Christopher Auchter (Now Is the Time), the film honours the #Elders , #activists and supernatural spirits who helped shape a new future for the #HaidaNation — and for all of #Canada.

https://www.nfb.ca/film/the-stand/

#BCForestryReform #StopDeforestation #StopEcocide #BClogging #IndigenousLand #IndigenousRights #BritishColumbia #BCpoli #CDNpoli #FirstNations #IndigenousSovereignty #Landback #Documentary #CanadianFilm #NFB

Every Saturday, Katherine and her mother, Frances, share a cherished routine: thrifting, browsing the hardware store and working side by side on their intricate miniature-house projects. From England to Hong Kong to Calgary, and finally to Whitehorse, Yukon, they’ve built a full and joyful life together defying the lifelong doubts others cast on what a child with an #IntellectualDisability can achieve.

Directed by Jessica Hall, Saturday is a tender tribute to the filmmaker’s sister and mother, blending present-day moments with intimate home movies that trace their #immigration journey and family history. With warmth, creativity and quiet resilience, the film celebrates Katherine’s independence and the powerful bond between mother and daughter. It offers a moving sense of hope—for every child whose unique qualities are seen, supported and nurtured.

https://www.nfb.ca/film/saturday/

#PeopleWithDisabilities #DisabledKids #FamilyBonds #Documentary #CanadianFilm #NFB #ParentingDisabledChildren

Once named “Cuba’s youngest soldier” in a propaganda stunt, #filmmaker Tamara Segura returns to her native country to untangle the painful legacy of her father’s #alcoholism and the lasting impact of the #CubanRevolution. Through intimate interviews and personal archives, Seguridad reveals a family’s hidden struggles and an era’s deep scars.

https://www.nfb.ca/film/seguridad-en/

#Cuba #PostRevolution #GlobalSouth #Documentary #CanadianFilm #NFB

Told entirely from a #ChildsPerspective, Ninan Auassat: We, the Children is a powerful and immersive #documentary that reveals the dreams of a new generation ready to take flight. Renowned for her intimate and compelling films, director Kim O’Bomsawin takes us deep into the world of #IndigenousYouth , capturing the stories of #children from the #Atikamekw , #EeyouCree and #Innu Nations over a period of more than six years. Without adult narration or expert commentary, the film offers an unfiltered look at #childhood as it unfolds, from everyday life to defining moments on the path to #adulthood. It’s a bold cinematic statement—one that gives space to a generation eager to be heard. Their voices ring out, not just as personal stories, but as a call to action, demanding recognition and the chance to thrive on their own terms.

https://www.nfb.ca/film/ninan-auassat-nous-les-enfants-english-version/

#NativeYouths #Indigenous #NativeKidsVoices #NextGeneration #Canada #CanadianFilm #NFB #FilmDocs #ChildrensRights

How do you raise a child when your own mother left you behind? Best known for the spoken word series #DefPoetryJam and her acclaimed solo show #MotherStruck! , #JamaicanAmerican #poet and #LGBTQ+ #activist Staceyann Chin embarks on a winding, emotionally raw journey to find the woman who disappeared from her life. From #Brooklyn to #Montreal , from #Cologne to #Kingston , she confronts buried pain, seeks elusive answers and ultimately embraces the radical act of #forgiveness. Alongside her daughter, she redefines home, healing, and the very meaning of #motherhood.

A Mother Apart is a powerful testament to #resilience , #reconciliation , and the #courage to break cycles of neglect.

https://www.nfb.ca/film/a-mother-apart/

#Jamaicans #Documentary #NFB #CanadianFilm #Abandonment #BlackMastodon

#HumanZoos tells the shocking story of how thousands of #Indigenous peoples were put on public display in #USA in the early decades of the twentieth century.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nY6Zrol5QEk

Often touted as "missing links" between man and apes, these #NativePeoples were harassed and demeaned. Their #PublicDisplay was arranged with the enthusiastic support of the most elite members of the #ScientificCommunity, and it was promoted uncritically by American's leading newspapers. This award-winning #documentary explores the heartbreaking story of what happened, shows how #AfricanAmerican ministers and other people of faith tried to push back, and reveals how some people today are still drawing on #SocialDarwinism in order to #dehumanize others. The film also explores the tragic story of #eugenics in America, the effort to breed human beings based on #Darwinian principles.

