On Docs: Recent Episodes
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Join Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka for this podcast on documentaries and the stories they tell. They'll introduce you to filmmakers who give us fascinating takes on people, perspectives and what it means to be human.
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, carpenter Khaleel Seivwright found himself busy building shelters for unhoused people. He'd calculated that a person living in one of the structures he was making could act as a heat source. His tiny shelters would be a vital resource as winter arrived in the city and they had the potential to save lives.
But the City of Toronto took a dim view of his work. John Tory's government filed a court injunction against Seivwright and continued to criminalize those living in parks. The city's argument against the shelters was that the tiny wooden houses were unsafe, fire hazards for those who lived in them, and for the surrounding neighbourhoods. In protest, community activists organized rallies and placed signs on the small shelters stating, "Someone lives here. Please don't remove." They criticized the government for this move against unhoused people and its lack of action when it came to the housing and homelessness crisis.
The documentary "Someone Lives Here" captures Khaleel Seivwright's struggles to get the buildings certified as safe and his search for accountability from municipal politicians. The film won the Roger's Audience Award at Hot Docs. Zack Russell, the film's director, and Khaleel Seivwright, the subject of the documentary, speak to Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka on this episode of TVO's On Docs podcast. They dissect the making of the documentary, how the tiny house project started, how the tiny shelters were made, and the public response to the initiative.
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Whether it's in New York or Toronto, Chinatowns are being attacked by the forces of gentrification, development pressure, and much more. But communities are resisting this pressure to retain their intangible cultural heritage forged by the bonds of a shared history - often tied together by the historical racist policies of their new homes. Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka talk with director Karen Cho and community organizer Rick Wong about how Cho's new documentary, "Big Fight in Little Chinatown," shows how people are mobilizing to save these places.
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The Satanic Panic - a phenomenon of the 1980s and '90s - was a terrifying rollercoaster for all involved. Accusations of child sacrifice ruined lives as the public sought answers for why everyone suddenly seemed to have been victims of Satanists and Satanic rituals. Amplified by the Catholic Church, law enforcement and daytime TV, rumours of these cults made their way through fearful communities, creating a witch hunt for anyone believed to be part of alleged Satanic worship groups.
At the centre of this conspiracy was a book called "Michelle Remembers," a memoir published in 1980 by Canadian psychiatrist Larry Pazder and his patient Michelle Smith in which Smith's recounted false memories where she was abducted and tortured by a satanic cult in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
The new documentary, "Satan Wants You," describes the experiences of the satanic panic, how the memoir (,Michelle Remembers,) sparked it, and exposes how a lie from a Canadian patient and doctor became an enduring myth. The film was featured at HotDocs and SXSW, and its filmmakers Sean Horlor and Steve J. Adams speak to Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka on this episode of TVO's On Docs podcast. They dissect the chilling story and production behind "Satan Wants You," and the satanic panic phenomenon of the 1980s and '90s.
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Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka celebrate On Docs' 100th episode with Jane Jankovic, TVO's executive producer for documentaries, in a wide-ranging discussion about the evolution of the documentary genre.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will be a spectacle, but in the spotlight is the country's use of migrant labour to build everything from stadiums to highways. Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka are joined by Michael Page, Human Rights Watch's deputy director in the Middle East and North Africa, to talk about the sacrifices made for football.
Canada Soccer has released a statement stating that, "Canada Soccer supports the ongoing pursuit of further progress regarding workers' rights and inclusivity as Qatar prepares to host the world."
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Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka speak with director Stacey Tenenbaum about "Scrap," the stuff that gets thrown into landfills and the title of her latest documentary on how we need to rethink our waste-filled consumer culture. They talk about photojournalists like Saumya Khandelwal who are capturing the stories of those most affected by waste and the movement trying to give consumers the right to repair their things.
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Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka watch HBO's "Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage" and Netflix's "Trainwreck: Woodstock '99," and discuss the disastrous concert that redefined a legendary music festival.
Nam Kiwanuka clip from Woodstock '99 credit: MuchMusic/BCE Inc./YouTube
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Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka speak with filmmaker Sinead O'Shea about her latest documentary, "Pray for our Sinners," which explores the role of the Catholic Church in her hometown of Navan, Ireland.
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Colin Ellis speaks with legendary singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie about how a new documentary, "Carry It On," captures her life and career.
Clips courtesy Eagle Vision & White Pine Pictures.
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Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka chat with director Henri Pardo about his new documentary, "Dear Jackie." The film explores how Montreal attempted to cast itself as a post-racial city after legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson played for the Royals, but, as we learn from the stories of people from the city's historic Black neighbourhood Little Burgundy, it was anything but.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka speak with Michelle Shephard and Sahal Abdulle about "The Perfect Story," a new documentary that examines what happens when cracks form in a journalist's story.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this livestreamed conversation, Colin Ellis sits down with Mitch Azaria to talk about "TRIPPING The Bruce," which takes viewers on a tour of the northern coast of the Bruce Peninsula.
