Kent Martin

In a part of the world noted for its great musicians Chris Norman is among the true masters – a virtuoso of the flute whether he is playing traditional tunes, his own compositions or baroque music by Vivaldi and Bach. But that’s not all. Chris founded the week long Boxwood Festival and Workshops. In this film we get to know Chris and his fellow musicians and teachers. Interwoven are amazing performances by a “scattering of stars”.

Respected documentarian Kent Martin returns to the Festival with Wayne’s Deer, a portrait of Wayne Bruhm, amateur naturalist and hunter. Wayne’s ancestors first settled along the LaHave River, Nova Scotia in 1723, and he has spent hours quietly hidden in these woods watching deer movements for decades. Beforehand he takes such precautions as using his own time tested formula made from boiled hakmatack needles and other substances to mask his scent. Indeed Wayne probably knows more about deer than most biologists with PhD’s. And every Fall he shoots one deer for meat. Wayne’s Deer was patiently shot over four seasons and tells a refreshingly honest story of living with nature.

Respected documentarian Kent Martin returns to the Festival with Wayne’s Deer, a portrait of Wayne Bruhm, amateur naturalist and hunter. Wayne’s ancestors first settled along the LaHave River, Nova Scotia in 1723, and he has spent hours quietly hidden in these woods watching deer movements for decades. Beforehand he takes such precautions as using his own time tested formula made from boiled hakmatack needles and other substances to mask his scent. Indeed Wayne probably knows more about deer than most biologists with PhD’s. And every Fall he shoots one deer for meat. Wayne’s Deer was patiently shot over four seasons and tells a refreshingly honest story of living with nature.

For ancient Mayans, cocoa was as good as gold. For subsistence farmer Eladio Pop, his cocoa crops are the only riches he has to support his wife and 15 children. As he wields his machete with ease, slicing a path to his cocoa trees, the small jungle plot he cultivates in southern Belize remains pristine and wild. His dreams for his children to inherit the land and the traditions of their Mayan ancestors present a familiar challenge. The kids feel their father's philosophies don't fit into a global economy, so they're charting their own course. Rohan Fernando's direction tenderly displays a generational shift, causalities of progress in modern times and a man valiantly protecting an endangered culture. Breathtaking vistas of lush rainforests contrast with the urban dystopia that pulled Pop’s children away from him. Will one child return to carry on a waning way of life

Combining archival photos with new and found footage, this short film presents a personal, impressionistic rendering of what it's like growing up Mi'kmaq in Newfoundland, while living in a culture of denial. Vistas is a series of 13 short films on nationhood from 13 Indigenous filmmakers from Halifax to Vancouver. It was a collaborative project between the NFB and APTN to bring Indigenous perspectives and stories to an international audience.

Explores the intimidating terrain of girlhood by following three 12-year-olds over the period of one year. As these girls move from childhood to maturity, it's clear that peer pressure is an important influence, but as the films shows, the greatest influence in a young girl's life is family.

An exploration of the unique culture of Newfoundland's outports, the film revisits the PR coup that launched the animal rights movement onto the international stage: the 1977 Newfoundland visit, orchestrated by the International Fund for Animal Welfare, of French actress turned animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot to protest the area's ancestral sealing activities. Soon, inhabitants of the island's northern outports we're being introduced to the world as the epitome of brutality.

This short animation celebrates menopause through the story of Mabel. She’s juggling work, teenagers and an elderly mom. Now she’s got hot flashes and chin hairs! Before you can say "estrogen," purple-haired Mabel finds herself the heroine of her own adventure. Colourful computer animation and a rich musical score offer a reassuring look at one of the most important passages in a woman's life.

Elliott Leyton, the subject of this riveting documentary by filmmaker Barbara Doran, can't help but be fascinating; that's because Leyton, who teaches at the Memorial University in Newfoundland, is also a valuable ally for law enforcement officials who need his expertise in psychology and criminal behavior to catch some of the most heinous criminals: serial killers.

Acclaimed documentarian John Walker catches the legendary Cape Breton Miner’s singing group The Men of the Deeps just as the last mines on the island are shut down. Featuring ravishing cinematography of Cape Breton, and plenty of music, Men of the Deeps is a deeply touching portrait of a culture that still survives despite the ultimate end of an industry, and a tribute to the men and the songs that kept things moving on the Island for almost two hundred years.

Long before Timothy Leary urged a generation to "tune in, turn on and drop out," lysergic acid diethylamide, or LSD, was being used by researchers trying to understand the human mind. This documentary is a fascinating look at the story of "acid" before it hit the streets. Featuring interviews with many LSD pioneers, Hofmann's Potion is much more than a simple chronicle of the drug's early days. With thoughtful interviews, beautiful music and stunning cinematography, it is an invitation to look at LSD, and our world, with a more open, compassionate mind.

A tribute to Canadian comedy legend Tommy Sexton.

A Sigh and a Wish tells the story of pioneer folklorist Helen Creighton and of the enduring appeal of her remarkable collections of song and story. Creighton helped define Maritime culture as we know it. Thanks to her, folk songs moved out of the kitchens and the fishing boats and into the mainstream. Top contemporary Maritime musicians - talents like Mary Jane Lamond and Lennie Gallant - describe how deeply they have been influenced by Creighton. For 60 years, Creighton sought out ghost stories, superstitions and tales of buried treasure, as well as songs handed down from generation to generation: fishing songs, work songs, love songs. Timeless songs. A Sigh and a Wish is a moving tribute to the genius of a self-taught folklorist and to the continuing strength of the deep oral traditions she helped preserve. But it also raises important questions. Does Creighton's collection truly reflect Maritime culture, or is it tinged by her own upper-middle-class assumptions?

