CBC Short Docs

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The farm town of Torrington, Alberta wishes to be frozen in time just like the taxidermied gophers in its famous tourist attraction.

Apr 25, 2016

An intimate portrait of an idiosyncratic artist determined to create even as he grapples with his own mortality. Along the way the film explores broader questions.

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With economic challenges in the way, a Japanese expat prepares for a 1000 mile dogsled race to fulfill her mother's dying wish.

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Fresh off the success of directing her first film, Roxann confronts the initial shock and challenges of being diagnosed with breast cancer.

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Roxann braces herself for the daunting first rounds of chemotherapy and learns to cope with its debilitating side effects, including the loss of her hair and her independence.

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Roxann and her family are overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from the community of Kahnawake as the long, frustrating journey to recovery wears on.

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Walter takes us back to the days of his childhood, growing up in Paris, Ontario, where a complete stranger comes to the rescue and saves his life.

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Every Wednesday for the last 10 years, Walter has taken part in a program at his church run by Daily Bread Dinners. Walter helps to serve food, clean tables, and naturally, make people laugh.

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For years, Walter supplied broken hockey sticks to a school for the blind for students to make benches from them. The program stopped, but Walter's been saving to create one more bench with the kids.

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What does your wireless network say about you? WhyFi? is a short documentary about the unique names people give to their wireless networks.

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Frame 394 follows a young man from Toronto who entangles himself in one of America's most high-profile police-involved shootings.

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Amid conflicting recommendations from doctors and traditional healers, Roxann prepares for the double mastectomy procedure which will remove the cancer from her body once and for all.

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With the end of the treatment process in sight and her first film running the festival circuit, Roxann gets hard at work on her next film: a spiritual response to her cancer journey.

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Reeling from the aftermath of unthinkable trauma, a daughter continues to ask questions of her incarcerated father. How do you love someone who has done terrible things?

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Don Rands is a portrait artist with only one muse: his pet Chihuahua Bella. When asked why, he spins a story as colourful and touching as his many canvases.

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86 year-old Thérèse wants to get her driver's license. But is she too old to learn how to drive? And will her husband let her?

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In 2012, director Chase Joynt sat down with Benton (12), Madeleine (10) and Dexter (6) to talk gender, puberty, school, and parents. In 2016, he revisited the kids to see what's changed.

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Follows an 11-year-old boy with high-functioning autism, whose love for princesses and fairy tales leads him to sew his first princess ball-gown.

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Walk Good is a poetic look at a mother coming to terms with the death of a child. This is a nightmare that Carol Roache has endured three times, in three separate incidents, with each of her children.

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Kyle Kematch's sister went missing 5 years ago. Katherena Vermette's brother disappeared 20 years ago. Their stories exemplify the grace, resilience, and activism born from need to do something.

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3 years ago Joshua Clark swallowed the human toe in Dawson City's famous Sourtoe Cocktail. Now he's back in town looking to right his wrong. Will Toe Captain Terry ever forgive him?

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Ashraf is 100. Her husband Mohammed is 110. And they've been married for 80 years. In this funny and moving short, they share their secrets to a long life.

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Climb aboard Canada's only First Nations-owned railway for a breathtaking train journey through Northern Quebec and Labrador.

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Kettle revisits the intersection where hundreds of people were held for hours - without charge, surrounded by police in riot gear - during the G20 Summit in Toronto.

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Filmmaker Cazhhmere is a 7th-generation black Canadian. Despite this deep history, she's constantly asked to explain where she's from - even though the answer is always "Canada."

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Heather always felt something was missing. Then, at sixteen, she discovered she was Haida. "JAAT SDIIHLTL'LXA: Woman Who Returns" follows her journey back to Haida Gwaii to make a traditional blanket.

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Helen Knott, a Dane-Zaa/Nehiyaw social worker, poet and activist, explores the connection between violence against Indigenous women and violence against the land.

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An Indigenous photographer travels through time to witness moments in her family's history: the legacy of the railway, the slaughter of the buffalo, the impact of colonial land policies.

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David Teitel delights customers with facts, statistics and arithmetic as he rings up groceries at a Toronto health food store. But numbers are just the start of his story.

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Yagorihwanirats, a young Mohawk child, attends a unique and special school: a Mohawk immersion program, inspired by her great-grandmother - who, as a child, was forced to not speak her language.