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Abigail Disney thought about changing her name when she got married. While it's associated with Mickey Mouse and Marvel, the Happiest Place on Earth is also associated with poverty wages and trampling on workers' rights. Colin Ellis speaks with Disney about her documentary "The American Dream and Other Fairytales," and why it's important to advocate for workers' rights in the face of abusive corporate practices.
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I'm Crushing Your Head! Not actually, but if you know the phrase then there's a good chance you know The Kids in the Hall. Colin Ellis sits down with director Reg Harkema to talk about his latest film which explores the history of the comedy troupe and the many challenges - both professional and personal - they faced along the way.
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Months after Dewayne "Lee" Johnson was soaked from head to toe with a herbicide called Ranger Pro, he noticed lesions on his skin. What he'd developed was called non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a form a cancer that's associated with glyphosate, the chemical the Monsanto Company had long touted as completely safe for humans. In this episode, Colin Ellis speaks with director Jennifer Baichwal about her latest doc "Into the Weeds," which explores Lee's fight for a warning label.
Clip credits:
Official trailer and clip: courtesy of Mongrel Media
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Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka speak with culture writer Sumiko Wilson about three different artists from three different generations: Olivia Rodrigo, Charlie XCX, and Ye. They also discuss how documentaries are being used to explore the stories behind these artists.
Clip credits:
Charli XCX: Alone Together | Official Trailer - Bradley&Pablo Film/Greenwich Entertainment/youtube.com
OLIVIA RODRIGO: driving home 2 u (a SOUR film) | Official Trailer - Disney Entertainment/youtube.com
jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy | Official Teaser - Netflix/youtube.com
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In a world of rising cost and debt, calls for relief are growing stronger. Colin Ellis speaks with filmmaker Astra Taylor about her 2021 documentary "You Are Not a Loan," which looks at the power debtors possess that can change systems if they organize. They discuss how COVID changed the debt relief movement and how democracy is affected by people being forced to take on loans.
You Are Not a Loan clip credit: Courtesy of Astra Taylor.
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In Canada, only 31% of workers are unionized, but that's higher than it was in 2019. So, what's with the rise? It might have something to do with a global pandemic that's put workers in constant danger. In this episode, Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka watch 2019's "American Factory." Then, Colin digs further into the history of unions in Canada with economist Jim Stanford.
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Carbon: The Unauthorized Biography gives viewers an inside look at carbon - which could both doom us and save us in the climate emergency. To better understand this often-misunderstood element, Colin Ellis speaks with Phil De Luna, program director for the Energy Materials Challenge program at the Nation Research Council Canada, about the future of carbon including Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage technology.
The Nature of Things clip credit: Handful of Films and Genepool Productions/facebook.com
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Flee has been nominated for a trifecta of Oscars including Best Documentary Feature. In this episode, Colin Ellis speaks with Justin Chandler, co-host of Radio Free Krypton and TVO's Niagara-Hamilton Reporter on how this sub-genre of documentaries is evolving.
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Bill Cosby had an enormous impact on the culture of the United States. He was a comedian, an educator, and a father figure, but accusations of sexual misconduct by 60 women, and his subsequent conviction and then release from prison in June 2021, have cast his legacy into a new light. Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka discuss why it's so complicated to talk about Bill Cosby, and why it's necessary right now.
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Join Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka as they discuss the crimes of Simon Leviev, the subject of the Netflix documentary The Tinder Swindler, and why his victims aren't to blame. Then Colin speaks with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre on how to avoid these scams and why they're so prevalent.
Link to transcript
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Who's going to win the Oscar for Best Documentary this year? Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka are joined by Jane Jankovic to go through this year's Oscar picks and decide who is going to be the winner.
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Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka are joined by TVO's slate of documentary and podcast people to recommend the best docs for the holidays.
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Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka take a deep dive into the friendship and eventual fallout between Malcolm X and Muhammed Ali in Netflix's new documentary about the two titans.
Want to learn more? Check out these great recommendations from Colin and Nam:
The Autobiography of Malcolm X - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/92057.The_Autobiography_of_Malcolm_X
Thrilla in Manila - https://youtu.be/rEtCq6X7fUI
Manning marble: Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/297990/malcolm-x-by-manning-marable/
When We Were Kings - https://www.criterion.com/films/30086-when-we-were-kings
Malcolm X (dir. Spike Lee) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FtH94TiL0I
Ted Ed - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJcUnXTaCgU&list=PLw3JWyQ-DV4QnVdtJJqkx9mFGqWfhdhBX
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Director Karen Shopsowitz and producer Meredith Usher join On Docs to discuss "Magic Shadows, Elwy Yost: A Life in Movies."
