The Most-Watched NFB CAMPUS Films of 2019

The calendar year is almost up, and 2019 proved to be fantastic for NFB Education’s online collection. We added a ton of films to CAMPUS over the past twelve months, the majority of them coming from our Indigenous Voices and Reconciliation, Diversity and Inclusion, and Environment and Sustainability thematic programs.

The education team took a look back and selected the 10 Most-Watched CAMPUS Films of 2019 and bundled them with any resource guides, mini-lessons, and blog posts. We’re thrilled to present them to you. Enjoy!

We Were Children

We Were Children, Tim Wolochatiuk, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

In this feature film, the profound impact of the Canadian government’s residential school system is conveyed through the eyes of two children who were forced to face hardships beyond their years. As young children, Lyna and Glen were taken from their homes and placed in church-run boarding schools, where they suffered years of physical, sexual and emotional abuse, the effects of which persist in their adult lives. We Were Children gives voice to a national tragedy and demonstrates the incredible resilience of the human spirit.

STUDY GUIDE

The Sterilization of Leilani Muir

The Sterilization of Leilani Muir, Glynis Whiting, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

A single IQ test and misguided ‘science’ irreparably changed the life of a 14-year-old Canadian girl. This documentary follows Leilani Muir’s search for justice and explores how eugenics (improving hereditary qualities of a race through the control of reproduction) became acceptable in the early 1900s.

Angry Inuk

Angry Inuk, Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

In her award-winning documentary, director Alethea Arnaquq-Baril joins a new tech-savvy generation of Inuit as they campaign to challenge long-established perceptions of seal hunting. Armed with social media and their own sense of humour and justice, this group is bringing its own voice into the conversation and presenting themselves to the world as a modern people in dire need of a sustainable economy.

What is Democracy?

What is Democracy?, Astra Taylor, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

Featuring a diverse cast—including celebrated philosophers, trauma surgeons, factory workers, refugees, and politicians—What Is Democracy? connects past and present, emotion and the intellect, the personal and the political, to provoke and inspire. If we want to live in democracy, we must first ask what the word even means.

BLOG POST
MINI-LESSON

Manufactured Landscapes

This documentary focuses on internationally renowned Canadian artist Edward Burtynsky, who has spent the last three decades creating large-scale photographs of landscapes transformed by industry.

Pink Ribbons Inc.

Pink Ribbons Inc., Léa Pool, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

Pink Ribbons, Inc. shows how the devastating reality of breast cancer, which marketing experts have labeled a “dream cause,” has been hijacked by a shiny, pink story of success.

STUDY GUIDE 1

STUDY GUIDE 2

STUDY GUIDE 3

Waterlife

Waterlife, Kevin McMahon, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

Waterlife is about the Great Lakes that follows the flow of the lakes’ water from the Nipigon River to the Atlantic Ocean. The film’s goal is to take viewers on a tour of an incredibly beautiful ecosystem that is facing complex challenges.

Wards of the Crown

Wards of the Crown, Andrée Cazabon, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

This film examines the lives of 4 young people who grew up in the child welfare system. It is also a critical exposé of a system that couldn’t meet their needs, as well as a stirring tribute to the strength, courage and resilience of these foster kids.

A Love That Kills

A Love That Kills, Annie O'Donoghue, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

A Love That Kills is a powerful documentary that tells the tragic story of Monica, a nineteen-year-old woman who was murdered by her former boyfriend. Monica’s mother speaks passionately throughout the video, bravely telling viewers about her daughter’s life and tragic death. A Love That Kills helps to identify the warning signs of partner abuse, especially in young people, and the damage it causes emotionally and physically.

Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis, Nova Ami & Velcrow Ripper, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

Metamorphosis captures the true scale of the global environmental crisis. Forest fires consume communities, species vanish, and entire ecosystems collapse. But this crisis is also an opportunity for transformation. Through a tidal flow of stunning images, Metamorphosis carves a path from the present to the future, and offers a bold new vision for humanity and the world.

MINI-LESSON

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