Video Library

The Alberta Civil Liberties Research Centre has over 100 videos that you can borrow as a teaching tool in your classroom or learning environment. Just choose a video from the list below, contact us to make sure the video is in, and after you pick it up make sure the video is back within 2 weeks. We can also arrange to mail a video to you if you can’t get to our location. We welcome visitors who would like to preview videos on-site before choosing the right one for their classroom. Visit or call us at:

University of Calgary, Faculty of Law

Murray Fraser Hall Rm 2350

Melissa Luhtanen 220-2505

Topic Listings:

Canadian Government

Children’s Rights

Freedom of Expression & Media Literacy

Harassment & Discrimination, General

International Human Rights

Justice System

Physical/Mental Disability Issues

Political Protest

Privacy

Racism & Cultural Awareness

Refugee Issues

Sexual Harassment and Gender Discrimination

Sexual Orientation Discrimination

Torture

Young Offenders

Children’s Rights

• In My World

An exploration of the Calgary Board of Education’s “In My World” program. Deals with the application of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. 2000, 10:48 minutes.

• Right from the heart

National Film Board of Canada, 25:09 minutes.

 

Top of the Document

Justice System

• To Kill or To Cure

This video is a compelling and controversial look at a problem that goes back to Cain’s murder of Abel: how should we deal with crime? Filmmakers Josh Freed and Jon Kalina travel the globe to look at the most fascinating examples of justice on the planet from the harsh punishments of China and the Middle East to more merciful methods in Finland and Japan. At its root the choice is always the same: to crush criminals or to bring them back into the community? To take revenge or to rehabilitate? To kill or to cure? What can Canadians learn from the world?

Galafilm Productions, 2003, 83:00 minutes.

 

• High Risk Offender

This film takes the viewer into a high-risk parole office and investigates the people whose lives it touches – prisoners guilty of everything from murder to white-collar crime. What you see is the real thing- raw, revealing and utterly fascinating. Over a ten month period, we follow six high-risk offenders and the parole officers and therapists whose job it is to make sure they stay clean, stay out of trouble and stay out of jail.

National Film Board of Canada, 1998, 56:57 minutes.

 

• Appearing in Provincial Court, Pleading Guilty and Speaking to Sentence- Theft Under $500

Created by Student Legal Assistance and the University of Calgary, this short film informs the viewer on court procedures for appearing, pleading and speaking in an Alberta court room.

Student Legal Assistance, University of Calgary, 19:00 minutes.

 

• Impaired Driving: Appearing in Provincial Criminal Court, Pleading Guilty and Speaking to Sentence

Created by Student Legal Assistance and the University of Calgary, this short film informs the viewer on court procedures for appearing in provincial criminal court, pleading and speaking in an Alberta court room.

Student Legal Assistance, University of Calgary, 22:00 minutes.

 

Physical/Mental Disability Issues

• Searching for Hawa’s Secret

This video depicts the unlikely partnership of a Canadian AIDS scientist and a Kenyan prostitute named Hawa in the search for an AIDS vaccine. Frank Plummer discovered that among the hundreds of women who came into his Kenyan clinic, a small percentage of them, did not become infected with HIV. He believed a vaccine for the dreaded disease might come from duplicating whatever it was that seemed to make this small group of women immune.

National Film Board of Canada, 1999, 46:50 minutes.

 

A Mind of Your Own

It is estimated that in every Canadian classroom, there are two or three kids affected by a learning disability. Although they are generally of average or higher intelligence, these kids struggle to keep up with their class and to be accepted. Meet four incredible kids who won’t let their learning differences hold them down. As they confront their disabilities and reveal in unique talents it becomes clear that ‘different’ can also mean wonderful. This warm and inspirational video will encourage and boost the self esteem of kids struggling with learning disabilities, and foster understanding in their peers.

National Film Board of Canada, 1999, 37:27 minutes.

