Kainai
On the Kainai (Blood) First Nations Reserve, near Cardston, Alberta, a hopeful new development in Indigenous enterprise. Once rulers of the western plains, the Bloods live on a 1 300-square-kilometer reserve. Many have lacked gainful employment and now pin their hopes on a pre-fab factory they have built. Will the production line and work and wages fit into their cultural pattern of life? The film shows how it is working and what the owners themselves say about their venture.
HIM
An, at times, experimental film about the tainted nature of love set against the Alberta landscape.
Western Brigade
This short dramatic film illustrates a cooperative program of fire protection that was carried out across Alberta in the late 1950s. It presents the problems inherent in a voluntary fire brigade, as well as the everyday heroes who step up and get the job done. The film is an entertaining look at how a crew that was once considered to be the joke of the town can evolve into the best fire brigade in the West.
Round Up
This short film traces Pete Standing Alone's personal journey from cultural alienation to pride and belonging. As a spiritual elder, teacher and community leader of the Blood Indians of Southern Alberta, Pete works with youth to repair the cultural and spiritual destruction wrought by residential schools. At age 81, he has come full-circle in his dedication to preserving the traditional ways of his people.
Dusk & Dawn
We follow Dusk & Dawn, two exes who rekindle their love on the night of their high school graduation. As they navigate the night with their friends, they get pulled into a love triangle that leaves Dawn desperate to decide: stay home and give this another shot, or move away for good and start university.
The Lebanese Burger Mafia
The heir to a Burger Baron franchise, the filmmaker chases clues through rural Alberta, capturing the trials and tribulations of Arab immigrants while uncovering the saga of a rogue fast-food chain with mysterious origins and a cult following.
The Last Baron
The meaty saga of Burger Baron, a rogue fast-food chain with mysterious origins and a cult following, run by a loose network of fiercely independent Arab Canadian immigrants.
Lost Horizons: The Photography of George Webber
Internationally renowned Canadian photographer George Webber delves into the little-known lives and stories of vanishing Western prairie towns. Returning to the same areas over several decades, Webber has created a remarkable black and white archive of Canada's changing landscapes.
Horse Drawn Magic
This documentary short introduces us to the Caravan Stage Company, the world's only horse-drawn open-air theater. Every summer it tours British Columbia and Alberta, bringing live entertainment to communities where television is often the main diversion. In a montage of short sketches, the film shows the troupe on the road and in performance. Hard work and laughter are basic ingredients of this unconventional lifestyle.
Catch Me On The Ice
Ava Caputo, a freshman at Toronto Metropolitan University, left her home in Alberta to embark on her university journey as a female hockey athlete.
Quay Queens: Cultivating a Community
Inside the Mt. Norquay based community, Quay Queens, the value of female connections come to a forefront as members share their experiences with the group
Surviving Eugenics
Surviving Eugenics is a documentary about the history and ongoing significance of eugenics. Anchored by survivor narratives from the province of Alberta in Canada, which had eugenic sterilization actively in place until 1972, Surviving Eugenics provides a unique insiders' view of life in institutions for the 'feeble-minded', and raises broader questions about disability, human variation, and contemporary social policies.
Hands That Bind
A hired hand's plans to take over his boss farm are shattered when the landowner's son returns to claim his birthright.
Elk Island
This short documentary focuses on a man-made island that became the first federal sanctuary for wildlife in Canada. Situated an hour east of Edmonton, it houses one of the world's densest collections of wildlife, maintained by Parks Canada. Elk Island offers a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes activity of the island.
Decades in the SAIT Darkroom with George Webber
Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) has been offering traditional Darkroom courses in Calgary continuously for over 50 years, including 4 decades in which George Webber continues to share his expertise and love of b&w analog photography. This enduring evolution and longevity situates the Darkroom and its participants as significant contributors to Calgary’s photographic history.
The Hutterites
A look at the Hutterites, an Anabaptist religious community similar to the Amish or the Mennonites in rural Alberta. The followers of religious leader Jacob Hutter live in farm communities, devoutly holding to the rules their founder laid down four centuries ago. Through the kindness of a Hutterite colony in Alberta, this film, in black and white, was made inside the community and shows all aspects of the Hutterites' daily life.
China Mission: The Chester Ronning Story
Tom Radford's documentary chronicles the life of Chester Ronning, best remembered for his close and longstanding relationship with China. Over the course of his life, Ronning worked as a cowboy, ambassador, college president, missionary and a member of the Alberta legislature. But throughout all of his careers, his lifelong ambition was to explain China to the western world. His story is a rare example of the meeting of East and West in a compassionate, remarkable man.
Mountain Magic
Visitors to Jasper Park can enjoy the spectacular beauty of the Rockies. Holiday thrills include trail riding as well as tennis and swimming.
Water for the Prairies
This 1950s' film looks at the measures to preserve water flow from the Rocky Mountains. With the steady falling of the water table, the exploitation of timber stands and the recession of glaciers, water conservation was an urgent concern of the Alberta and federal governments.