Watch Absolutely Canadian independent documentaries and short films from Ontario
Locally produced films air this season on CBC TV and CBC Gem
Absolutely Canadian is a national one-hour series showcasing documentaries, short films and performance programs that tell unique stories from communities across Canada. All programs are produced locally.
Ottawa Reel Shorts
Short films produced by independent filmmakers and student grads in television, streaming and film programs from the Ottawa-Gatineau area. Films include: More than Hair, Life Without Sound, and Still. (2023)
Click HERE to watch on CBC Gem.
Toronto Reel Shorts
Short films by film, television, animation and media arts students from the Toronto-GTA region. Films include: Beyond the Reins, My Friend in the Jingle Truck and Cycle Back to Childhood.
Click HERE to watch on CBC Gem.
The Last Guide
As his health rapidly deteriorates, legendary Algonquin Park fishing guide Frank Kuiack spends his last fishing season searching for someone to whom he can pass on his wisdom. (Ottawa, Cornwall, Whitney, Algonquin Park)
Click HERE to watch on CBC Gem.
Producer/Director: Cristian Gomes
Woods Music Eps 1 - Lament of the Irish Immigrant
Irish, English, Scottish, and French lumberjacks of the 19th century collaborated to survive the harsh conditions of Canadian logging camps, establishing a folk music tradition unlike any other.
Click HERE to watch on CBC Gem.
June 29 at 8:00 p.m.
Méabh O'Hare/Stephan Gabriele
Woods Music Eps 2 - The Lumberjack's Alphabet
Irish, English, Scottish, and French lumberjacks of the 19th century collaborated to survive the harsh conditions of Canadian logging camps, establishing a folk music tradition unlike any other.
Click HERE to watch on CBC Gem.
July 6 at 8:00 p.m.
Méabh O'Hare/Stephan Gabriele
Being Black in Toronto
Being Black in Toronto features 6 films by emerging directors that came out of the Fabienne Colas Foundations' Being Black in Canada mentorship program entirely dedicated to Black filmmakers. (2023)
Click HERE to watch on CBC Gem.
July 13 at 8:00 p.m.
Fabienne Colas Foundations' Being Black in Canada mentorship program
Bridging the Gap: Legacy in Harmony
A journey through Ottawa's Black artistic heritage, weaving together the stories of pioneers, contemporary music voices, and emerging talents, reflecting the city's rich cultural tapestry.
Click HERE to watch on CBC Gem.
July 20 at 8:00 p.m.
Lenz Films
The Pizza City You've Never Heard Of
Ask anyone from Windsor, Ontario about their hometown's pizza and you'll get an earful about how it's the best in the world. The rest of the world, however, isn't paying attention.
Disturbed that his hometown is typically overlooked on lists of the top pizza cities in the world, George Kalivas set out on a mission. In this road-trip documentary, he explores the most well-established pizza places in Windsor talking with suppliers, pizza joint owners and pizza enthusiasts about the essential characteristics that define and distinguish a true Windsor pie.
Click HERE to watch on CBC Gem.
August 17 at 8:00 p.m.
LRG Super Inc. - Filmmakers: George Kalivas & Tristan Laughton
Be Taylor
A young queer woman from Windsor, Ontario aims to overcome her mental health struggles and regain her confidence by embarking on a journey of self-love, self-discovery, and stand-up comedy.
Click HERE to watch on CBC Gem.
August 24 at 8:00 p.m.
GeminiFilms Inc./ Gemma Eva
Reel Shorts: Windsor
Short films produced by graduating film students and independent Ontario filmmakers with stories relevant to the Windsor-Essex region. (2023)
Click HERE to watch on CBC Gem.
Studio Films A Inc., Michael Stasko
Watch these other Absolutely Canadian docs on CBC Gem
Giiwe: Returning Home
Following filmmaker Taye Alvis as he looks to reconnect to his community of Walpole Island First Nation. Taye will explore his relationship to Walpole Island, and how one can reconnect to their traditions and culture by way of conversation, arts, and recreation.
Click HERE to watch on CBC Gem.
Wanderer Entertainment Inc.
Toronto Reel Shorts
Short films produced by students in television, film, media arts, animation and independent filmmakers from Toronto-GTA. Films: Black Boys Skate Too, Diya, Every Sunset and Lost in You. (2022/2023)
Click HERE to watch on CBC Gem.