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The fear of rejection from coming out as gay is something that all of Sharon Lewis and Vinay Giridhar's subjects expressed while filming their latest documentaries, "With Wonder" and "Emergence: Out of the Shadows." While some faced alienation, many found acceptance - a sign of changing times and attitudes. They join On Docs to discuss their films and the intersections of faith, culture, and sexuality.
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Elamin Abdelmahmoud, host of CBC's Pop Chat, joins On Docs to discuss celebrity documentaries from pop stars Billie Eilish and Demi Lovato, and what we get out of them.
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Alanis Obomsawin joins On Docs to discuss "Honour to Senator Murray Sinclair," which explores the importance of talking about residential schools.
There is a national, 24-hour, Indian Residential School Crisis Line to provide support to former students and others affected. Their phone number is 1-866-925-4419.
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Eva Orner joins On Docs to discuss her documentary, "Burning," which explores Australia's Black Summer and the alarms sounding on the climate crisis.
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Barry Avrich joins On Docs to discuss Oscar Peterson: Black + White, which explores Peterson's legacy as one of the greatest pianists of all time.
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Deeyah Khan joins On Docs to discuss Muslim in America: Legacy of Fear, which explores the discrimination faced by Muslims in a post-9/11 world.
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Frishta Bastan was only a kid when the U.S. and its allies invaded Afghanistan in 2001. Growing up in Canada, she heard stories about the country's rich culture and beauty from her parents. She fought back against stereotypes of the country and its people. She speaks to Colin Ellis about a side of Afghanistan we don't hear about very often, and what she's been doing to help Afghan refugees.
For more information: https://ayedi.ca/ccap/ https://idrf.ca/project/afghanistan/
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Journalist and filmmaker Julian Sher discusses the TVO Original documentary "Ghosts of Afghanistan" about the war in Afghanistan, 20 years after 9/11. Narrated by former Canadian war correspondent Graeme Smith, the doc looks at the failure to bring democracy, and women's rights to a country now in the hands of the Taliban.
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Welcome back to On Docs, TVO's podcast about the stories documentaries tell. Join Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka as they explore fascinating films with the creators who bring them to life. New episodes start October 8th.
Can’t get enough of documentaries and the diverse stories they tell? Make a donation today at www.tvo.org/supportpods to support TVO’s On Docs podcast.
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Anonymous. We may not know who they are, but we know what they've done. They've targeted the Church of Scientology, kept the internet on during the Arab Spring, and boosted the sales of Guy Fawkes masks. Their anonymity and ubiquity is their power, so that's why Commander X is such a controversial figure. Director Gary Lang joins On Docs to talk about "The Face of Anonymous," which follows Commander X who was once part of a notorious hacktivist group.
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In 1968, while white women were burning their bras in protest of the Miss America beauty contest, Black women and men were protesting the fact that no one from their community had ever been able to participate. Fast forward to 2019, every single major beauty pageant in America was won by a Black woman. What changed? Director Jen Holness joins On Docs to talk about "Subjects of Desire," which explores how Black women have redefined beauty.
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Sesame Street was created with a simple idea: Kids spend a lot of time watching television, so could that screen time be used to educate? It seems obvious now, but this is how the show created the template for educational programming. And the show's aim went even higher with an integrated cast and a goal of educating America's Black children. Director Marilyn Agrelo joins the podcast to talk about her documentary, "Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street," and explore Sesame Street's legacy.
Can’t get enough of documentaries and the diverse stories they tell? Make a donation today at www.tvo.org/supportpods to support TVO’s OnDocs podcast.
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Many of us are accustomed to accessing goods and services at pretty much anytime of the day. For workers, who don't work nine-to-five, grabbing a late-night snack or visiting a hospital, this is just part of modern life. Loira Limbal joins On Docs to talk about her film, "Through the Night," which visits a 24-hour daycare in New York run by Dolores "Nunu" and Patrick Hogan that lets kids stay the night as their parents work the night shift.
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Canada is one of the only countries in the world with legislation that directly targets LGBTQ refugees for sponsorship. Directors Sean Horlor and Stephen J. Adams latest documentary "Someone Like Me" follows one of these newcomers, a young man named Drake, as he arrives in Vancouver from Uganda and sets out on a new life. But while he's able to be out and proud, Drake starts to experience racism and economic disparity - two huge challenges that his sponsors struggle to help him overcome.
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In what's become an annual tradition, On Docs is taking a look at the Oscar nominees for best documentary. This year's nominees include: "Crip Camp," "Collective," "Time," The Mole Agent," and "My Octopus Teacher." Joining Colin and Nam is Jane Jankovic, TVO's Executive Producer of Documentaries, to discuss the best of the best in documentaries this year.
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Tina Turner's name is synonymous with rock and roll, but what you might not know is that she was born as Anna Mae Bullock. Her stage name was given to her by legendary musician Ike Turner, but as we discover in HBO's documentary "Tina," the name was about the only positive aspect of her relationship with him. Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka dig into the documentary and what it uncovers about Turner's life and career, and the power of reclaiming a name.