👉 For more about the movie, additional visit the film's website at https://humanzoos.org/.

#USAhistory #Colonialism #HumanCruelty #HumanRights #Racism #NativeAmericans #ColonizerEvils

Dominique Leclerc embarks on a thought-provoking journey into the cutting-edge world of #cyborgs , #biohackers and #transhumanists —a collective pushing the boundaries of #technology to defy illness, aging and even death. Having relied on #medical devices for years, Leclerc seeks alternative solutions to cope with her diabetes, but as she delves deeper, she grapples with the profound ethical, social and political implications of human enhancement. What happens when our physical and cognitive upgrades are shaped by the interests of tech giants? Led by Frannie Holder’s haunting original score, Posthumans offers a compelling meditation on the future of our species and the cost of progress.

https://www.nfb.ca/film/posthumans/

#FilmDocs #NFB #EthicsInTech #TechGiants #CostOfProgress #Ethics

Nalujuk Night is an up close look at an exhilarating, and sometimes terrifying, #Labrador #Inuit tradition. Every January 6th from the dark of the #Nunatsiavut night, the #Nalujuit appear on the sea ice. They walk on two legs, yet their faces are animalistic, skeletal, and otherworldly. Snow crunches underfoot as they approach their destination: the Inuit community of #Nain.

Despite the frights, Nalujuk Night is a beloved annual event, showing that sometimes it can be fun to be scared. Rarely witnessed outside of Nunatsiavut, this annual event is an exciting chance for Inuit, young and old, to prove their courage and come together as a community to celebrate #culture and #tradition.

#Inuk filmmaker Jennie Williams brings audiences directly into the action in this bone-chilling black and white short #documentary about a winter night like no other.

https://www.nfb.ca/film/nalujuk-night/

#CanadianFilm #NFB #FilmDocs #Arctic #Indigenous #FirstNations #Supernatural

In 1997, a film crew accompanied an #Interplast #volunteer #surgical team to An Giang province in #Vietnam 's Mekong Delta.

A Story of Healing, earned the 1997 #AcademyAward for best documentary short subject.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uI1qRODHpwc

#AsianMastodon #AnGiang #SurgeryTeam #MedicalVolunteers #Humanity #Humanitarians #TootSEA #SouthEastAsia #FilmDocs #Documentary #Healing

FOR NEDA reveals the true story of Neda Agha-Soltan, who became another tragic casualty of Iran's violent crackdown on post-election protests on June 20, 2009. Unlike many unknown victims, however, she instantly became an international symbol of the struggle: Within hours of Agha-Soltan's death, cell phone photographs of her blood-stained face were held aloft by crowds protesting in #Tehran and across the world. With exclusive access to her family inside #Iran , the #documentary goes to the heart of who Neda was and what she stood for, illuminating the larger #Iranian struggle for democratic freedoms through her powerful story.

Directed by Antony Thomas.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=F48SinuEHIk

#HBO #FilmDocs #MiddleEast #FightingForFreedom

One of the most amazing stories in the natural world -- a tale of intrigue and drama, set against grand #Africa and its #wildlife.

The #FigTree and #FigWasp differ in size a billion times over, but neither could exist without the other. Their extraordinary relationship underpins a complex web of dependency that supports animals from ants to elephants. Each #fig is a #microcosm -- a stage set for birth, sex and death.

"Truly, a masterpiece" - David Attenborough

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xy86ak2fQJM

#Nature #documentary #Interdependence #Botany #biology #FilmDocs