Ottawa Reel Shorts
Short films produced by student filmmakers and independent producers from the Ottawa-Gatineau region. Films include: Ottawa is a Drag, Impulse Control, and Dancing Towards a New Dawn (2022/2023).
Click HERE to watch on CBC Gem.
Creatorland: Four Women
Creatorland: Four Women follows the lives of Shery, Jamie, Dawn and Rehab. Each one of them has an unstoppable will to create space for their communities and share their stories and legacies with the world.
Click HERE to watch on CBC Gem.
Producers: Zainab Muse, Nickie Shobeiry
Interview on CBC's Our Ottawa. In conversation with the film's co-producer Nickie Shobeiry.
Interview on CBC's Ottawa Morning. In conversation with filmmaker Zainab Muse and Rehab Adas, one of the women featured in the documentary.
Hodan's Story
After 25 years living a comfortable life in Canada, Hodan Nalayeh — a tireless activist, journalist, visionary and single mother of two — leaves Toronto and returns to her birth country of Somalia on a mission to spread light, in a world where many only see darkness.
Hodan's Story, as told by her friend and filmmaker Dwayne Holness, is a film about her life, which was one of passion, inspiration, and ultimately of tragedy. But it covers so much more. Her death may have been a devastating loss, but this is not a tragic story.
Click HERE to watch it on CBC Gem.
Frequent Flyer Films Inc. - Dwayne Holness, Bryn Hughes, Michelle Shephard
The Photographer
Faye Schulman was one of the only known Jewish partisan photographers of the Second World War and in The Photographer, her grandson, Michael Tward, tells the story of her life. Faye Schulman didn't only survive the Nazis — she fought back, photographing the resistance movement along the way. Joining the resistance movement, Faye became one of the only known Jewish partisan photographers of World War Two.
In The Photographer, her grandson Michael traces her story from the Nazi's destruction of her Polish village to her final days in Toronto, Canada. Separated from her few surviving relatives and lost after the massacre of her entire community, Faye captured a wealth of stunning photographs. Today, those photos provide a rare look into the lives of Jewish partisans, serving as evidence that Jewish resistance against the Nazis.
Click HERE to watch it on CBC Gem.
Space Case Productions Inc. - Emily Pasternak & Maryam Remtulla
The Colour of Music
An exploration of the musical talents of women and gender-diverse singer-songwriters and how their intersectionalities influence their music. This next generation of artists are paving their own path in the music industry by valuing community, inclusion and collaboration. (Ottawa)
Click HERE to watch on CBC Gem.
SandBay Entertainment: Han Nguyen & Sarah Fodey
I Am: Limitless
I Am: Limitless is a one-hour documentary showcasing stories from women of colour who pursue unusual sports in Ottawa. Watch how the journeys of these skateboarders and roller skaters intersect, where they find common ground and why finding joy on wheels makes them feel limitless. (Ottawa)
Click HERE to watch on CBC Gem.
This film was produced in Ottawa, by Firegrove Studio, a collaboration between local filmmakers Mailyne K. Briggs, Hingman Leung, and Adrienne Row–Smith.
Reel Black: Our Film Stories
Young emerging Black filmmakers Christian Anderson and Ajahnis Charley learn what it takes to fulfill their filmmaking dreams through the insight of veteran filmmaker Claire Prieto-Fuller and other Black Canadian filmmakers. This film project was created by participants from OYA's Emerging Filmmaker Program, they are: Tristen Sutherland, Alexx Bryant, Ayan Tani, Émeraude Domingos Mbuku, Leilah Dhoré, and Enni Balo. (Toronto)
Click HERE to watch on CBC Gem.
OYA Media Group, OYA Black Arts Coalition, OYA's Emerging Filmmaker Program.
Letters from Home
When the painful memories of the Bosnia war resurface through uncovered family letters, Windsor based filmmaker Svjetlana Oppen retraces her emotional journey as a refugee to Canada while reconciling a shattered past through family letters, home video and photos. (Windsor)
Click HERE to watch on CBC Gem.
Producer/Director: Svjetlana Oppen
Being Black in Toronto
Being Black in Toronto features five films from emerging directors that came out of the Fabienne Colas Foundation's Being Black in Canada mentorship program entirely dedicated to Black filmmakers. Directors include; Rennae Byfield, Niya Abdullahi, Kharå Martin, Marc Samuels and CJ Mayers. Documentaries from Being Black in Halifax and Being Black in Montreal will also be available on CBC Gem
Click HERE to watch on CBC Gem.