 

The Long Walk

Ken Ward was the first Native Canadian to go public with his HIV diagnosis. Seven years later he has developed AIDS and remains an ardent activist of HIV prevention and treatment. Ward works primarily with First Nations populations, where the epidemic is often compounded by isolation and poverty. He also takes his message into prisons, where the infection rate among Native inmates is 17 times the national average. Filmmaker Alan Bibby accompanies Ward as he travels the back roads of the Canadian West, nurturing tolerance and understanding within fearful communities, and bringing hope and guidance to people living with HIV or AIDS.

National Film Board of Canada, 1998, 48:00 minutes.

 

My Healing Journey

In 1991, Edmonton filmmaker Joe Viszmeg was diagnosed with a rare form of adrenal cancer and told he would not live through the year. Several years later with the production of this film, Viszmeg explains how, with the support of his family, he has continued to survive despite the predictions of the medical community. It allows us to witness one man’s hopes, fears, and love. Through a mixture of personal journals, often humorous narration, medical interviews and moving images, this film guides us through the daily life of Viszmeg and the roller coaster of deadly cancer.

National Film Board of Canada, 1998, 44:39 minutes.

 

Toward Intimacy

Women with disabilities are working towards full participation in all areas of life. Toward Intimacy is a cross-disability affirmation of the right of women with disabilities to seek, develop and sustain intimate relationships with the partners of their choice. In this moving one-hour film, four disabled women from across Canada share their personal experiences, with particular emphasis on sexuality, self-esteem, stereotyping and parenting.

National Film Board of Canada, 1992, 61:46 minutes.

 

Political Protest

• View From the Summit

It’s April 20, 2001 – and Quebec City prepares to host the three-day Summit of the Americas. A four-kilometer fence has been erected, cutting off Upper Town from the rest of the city. Thirty-four heads of state from the Americas will meet behind closed doors to discuss agreements for a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTTA). Those opposed to the FTAA are mobilizing and gathering in Quebec City, too. Several thousand delegates have come to participate in the People’s Summit, and tens of thousands will march in protest… View from the Summit vividly portrays what happens when passionate and creative protesters clash with ideologies of those in power.

National Film Board of Canada, 2002, 75:00 minutes.

Privacy

• Privacy Rights in the Workplace

This informative video discusses privacy issues for employers and their employees, including how much surveillance is acceptable in the workplace, and what constitutes invading an employee’s privacy. Topics addressed include the laws surrounding these areas, the use of medical exams and electronic monitoring.

Canada Law Book, Inc, 25:36

Top of the Document

Racism & Cultural Awareness

• Building A School Community: Piece by Piece

This video concentrates on how to peacefully build and maintain a diverse school group. It helps to instruct teachers on how to build an understanding community of inclusive schooling. Touched upon are issues of racism, seclusion and intolerance.

Lovink Media, 2001,14:07 minutes.

• Journey to Justice

This video pays tribute to a group of Canadians who took racism to court. They are Canada’s unsung heroes in the fight for Black civil rights. Focusing on the 1930’s to the 1950’s, this film documents the struggle of six people who refused to accept inequality. These brave pioneers helped secure justice for all Canadians. Their stories deserve to be told.

National Film Board of Canada, 2000, 47:08 minutes.

• Color Blind

This film is about subtle racism and its daily impact on teenagers in high school. To outsiders, Princess Margaret Senior Secondary, in the heart of Surrey BC, looked like an ordinary high school. To teachers and students, however, it was a school full of racial rage, segregation, and violence. It’s troubles began in 1995 when changes in the student population resulted in a shift of predominance from a white to ethnic student body. Five years later, we follow five teenagers as they learn tolerance for each other’s differences. Color Blind documents that painful and confusing process of overcoming racial conflicts. The video’s purpose is to encourage young students to examine their own behaviours and attitudes and to ask questions of themselves about how they react to racism within their own school.

National Film Board of Canada, 2000, 24:00 minutes.

