Rare Birds 2001
A down-and-out restaurateur and his neighbor hatch a plan to lure luminaries to their small Newfoundland town.
A down-and-out restaurateur and his neighbor hatch a plan to lure luminaries to their small Newfoundland town.
A blood feud divides a small town in rural Newfoundland.
An independent investigative journalist is on a mission to solve a string of strange deaths occurring in the forests of Western Newfoundland. What was once thought to be animal attacks is now being studied a little closer and just may be murders carried out by the mythical creature of provincial folklore, the Webber.
A whisper among the sprawling forests and mill towns of central Newfoundland. A body found on the side of a river brings together a reclusive fur trapper and a heartsick mother-to-be. Scott is lonely and desperate to give himself meaning. Mona is strong-willed, but frustrated by her fragility. As a reluctant dependence blossoms the pair find themselves wading into violence, answering for the debts of a dead man. Stalked by outlaws, they plan an exit.
When a marriage is threatened by a long excursion for work, domestic trouble is buffeted by family and friends.
As debate in Canada and the world rages over health care, Hospital City offers a moving, human portrait of the people whom the issues touch most closely.
A documentary from 1987 featuring the life of early Chinese immigrants to the island of Newfoundland.
Based on the tale by Dale Jarvis, "Lady at Number 16" tells the story of two sailors in the 1800s that help a young lady back into her mansion. They return a few hours later to realize that their night was not all that it had seemed, and it may have had a more sinister twist than expected.
In 1940s outport Newfoundland, young Sadie struggles to cope with the tragic death of both her parents.
In his crusade for literacy, principal Ray Brown enlisted the help of the community and broke through the cycle of illiteracy in a small Newfoundland fishing village. He turned the struggling elementary school into a place where students were eager to learn and instilled in parents a sense of hope for their children's future.
A feature length documentary about extraordinary Canadian singer songwriter, Ron Hynes... an insightful and entertaining exploration of the creative process, the genesis of song, the meaning of performance and the vulnerability of an artist compelled to bare his soul through his music. The film is comprised of Ron performing his music (distinct and live for the camera), interwoven with very intimate black box 'interviews' with Ron (shot tightly and directly addressed to the camera), in which he discusses the songs and the life that informed them: late nights, dark alleys, marriage, children, divorce, his near death and recovery from drug addiction... and punctuated with back stage moments, insight from the street, and Ron's nephew author Joel Thomas Hynes, taking the role of 'chorus of the people'.
Adopted Montreal filmmaker Adrian Wills discovers, on camera and in real time, the startling truths of his complex beginnings in Newfoundland. Shocking details drive Wills to the core of his birth mother’s resilience, and ultimately his own. In this moving feature documentary that combines 16mm footage and contemporary images with deeply personal conversations, Wills’ voyage transforms from an urgent search for identity into a quest to give a quiet girl her voice.
In the coldest waters surrounding Newfoundland's rugged Fogo Island, "people of the fish"—traditional fishers—catch cod live by hand, one at a time, by hook and line. After a 20-year moratorium on North Atlantic cod, the stocks are returning. These fishers are leading a revolution in sustainability, taking their premium product directly to the commercial market for the first time. Travel with them from the early morning hours, spend time on the ocean, and witness the intricacies of a 500-year-old tradition that's making a comeback.
Ben Power interviews his father, Darrell Power of Great Big Sea, and asks what it was like on the road, being away from his family, and how being in one of the most memorable Newfoundland bands shaped his life.
Amidst a mostly Catholic community, a small tiny Anglican church offers more to the community of Placentia than people may think, and holds many connections and history to the rest of the world.
A dash of youth, a pinch of age, and an unrecorded recipe: Mudder's Hands is a charming documentary conversation about arthritis, centered around the tradition of baking Newfoundland raisin bread.
One man's hat is another man's treasure when it comes to the importance and significance of saving items of historic value.
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.
A young man receiving medical treatment in the hospital reminisces about fishing in the small dory his grandfather owned.
An instructional film profiling the dragnet fishing technique as practiced by Danish sailors.
After the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Inspector, Donny Fitzpatrick (Fitz), digs too deeply into a local politician’s nefarious activity, he is exiled to work in Saint-Pierre et Miquelon – the French Territory nestled in the Atlantic Ocean. Fitz’s arrival disrupts the life of Deputy Chief Geneviève Archambault (Arch), a Parisian transplant who is in Saint-Pierre for her own intriguing reasons. As if by fate, these two seasoned officers — with very different policing skills and approaches — are forced together to solve unique and exciting crimes. Although the islands seem like a quaint tourist destination, the idyllic façade conceals the worst kind of criminal activity, which tend to wash up on its beautiful shores. At first at odds and suspicious of each other, Arch and Fitz soon discover that they are better together.
From kiteboarding in the frigid North Atlantic, to dune buggy racing on sandy shores, to dog sledding, to Shark Fishing offshore; Adventures Unknown will be your guide to amazing excursions around the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.