This documentary portrays the front-line street workers who serve the needy under the umbrella of the Salvation Army. Shot in Toronto at Christmastime, the film chronicles the small hopes and tiny victories of life lived below the poverty line and the daily rewards for those who work to serve others.

When Dr. Ruth Whitehead meets graduate student Carmelita Robertson, who had come to do research at the Museum of Natural History in Halifax, the women realize both their ancestors come from South Carolina, and that their names sound shudderingly familiar. Embarking on a journey to Charleston in search of their connection, Ruth and Carmelita encounter a modern South where the Klan is on trial for burning black churches and where they must come to terms with the thunderous cruelty of the past.

This documentary shares the stories of seven women from Newfoundland who married American soldiers. From the beginning of World War II to the end of the Cold War, Newfoundland housed some of the largest military bases outside of the U.S. As a result, as many as 40,000 Newfoundland women married American soldiers. Using a combination of interviews and old war footage, Seven Brides for Uncle Sam shows how some of the most important events in world history can serve as the backdrop to the timeless tales of romance, heartbreak and joy.

This documentary profiles economist and writer Marilyn Waring. In extensive interviews, Waring details her feminist approach to finances and challenges commonly accepted truths about the global economy. The filmmakers detail Waring's early rise to political prominence and her successful protests against nuclear arms. Waring also speaks candidly about wartime economies, suggesting that government policies tend to marginalize the fiscal contributions of women.

The James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement of 1975, hailed by governments as a model for future land claims and self-government settlements - is considered Canada's first "modern Treaty." 15 years later, Robert Bourassa's dream of northern hydro-electric power has become a nightmare for the James Bay Cree. In FLOODING JOB'S GARDEN, Boyce Richardson revisits communities he first filmed in the 1970s, before Hydro Quebec began its work, documenting 20 years of massive change in Cree country. As Bourassa and Hydro Quebec prepare for Phase 2, the Crees are mounting an international campaign to protect the environment and ensure responsible development.

This feature documentary provides a gripping retrospective of United States-Canada relationships through a study of successive presidents and prime ministers. Using archival film footage, it demonstrates that Canadian prime ministers, from John A. Macdonald down, all began their tenures by making overtures to their American counterparts. Attitudes and outcomes have varied widely. The almost comic antipathy between Kennedy and Diefenbaker, for instance, is as palpable here as is the folksy camaraderie of Reagan and Mulroney.

This feature documentary provides a gripping retrospective of United States-Canada relationships through a study of successive presidents and prime ministers. Using archival film footage, it demonstrates that Canadian prime ministers, from John A. Macdonald down, all began their tenures by making overtures to their American counterparts. Attitudes and outcomes have varied widely. The almost comic antipathy between Kennedy and Diefenbaker, for instance, is as palpable here as is the folksy camaraderie of Reagan and Mulroney.

This feature documentary provides a gripping retrospective of United States-Canada relationships through a study of successive presidents and prime ministers. Using archival film footage, it demonstrates that Canadian prime ministers, from John A. Macdonald down, all began their tenures by making overtures to their American counterparts. Attitudes and outcomes have varied widely. The almost comic antipathy between Kennedy and Diefenbaker, for instance, is as palpable here as is the folksy camaraderie of Reagan and Mulroney.

A vignette using animation and live action to depict mussel farmers digging in the mud through the ice on bays and estuaries in Prince Edward Island.

Salina Kemp, a Masters student, mother and Mi'kmaw from the Millbrook First Nation, takes us on a journey through all aspects of the 'food security' issue as it affects Indigenous People - both historically and in the present.

Salina Kemp, a Masters student, mother and Mi'kmaw from the Millbrook First Nation, takes us on a journey through all aspects of the 'food security' issue as it affects Indigenous People - both historically and in the present.

Salina Kemp, a Masters student, mother and Mi'kmaw from the Millbrook First Nation, takes us on a journey through all aspects of the 'food security' issue as it affects Indigenous People - both historically and in the present.

Nakatuenita – Respect examines an extraordinary sweep of history and cultural change of the Innu of Labrador from their “settlement” in the 1960s to the present day. The Innu Nation were among the last nomadic people in North America, with a vast territory called Nitassinan in Labrador. Pressured by the Church and government they were settled into communities. Then the Churchill Falls Hydro Project flooded vast areas of their land without permission. Now the Innu are taking back control of their governance and their resources.

Nakatuenita – Respect examines an extraordinary sweep of history and cultural change of the Innu of Labrador from their “settlement” in the 1960s to the present day. The Innu Nation were among the last nomadic people in North America, with a vast territory called Nitassinan in Labrador. Pressured by the Church and government they were settled into communities. Then the Churchill Falls Hydro Project flooded vast areas of their land without permission. Now the Innu are taking back control of their governance and their resources.

Nakatuenita – Respect examines an extraordinary sweep of history and cultural change of the Innu of Labrador from their “settlement” in the 1960s to the present day. The Innu Nation were among the last nomadic people in North America, with a vast territory called Nitassinan in Labrador. Pressured by the Church and government they were settled into communities. Then the Churchill Falls Hydro Project flooded vast areas of their land without permission. Now the Innu are taking back control of their governance and their resources.