• Journey to Justice

This video pays tribute to a group of Canadians who took racism to court. They are Canada’s unsung heroes in the fight for Black civil rights. Focusing on the 1930’s to the 1950’s, this film documents the struggle of six people who refused to accept inequality. These brave pioneers helped secure justice for all Canadians. Their stories deserve to be told.

National Film Board of Canada, 2000, 47:08 minutes.

• When Strangers Reunite

Every year thousands of women enter Canada as domestic servants, the majority of them from the Philippines. Leaving their own children and families behind, they can spend many isolated years cooking, cleaning, and caring for others.  Sending much of their wages back home, they dream of the day their families can join them. Within the Filipino community in Canada, several groups and organizations have been actively working for the rights and welfare of migrant workers. It is largely thanks to them that most of these families are able to overcome what can seem like insurmountable obstacles. This candid and touching portrait reveals three families in the midst of healing and coping with the strangers they love.

National Film Board of Canada, 1999, 51:59 minutes.

• The Long Walk

Ken Ward was the first Native Canadian to go public with his HIV diagnosis. Seven years later he has developed AIDS and remains an ardent activist of HIV prevention and treatment. Ward works primarily with First Nations populations, where the epidemic is often compounded by isolation and poverty. He also takes his message into prisons, where the infection rate among Native inmates is 17 times the national average. Filmmaker Alan Bibby accompanies Ward as he travels the back roads of the Canadian West, nurturing tolerance and understanding within fearful communities, and bringing hope and guidance to people living with HIV or AIDS.

National Film Board of Canada, 1998, 48:00 minutes.

• Sunrise Over Tiananmen Square

Sunrise Over Tiananmen Square is a visual autobiography of an artist who grew up in China during the historic upheavals of the’60’s, ‘70’s and ‘80’s. Shui-Bo Wang offers a personal perspective on the turbulent Cultural Revolution and the years that followed. This animated documentary artfully traces Shui-Bo’s roots and his own life journey. With deft strokes, he powerfully renders both the idealism and the intolerance of a revolutionary society. This video is the affecting testimony of an artist struggling to sort through ideology and arrive at truth.

National Film Board of Canada, 1998, 29:25 minutes.

• Opre Roma: Gypsies in Canada

This documentary celebrates the vibrant culture and tenacious struggle of the Canadian Gypsy and introduces a new generation of Roma who claim their Gypsy roots with pride, while fighting the myths that caused their parents to live in fear.

National Film Board of Canada, 1999, 48:00 minutes.

• For Angela…

For Angela is a story about a woman who was compelled to change attitudes and shatter stereotypes. It’s a story about a racial assault that could have been ruinous – instead it was empowering. Inspired by a true story, this film is emotionally charged and beautifully acted. Rhonda Gordon and her daughter Angela didn’t want a confrontation; they didn’t want a fight; they did, however want their dignity. A bus ride changed their lives, but in a way no one could have foreseen. Rhonda had the courage and the will to take a unique and powerful stand against ignorance and prejudice. She did it for Angela.

National Film Board of Canada, 1995, 21:29 minutes.

• Long Time Comin’

There is a cultural revolution going on in Canada and Faith Nolan and Grace Channer are on the leading edge. These two African-Canadian lesbian artists give back to art its most urgent meanings – commitment and passion. Grace Channer’s large and sensuous canvasses and Faith Nolan’s gritty and joyous blues propel this documentary into the spheres of poetry and dance. Long Time Comin’ captures their work, their urgency, and their friendship in intimate conversations with both artists.

National Film Board of Canada, 1993, 52:27 minutes.

• Speak It! From the Heart of Black Nova Scotia

 This film follows students as they work to establish a Cultural Awareness Youth Group, a vehicle for building pride and self-esteem through educational and cultural programs. They are challenged with daily reminders of racism in their school from the presence of graffiti on the walls to the omission of black history in their textbooks. With help from their mentors, they discover the richness of their heritage and learn some of the ways they can begin to effect change. Included are background notes, bibliography, and follow-up activities. Suitable for classroom or community use.

