Genres: documentary

  • I Object

    “I Object” is a film which explores images of women. It focuses on two women students who are confronted with the contradictions of their dual role as model and photographer. The film raises questions about the motivations for nude modelling, how women become objects, and how women deal with sexual stereotypes in educational institutions.

  • In Exile

    “In Exile” examines in detail the lives and assimilation problems faced by the approximately 75,000 American war resisters in Canada in the early 1970s. As the Indo-China turmoil came to an end and demands in the U.S. for draft resister amnesty increased, there was growing interest in whether these men and women would remain in Canada or return to the United States. The film includes interviews on both sides of the debate. We hear from ten draft resisters and deserters, counselors at the Toronto Anti-Draft programme, and an editor of Amex, a war resister magazine in Canada. On the U.S.…

  • In Heaven There Is No Beer?

    A joyous romp through the dance, food, music, friendship, and even religion of the Polka. The explosive energy and high spirits of the polka subculture are rendered with warmth and dedication to scholarship in this journey through Polish-American celebrations. Polka stars like Jimmy Sturr, Eddie Blazonzyck, and Walt Solek are featured.

  • In Our Hands

    Made in the format of a television commercial or public service announcement, the human hand is the primary image throughout the piece. Sequences symbolizing human creativity, nurturing, dexterity, and tenderness are juxtaposed with violence committed by human hands.

  • In the Gutter and Other Good Places

    This powerful documentary profiles three Calgary men who survive by “dumpster-diving” – collecting bottles out of refuse containers for cash. A compassionate look at the choices and circumstances which have shaped their lives, the film challenges common assumptions about poverty and homelessness. Awards: Chalmers Award for Best Documentary, 1995; Genie Award for Best Canadian Documentary, 1994; Best Documentary, Paris International Environmental Film Festival, 1994; Gold Plaque Award for Documentary, Chicago International Film Festival, 1994; Best Independent Production, Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, 1994; Silver Apple Award, Oakland Educational Film Festival, 1994; Best Documentary, Vancouver International Film Festival, 1993

  • Innocents Abroad

    A warmly amusing look at a bus-full of American tourists on a whirlwind tour of Europe. The eclectic soundtrack includes Mozart, Bob Dylan, Sandy Denny, Jonathan Richman, and others.

  • Inquiry Film, The

    The Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry (also known as the Berger Inquiry) was a precedent-shattering examination of Native rights and economic development in Canada’s North. The contentious issues brought out by the Inquiry are very much alive today as Southern Canada still seeks to exploit the resources of the North. “The Inquiry Film” documents and reveals the process of the Inquiry and humanizes a complex political and national issue. Awards: Best Documentary, Canadian Film Awards; Golden Athena Award (Best Feature Film)

  • Interim Sketches of a Year of Austerity

    “The children of the post-war baby boom are now in their early to late twenties. As is now apparent on a global scale, the economic system is poorly equipped to cope with their demographic tidal wave. They subsist in an age of specific depression with values maladaptive to most of the job market. As one woman said: ‘A few years ago we talked about being green and now we talk about being poor.’” – Jeff Solway, Secretary of State, Canadian Alternatives, 1075 This documentary follows the people who live in these conditions in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Through stories, still photographs…

  • Iraq Campaign, The

    “Good evening, the United States of America is at war.” “The Iraq Campaign” by San Francisco videographer Phil Patiris presents a compelling artistic documentary of the immediate American national spirit as promoted and reflected by television during the weeks of Desert Storm (plus its short-lived afterglow). This “television history” is intended as well to be a representation of corporate television’s high-tech style in presenting extraordinary news events, illustrating the ultimate convergence of American news and entertainment; and of how the magic and power of television can be used as a not-so-subtle device for mass influence by corporate media in co-operation…

  • Iskowitz

    “Iskowitz” is a rare and intimate view of the life of the late Canadian painter Gershon Iskowitz. Born in 1921, in Kielce, Poland, Iskowitz began painting in 1941. At a time when most young men are exploring the world and discovering themselves, he was interned in the Nazi concentration camps at Auschwitz and Buchenwald. To preserve his sanity he continued to paint, bribing guards for the coffee grounds he then used to create his ink. When the camp was liberated at the end of the war, Iskowitz retrieved his artwork, which had survived by being stashed under floorboards. It took…