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Filmmaker J.J. Neepin recreates her great-grandfather's portrait and explores the responsibility of wearing a headdress. "To me, the headdress is a symbol of leadership."

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Cree teachings say that identical twins are born with two bodies, but share one heart. Meet Tapwewin and Pawaken, 10-year-old brothers trying to make sense of the world, their family and each other.

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How does volleyball help heal? 18-year-old Alicia Mollen explores her history of being bullied, then recovering and building a healthy life.

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Filmmaker Madison Thomas has a revelation about why her mother is always cleaning - and realizes she's more like her mom than she ever thought.

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Phu Dinh Van runs a little coffee shop in Hanoi. Though physically small, he has big dreams: to study in Canada, become an English teacher, and return to Vietnam to open a school.

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Ken Burns dreams of becoming a world-famous filmmaker. There's only one problem: his name. Call Me Olly follows Ken as he pursues a legal name change, eager for a fresh start and a bold new identity.

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This contemporary dance films transports the audience into the mind of Karenza, a dance instructor who suffers from bipolar disorder.

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Delroy spends six months of every year working on a farm in Ontario to support his family in Jamaica. But this year, Delroy keeps a secret from his wife and children: he has cancer.

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Every year First Nations from across B.C. bring their best players to the All Native Basketball Tournament. It's more than a competition: spectators come for the culture, the food, and the community.

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Daisy and Pearl Wenjack, Chanie's sisters, visit a school in Toronto where the children have a special surprise for the family.

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A group of Ontario high school students write and perform a play that honours Gord Downie's music and Secret Path project.

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How a headline-grabbing plant theft in Toronto's Chinatown changed Canada's citizen's arrest laws.

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Canadian artist William Fisk risks everything for a chance to be represented by world-renowned New York art dealer.

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It's not your average book club: a group of inmates at Toronto South Detention Centre read Secret Path - and discover that they can deeply relate to many elements of Chanie Wenjack's tragic story.

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Shatekaienthokwen VanDommelen is a 10 year-old from the Mohawk community of Kahnawake. He may be small, but he has big plans for the future - he wants to be a professional boxer.

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A group of Indigenous teenagers from Pimicikamak Cree Nation use square dancing to help heal from the trauma of a suicide epidemic in their small, remote community.

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Johnny Tai is a blind martial artist and self-defense instructor. Underneath his independence lies an instinct for survival that sustained him throughout his tumultuous and abusive family life.

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The tale of two resilient Falcons who make their home amidst the chaos of St. Henri, a Montreal neighbourhood in the midst of massive change.

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Big Men, Small Dogs is about the men in Toronto who are defying gender stereotypes by adopting small, more "feminine" dogs.

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A turtle trauma centre in Peterborough, Ontario fights to save endangered freshwater turtles - using a combination of modern veterinary medicine and things from the hardware store.

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"To be a Muslim doesn't mean you can't have a laugh at yourself." Aspiring comedian Shelina Merani uses stand up to build bridges between communities.

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Black youth in Toronto learn about self-love and Black liberation at Freedom School, a summer camp run by Black Lives Matter.

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An honest look at the complexities of leaving sex work. After a decade on the streets, Iman takes the first steps towards pursuing her dream of becoming a social worker.

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Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford are two-time world champion pairs skaters - but they've never won an Olympic medal. Battling age, injury, and a devastating last season, this is their last chance.

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In 1967 ten Indigenous athletes ran the Pan Am Games torch from Minneapolis to Winnipeg. Just before they entered the opening ceremonies, the torch was handed to a white athlete.

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Shuswap elder Ralph Phillips walks through his territory picking sage. He reveals the stories of his life that have impacted his journey, beginning with his time at residential school.

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Benjamin's father passed away. His therapist died suddenly. He and his wife are in the middle of a divorce. Heartbroken and grieving, Benjamin sets out to compose and record a massive concept album.

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Marvin grew up in Ottawa in the 1950s. With no Black barbers in the city, Marvin suffered through many painful haircuts. At 65 he still hates to get his hair cut.

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When his father was diagnosed with lung cancer, Alexander started growing his hair. Four years after his father's death, he decides that it's time to cut and donate his hair.

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Three teens document how they experience high expectations and pressure to succeed. Their artistic recreations show what it's like to be overwhelmed, overworked, and heading towards burnout.

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With no high school in her Northern community, Miranda must move 500 km away for grade 9. Back home, her parents worry that she'll lose her connection to language and traditional teachings.