National Film Board of Canada, 1993, 28:50 minutes.

• The Road Home

Alberta writers and filmmakers explore the province they call home. Includes contributions from Sid Marty, Marilyn Dumont, Nigel Darbasie, Myrna Kostach, Rudy Weib, and Eva Brewster.

Great North Productions Inc. in association with Alberta Multiculturalism Commission, 1992, 50:00 Minutes.

Top of the Document

• *Hearts of Hate: The Battle for Young Minds

Hearts of Hate is an unflinching, provocative documentary film about Canadian racist groups and their frightening influence over young people. It goes behind the scenes to document young racists and the groups they join: The Heritage Front, Aryan Nations, Church of the Creator, and the Canadian Liberty Net. Penetrating these secretive organizations, filmmaker Peter Raymont examines their manipulative and violent practices – and the power they exert over young minds and imaginations.

Film includes study guide.

Investigative Productions Inc. and The CTV Television Network, 51:35 minutes.

• Talespinners Collection

This video is a collection of short animated films for children aged 5 to 9. Many of the stories are original with cross-cultural themes, while others are retellings of popular tales from around the world. All feature finely crafted animated, appealing characters and dynamic narration.

National Film Board of Canada, 60:00 minutes.

• An Educator’s Legal Guide to Racial & Sexual Harassment in Schools.

Harassment of any kind in a school environment can have serious consequences for both the victim and the school board. Students or even teachers who are harassed may experience humiliation, fear, anger, outrage, denial, pain, helplessness, mistrust of the opposite sex, loss of self-esteem, concern for person safety and intimidation. Many are afraid to tell anyone in authority for fear they’ll be blamed or not believed.

In this video and accompanying workbook, you will learn about:

-The legal duties and responsibilities of educators in dealing with racial and sexual harassment;

-Key steps in effectively investigating and dealing with inappropriate sexual behavior and racial comments; and

Solutions to help prevent or minimize these incidents in schools

Produced by Canada Law Book Inc., 21:30 minutes.

Refugee Issues

• Hopes and Dreams: Stories of Young Refugees

Every day, somewhere in the world, people of all ages become refugees. People flee their home countries for many reasons such as war, famine, political or religious persecution, torture, and even genocide. This can be particularly difficult for young people who, in the chaos and confusion of escape, can become separated from their parents. Many of them end up living in refugee camps without what we could consider the basic essentials of life…things like electricity, running water, and even food. In this video, you will meet a few of these young people who were forced to give up everything and flee their home countries. They talk about the barriers they faced including starting school not knowing any English, making friends and finding a job. Some of the biggest obstacles to acceptance are entrenched prejudices and discrimination Many refugees encounter discrimination daily and in this video, they also talk about these experiences. Video is accompanied by a teacher’s guide.

Alberta Civil Liberties Research Centre, 2002, 24:00 minutes.

• Asylum

Asylum is the first feature documentary to take us inside the Canadian refugee process. It follows three people from their arrival in Canada to the final decision of the Refugee Board, and beyond. As we follow their stories, we become increasingly sympathetic to their situation, but we also begin to question the certainty of their claims. Who is telling the truth? Who is really a refugee? And how do we decide?

National Film Board of Canada, 1998, 72:12 minutes.

• To Be a Refugee: A Teaching Guide

This video, intended for children 9-12 years old, looks at the experiences of several children in becoming refugees. It is accompanied by a booklet of activities for viewers to complete while watching the video that encourages viewers to get to know the refugee children and their situation better. The video and booklet aid in bringing understanding to children who may not be familiar with the concept of ‘refugee.’

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 1998,15:40 minutes.