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Richard B. Pierre and Gina Marie join On Docs to talk about the mixed-race experience through a question that many people they have been asked: "What are you?" It's a troubling question that makes them feel othered, but it opens up a dialogue about how we see race in our society. Colin Ellis digs into the conversation with them, and asks why this question is so divisive.
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Mr. Miyagi's resolve to fight only when there was no other option cemented him as an 80's movie icon. Miyagi taught restraint and passivity, a stark contrast to White protagonists at the time who went around killing Asians. Here to help us explore "More Than Miyagi: The Pat Morita Story" is Guy Aoki from the Media Action Network for Asian Americans. We discuss Hollywood's historic lack of Asian representation, and why it's more important than ever to fix it with the rise of anti-Asian hate.
Pat Morita stand-up comedy: ABC/Disney/youtube.com Mr. Miyagi JC Penny scene: Delphi II Productions/Columbia Pictures/youtube.com Mr. Miyagi drunken scene: Delphi II Productions/Columbia Pictures/youtube.com Spider Man 2 violin player: Columbia Pictures and Marvel Enterprises/Disney/youtube.com
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"Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell" digs into the life of Christopher Wallace who would become the Notorious B.I.G., and unlike other documentaries on the hiphop artist, this doc focuses far more on his life than his death. Joining the podcast is Shad, creator of Netflix's "Hip-Hop Evolution," to talk about the new doc with Colin Ellis and new co-host Nam Kiwanuka.
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In the spring of 2020, a field hospital was erected at St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario. Filmmaker Matt Gallagher and producer Cornelia Principe were intrigued by it, and pitched a documentary about what it was like to be inside. But when they met resistance, the pair were forced to park the idea until Gallagher's father was diagnosed with COVID-19. "Dispatches from a Field Hospital" explores the experience both the patients and anxious family members as they try to communicate with one another.
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"John Ware Reclaimed" explores the history of one of Canada's most famous cowboys, and how his mythologization affected the perception of his story. Documentary filmmaker Cheryl Foggo joins Colin Ellis to explore the man, the myth, and the reality of John Ware.
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Colin Ellis is joined this week by Word Bomb hosts Pippa Johnstone and Karina Palmitesta to review Netflix's "History of Swear Words," which digs into the etymological origins of your favourite curse words.
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Since 2008, Britney Spears has been living under a conservatorship, a legal arrangement where her father, Jamie, is a guardian over her life and her estate. But is she a prisoner? Joining Colin Ellis are executive producer of The New York Times Presents Mary Robertson, and New York Times senior editor Liz Day to talk about reframing the narrative around the Princess of Pop, the FreeBritney movement, and the shifting perception of successful women.
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James Baldwin was born in Harlem in 1924, but spent most of his life in France. There, he wrote observations of systemic racism in America. Filmmaker Raoul Peck's documentary "I Am Not Your Negro" traces Baldwin's journey back to the United States as an observer and witness of the civil rights movement where he watches as one-by-one its leaders are killed. Namugenyi Kiwanuka joins Colin Ellis to talk about the doc, which bears witness to the life of writer James Baldwin.
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International outrage was sparked when Boko Haram kidnapped 276 young women from their school dormitory in 2015. While the spotlight led to a push to bring them home, years later the terrorist organization continues using this as a tactic. In Captive, journalist Mellissa Fung explores the lives of three young women who have escaped captors, and the challenges they face on the road to recovery.
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We're wrapping up this season of On Docs with something fun. Today, we're looking at "The Heart of Batman" - a free-to-stream YouTube documentary which explores the creation of "Batman: The Animated Series." It features the series' cast, crew, producers, and animators, and delves into the show's impact. Colin and Matt discuss why Batman still packs a punch, and how a show marketed toward a younger audience allowed the Dark Knight to become an animation icon.
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"I want people to see how brilliant our elders are," says Sarain Fox, director of "Inendi," a CBC short doc. "Whether you're Indigenous or not, your elders have a story. And whether you have an iPhone or old mini DV video camera, you can be capturing these stories and be holding on to them for generations to come." Fox joins host Colin Ellis to talk about her auntie Mary Bell - whose story she helped capture.
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Filmmaker Hao Wu joins host Colin Ellis to discuss his latest film "76 Days," which dives into Wuhan's pandemic response - and the horrors medical workers were exposed to. We talk about how his film crews got access to the hospitals, why they stopped working with him, and how the story came together in the edit.
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Chantal Braganza, a former On Docs producer and a senior editor at Chatelaine, joins host Colin Ellis to discuss the Netflix documentary "My Octopus Teacher." They explore the unusual bond between filmmaker Craig Foster and an octopus he discovers in a kelp forest off the coast of South Africa.