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Dilveen was 11 when ISIS raided her village, killed her father and stole her away. She was sold to a 65 year-old man, who planned to marry her - but she escaped. This is her remarkable story.

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Richard Amardi has a chance to play for the Raptors farm team - a step away from the NBA. But to make it happen he'll have to learn to control a wicked temper that's hobbled his basketball career.

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A point-of-view documentary featuring Métis elder Harvey Sykes, who has been battling the city of Fort McMurray over the rights to his land for his entire life.

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At Toronto's oldest cross-dressing store, Paddy offers more than wigs and heels - she creates a safe haven for transformation.

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In the aftermath of the terrorist attack on a Quebec City mosque, 3 Muslim women contemplate leaving the place they call home.

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You can't fight city hall. Or can you? Residents of a beleaguered mobile home park are about to find out. The City of Calgary has served them with an eviction notice, but some refuse to leave.

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Ukrainian orphan Vika, 17, wants nothing more than to be united with her sister, who was adopted by a family in Canada. But first, she'll have to manage the rocky transition to adulthood - all alone.

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In this uplifting, joyful and colourful celebration of life, a young woman calls upon Indigenous people to embrace their history, while coming together to strengthen ties within their communities.

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Canadian painter William Fisk risks everything in launching his first 'vernissage' - a private showing of his life's work in a prestigious New York gallery.

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Three mixed-race women talk about their hybrid identities - and what it feels like when being half one thing and half another means you're not enough of either.

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In the summer of 2017, a group of Indigenous students and elders embarked on a six-week paddle trip down Canada's longest river, in an effort to reconnect with Dene land and culture.

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Sedra, a young Syrian refugee, grapples with the pressure of caring for her ailing family while navigating the challenges of her new home in Canada.

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In 2017, two filmmakers set out to make the first-ever feature film told entirely in Haida. The Haida language is critically endangered - many actors had to learn the language to learn their lines.

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North Bay, Ontario is home to a decommissioned nuclear bunker - an enduring remnant of the Cold War that's left a lasting psychological imprint on the people who live there.

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Two long-time friends call each other over Skype to continue their annual Halloween tradition of carving pumpkins and swapping stories about creepy encounters with men.

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Welcome to the dangerous high-stakes world of Indian Relay, North America's original extreme sport, where jockeys ride horses bareback and jump from one horse to another in the middle of the race.

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They were best friends, then pen pals - until one day, the letters stopped coming. Almost 30 years later, Jessica Stuart returns to Japan to try and solve the mystery of her long-lost friend, Fukue.

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6 years ago, Prince survived a fire in his apartment. Both his arms were amputated. An actor before the accident, Prince's drive to create and connect are now bringing him back to the stage.

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Florida is a winter wonderland for these Québécois snowbirds. They leave the Canadian cold behind for a totally French trailer park where no one speaks English - and everyone has a good time.

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21,500 balloons. 27 hours. The most intense balloon sculptures you've ever seen. Canada's top balloon twisters compete against the world.

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A striking portrait of Chippewa mixed martial artist Ashley Nichols. This beautiful black and white short celebrates her inner strength, fortitude and dedication to her spiritual and physical health.

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These 12 year-old twins will cut their hair for the very first time in a Cree coming-of-age ceremony.

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A Toronto community activist works to share his life-long video archive of black history with the world for the first time.

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Who is Biker Bob? And why does a bottle full of his ashes keep washing up on the beaches of Vancouver Island?

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From five-star restaurants to dirty dives, the most compelling stories come from the dish pit. Meet three Montrealers who choose to wash dishes for a living.

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Senior dogs teach us about love, loss and letting go. Owners celebrate their beloved companions in ten short stories.

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After going through conversion therapy, marrying a woman and having children, Pip came out as gay. He's now an Anglican priest who's breaking new ground with queer-focused services at his church.

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Susan navigates her identity as a queer Mohawk minister as she finds herself nominated for the position of Moderator of The United Church of Canada.

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Cormac left evangelical Christianity after coming out as queer. Now, as an Anglican youth minister, they're trying to create a different script for young, queer Christians.

May 1, 2019

Being queer at prom: true stories from seven different decades. Revisit this iconic adolescent milestone through interviews with LGBTQ Canadians ranging in age from 17 to 88.

May 10, 2019

After years of training, Charles is trying to fight in his first wheelchair boxing match - but it's not easy. He needs an organizer, a venue, and - most importantly - an opponent.