• War is Not A Game: Experiences of Refugee Children

This is an educational video that documents the experiences of refugee children. A unique look into the traumatic effect that war has had on the children who experienced it. A good example of those who have never considered the far reaching effects of war.

Frameline Productions for Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture, 1995, 32:00 minutes.

• Refugee Rights are Human Rights

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 9:00 minutes.

Top of the Document

Sexual Harassment and Gender Discrimination

•  
  An Educator’s Legal Guide to Racial & Sexual Harassment in Schools.

Harassment of any kind in a school environment can have serious consequences for both the victim and the school board. Students or even teachers who are harassed may experience humiliation, ear, anger, outrage, denial, pain, helplessness, mistrust of the opposite sex, loss of self-esteem, concern for person safety and intimidation. Many are afraid to tell anyone n authority for fear they’ll be blamed or not believed.

In this video and accompanying workbook, you will learn about:

-The legal duties and responsibilities of educators in dealing with racial and sexual harassment;

-Key steps in effectively investigating and dealing with inappropriate sexual behavior and racial comments; and

Solutions to help prevent or minimize these incidents in schools

Produced by Canada Law Book Inc., 21:30 minutes.

• When Strangers Reunite

Every year thousands of women enter Canada as domestic servants, the majority of them from the Philippines. Leaving their own children and families behind, they can spend many isolated years cooking, cleaning, and caring for others. Sending much of their wages back home, they dream of the day their families can join them. Within the Filipino community in Canada, several groups and organizations have been actively working for the rights and welfare of migrant workers. It is largely thanks to them that most of these families are able to overcome what can seem like insurmountable obstacles. This candid and touching portrait reveals three families in the midst of healing and coping with the strangers they love.

National Film Board of Canada, 1999, 51:59 minutes.

• Teacher TV: Sexual Harassment and Schools

This three part video intended for educators includes defining sexual harassment, where it is occurring today and to whom. It provides instruction for educators on dealing with students who have been sexually harassed and guidelines for teachers to avoid being accused of harassing students. It also includes advice for hindering harassment among students.

National Education Association and The Learning Channel, 1993, 23:00 minutes.

• Sexual Harassment in High School

This short video addresses the real issue of sexual harassment in high schools and proposes the “we can do something about it.” It helps to answer some vital questions such as what is sexual harassment and how should individuals react to situations involving harassment. The film focuses on situations that affect young women and is suitable for teacher-student viewing purposes.

Postel Video Productions, 14:00 minutes.

• Understanding Gender Discrimination

This is an instructional video dealing with what is involved in making a complaint to the Alberta Human Rights Commission. By examining real life situations, this video will appeal to those who may have dealt with discrimination in the past and offers informative examples that are beneficial for everyone to be aware of.

Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission, 27:00.

Sexual Orientation Discrimination

• Stolen Moments

Stolen Moments takes you on a voyage through three centuries of lesbian life, weaving together the lost threads of history: from the unique lesbian cultures of Amsterdam, Paris and Berlin, to the North American meccas of New York, San Francisco, Vancouver and Montreal. Combining fabulous old footage, dramatic re-creation and an evocative score with personal commentary form Olympic athlete Betty Baxter, stand-up comic Georgia Ragsdale, and writers Nicole Brossard, Joan Nestle, Leslie Feinberg, Judy Grahn and Audre Lorde, Stolen Moments is simply splendid.

National Film Board of Canada, 1997, 91:51 minutes.

• When Love is Gay

When Love is Gay explodes myths about gay love. It explores relationships between men – from long-standing monogamous partnerships to brief encounters. Men of all ages talk openly about their homosexuality, and the difficulty of self-acceptance in a straight, often homophobic society. They speak of sensuality, and their determination to love freely. Their life experiences compile an oral history of an evolving gay culture. A documentary with a broad emotional sweep, When Love is Gay allows viewers to look at their own reactions to the people and situations on screen.