Credit for My Octopus Teacher clips: Netflix/youtube.com
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The story of Cornwall's ever-growing feline population was irresistible to filmmaker and cat-lover Aaron Hancox. But, he learned, it's also very dire. In "Running Wild: The Cats of Cornwall," Hancox documents the work of cat rescuers Mary Jane Proulx and Melissa Alepins as they wade through the town's ecological catastrophe. Hancox joins host Colin Ellis to discuss what happens next.
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The first video game was created in 1958 as a physics experiment. Now, video games are a multi-billion-dollar industry - a story covered in Netflix's "High Score." Gaming historian Kishonna Gray joins guest host Matthew O'Mara to discuss the little-known figures who pushed gaming forward, and why they've remained anonymous for so long.
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In "There's No Place Like This Place, Anyplace," Lulu Wei tells the story of Honest Ed's - a store that once dominated the intersection of Bathurst and Bloor in Toronto's Annex neighbourhood. What happened when the store and its surrounding area were sold off to a condo developer? Wei joins host Colin Ellis to discuss affordable housing, community consultation, and how to protect neighbourhoods.
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In Picture My Face: The Story of Teenage Head, Douglas Arrowsmith chronicles one of Ontario's most notorious punk bands. While it's infamous for a riot at Ontario Place, Arrowsmith focuses on a more personal tragedy. He joins host Colin Ellis to discuss the death of Teenage Head's lead singer - and the mental health fallout for his bandmates.
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Toppled statues, dismantled barricades, and burning buildings. The news cycle is forcing many non-Indigenous Canadians to grapple with the country's colonial history. Michelle Latimer joins host Colin Ellis to discuss reframing the commonly accepted story of Indigenous people in North America, which is the topic of her documentary, Inconvenient Indian.
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What can a pollster learn from your Twitter feed? Colin Ellis speaks with Peter Gombos about his documentary Margin of Error, which explores how social media has become a critical resource for public-opinion polling - and the privacy concerns that entails. Then, Erin Kelly, president and CEO of Advanced Symbolics, argues that her company (and its artificial intelligence called Polly) is nothing to be afraid of.
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Who’s really in control when you open Twitter or Facebook? Ryerson professor and tech columnist Ramona Pringle joins host Colin Ellis to discuss Netflix’s The Social Dilemma — and the ways in which social media companies dictate our behaviour.
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Joel Bakan and Jennifer Abbott's 2003 documentary, The Corporation, argued that many corporations met the criteria of a psychopath. Years later, things have only gotten worse. The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel examines how corporations have rebranded as socially responsible - and looks at the grassroots organizations that are fighting back.
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While you may not know Raymond Moriyama's name, there's a good chance you've been in one of his buildings. The Ontario Science Centre, the Bata Shoe Museum, and the Canadian War Museum are just a few places that he's made his mark on as both architect and visionary. Scott Calbeck's documentary 'Magical Imperfection' looks at Moriyama's life through several events that defined who he is and inspired what he'd create.
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Alex West from The Faculty of Horror podcast returns to On Docs to discuss Best Worst Movie, a 2009 documentary about the low-budget film Troll 2. The comedy/horror movie has become a cult classic since its release in 1990, delighting audiences at midnight madness screenings with its poor acting, terrible dialogue and shoddy special effects.
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For the season finale of On Docs, we bring you TVO's first-ever podcast crossover! John Michael McGrath and Steve Paikin, hosts of the #onpoli podcast, join Colin Ellis to discuss The Art of the Possible, a groundbreaking NFB documentary from 1978. With unprecedented access to Premier Bill Davis and his Progressive Conservative government of the day, director Peter Raymont provided a behind-the-scenes look at how Ontario politics operated.
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Alex West, author and co-host of The Faculty of Horror podcast, joins host Colin Ellis to discuss Hail Satan?, a documentary by filmmaker Penny Lane. The 2019 film looks at members of the Satanic Temple and its grassroots campaign to defend the separation of church and state. They also discuss misconceptions about Satanists, the Satanic Panic of the 1980s, and the role the devil plays in horror films.
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Colin Ellis speaks with Nam Kiwanuka, host of The Agenda in the Summer, about Ava DuVernay's documentary 13th. The 2016 film looks at the rise of mass incarceration in the U.S., from its roots in slavery through the Jim Crow era and beyond. They discuss how racism is still an uncomfortable subject for many to talk about, how racist portrayals of Black people in the media inform the way they're treated by the justice system, and why this problem isn't unique to the United States.
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Host Colin Ellis welcomes health law researcher Timothy Caulfield to talk about the popularity of food and health documentaries and why people should approach them with a dose of scientific skepticism. Caulfield is the author of "The Science of Celebrity ... Or Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything?"
