Documentary

Films

Shows

Short Films

Short-Form Series

Black Life: Untold Stories is an eight-part documentary series that reframes the rich and complex histories of Black experiences in Canada.

Documentary | 1 season

Black Life: Untold Stories

Host Mary Lynk investigates the mysterious abductions and deaths of dissidents in Pakistan, the dangers that follow those who flee to the West, and a terrifying intelligence agency with global reach.

The Kill List

Dear Jackie is a cinematic letter to Jackie Robinson, the first Black man to play in Major League Baseball, after a stint with the minor-league Montreal Royals, and a key contributor to the civil rights movement in the United States. When, in 1946, Jackie broke the colour barrier in professional baseball, the impossible seemed possible in a segregated North America. But did Montréalers use this historic moment to perpetuate a myth of a post-racial society? The film addresses Robinson directly and recounts the current situation of one of Canada’s most important Black communities, Little Burgundy, once known as the “Harlem of the North,” drawing interesting parallels between the two eras.

Documentary | 90 min

Dear Jackie

JOHN LEWIS: GOOD TROUBLE chronicles Lewis’ 60-plus years of social activism and legislative action on civil rights, voting rights, gun control, health-care reform and immigration.

Biography | 98 min

John Lewis: Good Trouble

The U.S. and the Holocaust: Series tells the story of how the American people grappled with one of the greatest humanitarian crises of the twentieth century, and how this struggle tested the ideals of their democracy.

Documentary | 6 parts

The U.S. and the Holocaust

Abdulkader fled the war in Syria and crossed the Mediterranean. Now he’s pursuing his lifelong dream of becoming a ‘nez:’ a master perfumer.

Documentary | 29 min

L’essence des Souvenirs: Itinéraire d’un Apprenti Parfumeur

Filmmaker Saïda Ouchaou-Ozarowski sat down with six Muslim Canadian women eager to talk about what shapes their identities. In Full Voice offers an intimate perspective on their journey.

Documentary | 53 min

In Full Voice

A musical tribute to musician, visual artist, human rights activist, Truth and Reconciliation educator, and Oscar-winning composer Buffy Sainte-Marie featuring performers inspired by her life’s work, including Crystal Shawanda, Leela Gilday, Logan Staats, Marie-Mai, Sarah Midanik, ShoShona Kish, Tom Jackson, William Prince, and Jeremy Dutcher.

Concerts and performances | 66 min

Buffy Sainte-Marie Starwalker

In 1967, Charlie Bittern was forced to run 80 km through a blizzard by a residential school principal. 55 years later, he’s embarking on the same journey — this time, surrounded by his family.

Documentary | 22 min

Bimibatoo-win: Where I Ran

Burnout re-examines the culture of work, and asks if it is worth the price we pay.

Documentary | 52 min

Burnout: The Truth About Work

Based on a popular YA series, Sephy and Callum's love blooms against a background of tension in this thought-provoking look at racism and prejudice in an alternate society.

Drama | 2 seasons

Noughts + Crosses

The remarkable story of Payam Akhavan, one of the world’s leading human rights lawyers and his fight for justice for the Rohingya.

Biography | 78 min

In Search of a Better World

Through the grassroots campaign of electoral hopeful Rosa Iris, this new documentary reveals the depths of racial hatred and institutionalized oppression that divide Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Documentary | 96 min

Stateless

Raoul Peck’s Oscar-nominated film is a radical examination of race in America. Using James Baldwin’s original words and archival material, this film is a sobering reminder of how far we've yet to go. Please be advised that this may contain language, attitudes and cultural depictions that are offensive and disturbing.

Documentary | 94 min

I Am Not Your Negro

The Stand: How One Gesture Shook the World explores the motives behind Tommie Smith and John Carlos's gesture of defiance during the 1968 Olympics, and the consequences.

Documentary | 70 min

The Stand: How One Gesture Shook The World

In 2005, Black teenager Anthony Walker was murdered by two white racist men in an unprovoked attack in Liverpool. This film tells us how this talented young man's life might have turned out.

Drama | 86 min

Anthony

Hijabistas explores the growing industry of hijabi fashion, and in it we meet young Australian Muslim women who are breaking stereotypes and expressing themselves with style.

Documentary | 6 seasons

Hijabistas! With Yassmin Abdel-Magied

A true crime documentary series focusing on solving the mysteries behind Canada’s missing and murdered women.

Documentary | 2 seasons

Taken

Jesse Owens' quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history thrusts him onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympics, where he faces off against Adolf Hitler's vision of Aryan supremacy.

Drama | 135 min

Race

Mahendra Saini (Rajesh Tailang) is a chain-wallah who peddles his zipper repair skills on the streets of Delhi. Armed with a megaphone, Mahendra markets himself to anyone within earshot. As with any service-oriented business, location is everything. So when his usual beat stops being fruitful, Mahendra’s 12-year old son, Siddharth, is recruited to earn a second income. Mahendra’s brother-in-law, Ranjit (Anurag Arora) suggests a trolley factory where child labor, though illegal, is a means of income. Siddharth travels to the factory unharmed, but two weeks before he is to return home, he disappears.

Drama | 97 min

Siddharth

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.

Biography | 8 min

The Unmoveable Harvey Sykes

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Filters and sorts

All "Human rights and civil liberties" content