Credit for clip from The Game Changers: ReFuel Productions/youtube.com
Credit for clip from What the Health: A.U.M Film & Media/youtube.com
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Filmmaker Nathalie Bibeau talks with host Colin Ellis about her new doc, The Walrus and the Whistleblower, which features a former animal trainer who spoke up about alleged abuse at Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ont. She describes Phil Demers's uniquely close relationship with Smooshi, a captive walrus who had imprinted on him, his dream of being reunited with her, and his fight against the theme park, which is suing him for $1.5 million. The Walrus and the Whistleblower is streaming on CBC Gem.
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Filmmaker Ali Weinstein explains to host Colin Ellis how the C3 Global Church has found the secret formula to converting millennials into churchgoers: coffee, concerts, and community. Her documentary, #Blessed, follows pastor Sam Picken to examine C3's belief system, the politics around the church, and what happens when its initial promise of inclusion falls away. #Blessed is streaming at the Hot Docs Online Festival until June 14 and will air on CBC DOCS POV at 8 p.m. on July 18, 2020.
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Michael Kanentakeron Mitchell joins host Colin Ellis to talk about his 1969 short film You Are On Indian Land. The documentary, made by the Indian Film Crew, an all-Indigenous unit at the NFB, documents a 1969 protest at Akwesasne. This episode delves into Mitchell's career in film and politics, the film's screening at Alcatraz prison, and why he was credited as the film's director in 2017.
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The 2010 G20 protest in Toronto was the site of the largest mass arrest in Canadian history, many of them unlawful. This is where director Martin Himel begins his documentary "The Arrest," which explores what happens to people in Ontario when they're wrongfully arrested and the fight that ensues when they try to clear their names. Clips from "The Arrest" are courtesy of Vigilance Productions Inc.
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Bruce Beach has a plan to save the world. Located in Horning's Mills, Ont., about 1.5 hours northwest of Toronto, Beach owns the largest privately-owned nuclear fallout shelter in the world. Director Paul Kell followed him for eight years while producing The Dawnsayer. His documentary looks into Bruce's complicated legacy, eccentricity and inventions, and success and failure.
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Filmmaker Liz Marshall joins host Colin Ellis to discuss her latest documentary, "Meat the Future" which looks at some of the innovators behind cell-based meat. It's a process where animal tissue is used to make meat products without the need to slaughter animals or harm the environment. Does cell-based meat point the way towards a more sustainable future?
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Host Colin Ellis speaks with filmmaker Alan Zweig, whose TVO Original documentary Coppers takes an unflinching look at the lives of retired police officers. They discuss how Zweig's former work as a cabbie informed his approach to his subjects and how police officers often suffer in silence.
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Food writer Suresh Doss joins host Colin Ellis to talk about the acclaimed 2011 documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi and its influence. Jiro Ono is the owner of Tokyo's Sukibayashi Jiro and has dedicated his life to the craft of making sushi. The film, which explores his obsession with perfection and his legacy's effect on his sons, is a jumping-off point for this episode's discussion of food, culture, and inevitable change.
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In this bonus episode of On Docs, actor and filmmaker Maryam Zaree joins host Colin Ellis to discuss her documentary, Born in Evin. The daughter of political dissidents, Zaree was born inside Iran's notorious prison. She and her mother fled to Germany as refugees when she was a child. The film, which follows her quest to find answers about her early years, was screened at the 17th annual Human Rights Watch Film Festival in Toronto.
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In this bonus episode of On Docs, Colin Ellis sits down with Jane Jankovic, executive producer of documentaries at TVO, to discuss this year's group of Academy Award nominees: Honeyland, American Factory, The Cave, For Sama, and The Edge of Democracy. Then, Sami Khan of Sarnia, Ont., discusses his Oscar-nominated short documentary, St. Louis Superman, and what it's like to be up for an Academy Award.
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Host Colin Ellis speaks with Jamie Kastner, the director of There Are No Fakes, a TVO Original Documentary, about the legacy of famed Anishinaabe artist Norval Morrisseau.
Credit: Cave 7 Productions
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Host Colin Ellis speaks with Shawney Cohen and Rachel Browne about Rat Park, their new Vice Studios documentary about the global addiction crisis. Through the experiences of the United States, the Philippines, and Portugal, they examine the spectrum of federal drug policy, from a tough-on-crime approach to complete decriminalization.
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Colin Ellis speaks with Ingrid Waldron about There's Something in the Water, the documentary that Nova Scotia-born actor Ellen Page made about Waldron's book about environmental racism, and what it's like to have a celebrity take interest in your work and advocacy.
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Jordan River Anderson was five when he died. The boy from Norway House Cree Nation was born with a condition that left him unable to talk, walk, or breathe on his own. And because the provincial and federal government couldn't agree on who should pay for his home care, he spent his whole short life in a hospital. Host Colin Ellis speaks to filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin about her documentary about Jordan's legacy.
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In 2011, former priest William Hodgson Marshall pleaded guilty to multiple counts of indecent assaults of minors and sexual assault. Matt Gallagher made a documentary about this case, but Prey isn't about what happened before Marshall's conviction: it's about what happened when a survivor took the Congregation of St. Basil to court over its financial settlement.
Prey profiles survivors Rod MacLeod and Patrick McMahon. Colin Ellis speaks with Gallagher, MacLeod, and McMahon about the film.
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Yung Chang's documentaries have looked at China's modernization, exotic fruit cultivators, and more. Now, in This Is Not a Movie, he turns his sights on Robert Fisk, Middle East correspondent for The Independent newspaper. Fisk has covered some of the region's most harrowing conflicts in his more-than-40-year career. Chang spoke to Colin Ellis on making a doc about someone with a controversial reputation, having a subjective point of view in journalism, Fisk's criticism of social media, and more.
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Everyone thinks they can recognize propaganda - and that they're immune to its influence. Filmmaker Larry Weinstein's latest documentary, Propaganda: The Art of Selling Lies, will make you reconsider.
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On Docs host Colin Ellis speaks to Michael Sladden, owner and director of Camp Pathfinder, about he decided to invite war-zone refugees to the camp and what it was like to have the project featured in a documentary.
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Women are the fastest-growing incarcerated population, both in Canada and around the world. When filmmakers Nance Ackerman, Teresa MacInnes, and Ariella Pahlke decided to make a documentary about why, they also decided to put the camera in the hands of the incarcerated women whose stories they were telling.
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Michael Jackson. Bill Clinton. Lorena Bobbitt. If you lived through the '90s, chances are you know these names and know the stories behind them. But do you really? Host Colin Ellis and producers Matthew O'Mara and Chantal Braganza discuss Leaving Neverland and Lorena, two series that revisit two of the biggest scandals of the decade.
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Ben Sisto spent eight years in search of the original writer of the 1999 hit, "Who Let to the Dogs Out?" His quest is the subject of a new documentary. Host Colin Ellis spoke with Sisto about making the doc, and the answers he found.
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What happens when Hollywood makes feature films from documentaries? Is there ever a time when one medium tells the story better? Colin Ellis and producers Matthew O'Mara and Chantal Braganza get together to talk about some beloved docs and the big-screen versions they inspired.
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After releasing Human Flow, his 2017 documentary on the refugee crisis, artist and activist Ai Weiwei was left with 900 hours of footage - what he calls "the rest." This film wasn't just cutting-floor material. It shows the human face of what happens when war forces people to flee their homes, uprooting their families, lives, and futures. The Rest is Weiwei's second close-up at a growing crisis that he says implicates everyone across the globe: from refugees themselves, to the policymakers making it difficult for them to cross borders, to viewers just like us.
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Colten Boushie was a 22-year-old Cree man from Red Pheasant First Nation. Gerald Stanley is the white Saskatchewan farmer who shot and killed him when Boushie and a group of friends trespassed on his property one August afternoon in 2016.
That afternoon, and the second-degree murder trial that followed it, polarized the province. Filmmaker Tasha Hubbard chronicled the family's story and situates it within a larger one - colonial violence, intergenerational trauma, and intergenerational resistance.
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Awards season is here! Colin and producers Matt and Chantal discuss the five films up for best documentary feature at the 2019 Academy Awards: Free Solo, R.B.G., Minding the Gap, Of Fathers and Sons, and Hale County This Morning, This Evening. The trio talks about what made these docs compelling, where they fell short, and which one they think will take home Oscar gold.
Host: Colin Ellis, Producer: Chantal Braganza, Technical Producer: Matthew O'Mara, Production Coordinator: Nikki Ashworth and Jonathan Halliwell, Podcast Manager: Hannah Sung.
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In 2009, a documentary pointed the globe's attention to Taiji, a tiny town in coastal Japan where dolphin and whale hunting forms a major part of the fishing industry. The Cove went on to win an Oscar and inspire a new generation of anti-whaling activism. But what if the story around Japan's whaling culture isn't so black and white? Nearly a decade later, filmmaker Megumi Sasaki returned to Japan to explore the country's historical and cultural relationship with whaling and to document the effects The Cove has had on Taiji and its people.
Guests: Megumi Sasaki. Host: Colin Ellis, Producer: Chantal Braganza, Technical Producer: Matthew O'Mara, Production Coordinator: Jonathan Halliwell, Nikki Ashworth, Podcast Manager: Hannah Sung.
Credit: Courtesy of Fine Line Media
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Social-impact bonds - which see private investors fund government pilot programs - are a fast-growing trend internationally. When filmmaker Nadine Pequeneza first heard about them, in 2014, she was excited about the investment tool that aimed to marry capitalism with social change. Four years and a documentary film later, her thinking has changed. In this episode of On Docs, she sits down with Colin Ellis to explain why.
Guests: Nadine Pequeneza. Host: Colin Ellis, Producer: Chantal Braganza, Technical Producer: Matthew O'Mara, Production Coordinator: Caitlin Plummer, Podcast Manager: Hannah Sung. Credit: Courtesy of HitPlay Productions in association with TVO; Vince Guaraldi Trio/Fantasy Records/youtube.com.
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Colin joins acclaimed Canadian filmmaker Min Sook Lee for a special screening of her 2005 film, Hogtown: The Politics of Policing, and a conversation about the overlapping roles of activism and documentary filmmaking. Guest: Min Sook Lee. Host: Colin Ellis, Producer: Chantal Braganza, Technical Producer: Matthew O'Mara, Production Coordinator: Caitlin Plummer, Podcast Manager: Hannah Sung. Credit: Min Sook Lee/National Film Board of Canada, Min Sook Lee/City State Productions Ltd., Min Sook Lee/TVO/Rogers Communications.
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You probably know someone you would call racist, but have you ever called them out? What would happen if you did? Vanessa Loewen and Stephanie Scott, the producers of First Contact, found out when they took six Canadians to Indigenous communities across the country. Guest: Vanessa Loewen and Stephanie Scott. Host: Colin Ellis, Producer: Chantal Braganza, Technical Producer: Matthew O'Mara, Production Coordinator: Caitlin Plummer, Podcast Manager: Hannah Sung. Credit: First Contact Canada Inc.
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Colin speaks to anthropologist Sine Plambech and filmmaker Janus Metz, who spent 10 years documenting migration marriages in Denmark between Thai women supporting families back home and Danish men looking for companionship. Are migration marriages about love, or are they a convenient arrangement? Can they be both? Guests: Sine Plambech and Janus Metz. Host: Colin Ellis, Producer: Chantal Braganza, Technical Producer: Matthew O'Mara, Production Coordinator: Caitlin Plummer, Podcast Manager: Hannah Sung. Credit: Magic Hour Films and Metz Film in co-production with Upfront Films, BALDR Film, Vilda Bomben Film and Film i Väst.
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What happens when a city can't keep the lights on? Filmmaker Shasha Nakhai tells Colin how the power grid affects life in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, where half the residents have no reliable access to electricity. Guest: Shasha Nakhai. Host: Colin Ellis, Producer: Chantal Braganza, Technical Producer: Matthew O'Mara, Production Coordinator: Caitlin Plummer, Podcast Manager: Hannah Sung. Credit: Storyline Entertainment/takelightfilm.com
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Colin joins director Sarah Fodey and Canadian Armed Forces veteran Patti Gray for a special screening and discussion of The Fruit Machine, a TVO original documentary that explores Canada's campaign from the 1950s until the 1980s to purge LGBTQ people from the public service. Guests: Sarah Fodey and Patti Grey. Host: Colin Ellis, Producer: Chantal Braganza, Technical Producer: Matthew O'Mara, Production Coordinator: Caitlin Plummer, Podcast Manager: Hannah Sung. Credit: A TVO Original documentary produced by SandBay Entertainment
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The team behind Manufactured Landscapes and Watermark is back with a new film that explores the ways human activity has fundamentally changed the planet. Colin sat down with filmmakers Jennifer Baichwal, Edward Burtynsky, and Nicholas de Pencier to discuss the massive impact we've had on the Earth. Guests: Jennifer Baichwal, Edward Burtynsky, and Nicholas de Pencier. Host: Colin Ellis, Producer: Chantal Braganza, Technical Producer: Matthew O'Mara, Production Coordinator: Caitlin Plummer, Podcast Manager: Hannah Sung. Credit: Mercury Films Inc. in association with TVO/Anthropocene Films Inc./mongrelmedia.com
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Filmmaker Deeyah Khan sat down with members of the white power movement in the United States to gain a better understanding of what motivates them to hate. She spoke with Colin about how she gained their confidence - and whether they have the capacity to change. Guest Deeyah Khan. Host: Colin Ellis, Producer: Chantal Braganza, Technical Producer: Matthew O'Mara, Production Coordinator: Caitlin Plummer, Podcast Manager: Hannah Sung. Credit: Fuuse Films
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Why are democracies struggling to be democratic? That's the question activist and filmmaker Astra Taylor's latest film tackles, but as she tells Colin, finding an answer is far from easy. From the birth of democracy in Greece to Donald Trump's campaign rallies, the film takes viewers on a journey to answer this burning question. Guest: Astra Taylor. Host: Colin Ellis, Producer: Chantal Braganza, Technical Producer: Matthew O'Mara, Production Coordinator: Caitlin Plummer, Podcast Manager: Hannah Sung. Credit: National Film Board of Canada/nfb.ca
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Welcome to On Docs, our new TVO Podcast on documentaries and the stories they tell. Subscribe now for episodes that begin October 2018.
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