*NOTE* THIS FILM CONTAINS EXPLICIT SEXUAL SCENES

National Film Board of Canada, 1995, 48:47 minutes.

• In Other Words

Homophobic language is a common verbal put-down among young people, but many adults feel uncomfortable responding to it. This video speaks directly to teens and offers a valuable tool to teachers, counselors and community youth leaders who want to explore the homophobic language heard both in and out of schools - the words themselves, their origins, how young people feel about them, and how to overcome the hurt and anger they cause. Moving interviews with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered teens provide first-hand accounts. Weaving together slang, music media images and dictionary definitions, the film examines how language shapes attitude. The video is designed to foster change, to ensure that schools are safe places where youth can learn in a climate of respect.

National Film Board of Canada, 2001, 27:00 minutes.

• Out: Stories of Lesbian and Gay Youths

This film is an intimate exploration of the struggles and victories of gay and lesbian youths in Canada. Delving into the emotional, societal and familial conflicts lesbian and gay youths often face, this film breaks the damaging silences surrounding sexual orientation and sexual differences. Through explicit interviews with gay and lesbian youths from varied cultural and racial heritages, issues of discrimination as well as the compounding problems of confronting racism and sexism are sensitively addressed. OUT provides awareness, understanding and hope- to gay and lesbian youths, parents, counselors and educators.

National Film Board of Canada, 1993, 47:00 minutes.

• School’s Out: Confronting Homophobia in High Schools.

Members of the Teens Educating and Confronting Homophobia organization (TEACH) talk about their lives and their classroom visits, provoking discussion about homophobia and heterosexism in today’s school yards. Against a backdrop of newspaper headlines that reflect society’s changing attitudes toward homosexuality since the 1950’s, Jane Rule contributes her wisdom and insight about sexuality, and situates the lives and activism of today’s youth in an historical context.

National Film Board of Canada, 1997, 24:32 minutes.

Top of the Document

• In Other Words

Homophobic language is a common verbal put-down among young people, but many adults feel uncomfortable responding to it. This video speaks directly to teens and offers a valuable tool to teachers, counselors and community youth leaders who want to explore the homophobic language heard both in and out of schools - the words themselves, their origins, how young people feel about them, and how to overcome the hurt and anger they cause. Moving interviews with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered teens provide first-hand accounts. Weaving together slang, music media images and dictionary definitions, the film examines how language shapes attitude. The video is designed to foster change, to ensure that schools are safe places where youth can learn in a climate of respect.

National Film Board of Canada, 2001, 27:00 minutes.

• Apples and Oranges: It’s Not Cool to be Cruel

This video is designed to raise children’s awareness of the harmful effects of homophobia and gender-related name calling, intolerance, stereotyping and bullying. Through the depiction of two animated stories, children learn that creativity-not revenge-is the best way to deal with a school bully who teases one student for having two moms and also how to deal respond when a close friend of yours is gay. By illustrating how derogatory names can hurt, Apples and Oranges helps dismantle stereotypes about gays and lesbians. The animated stories in the video will help students of all elementary grades explore name calling and bullying. The video in its entirety can be used with children aged 8-12 for learning about families, differences and respect.

National Film Board of Canada, 2003,18:00 minutes.

• Sticks and Stones

This video, intended for grades 3 to 7, includes descriptions by young children ages 5 to 12 how they feel when they hear put-downs if themselves or their families. Children learn from subtle cues what society thinks about gender roles, same-sex parents and family differences. The children in Sticks and Stones vividly describe how it feels to be teased when their families don’t follow traditional gender roles. They talk about why bullies indulge in name-calling, and what they think should be done about it. By showing that they know what’s wrong, the children challenge educators, parents and other kids to act positively to make schools and playgrounds safe and welcoming for everyone. This compelling video uses interviews, animation, and documentary footage to spark discussions about families, gender stereotypes and name-calling. It encourages all children to feel empathy and respect for their playmates.

National Film Board of Canada, 2001,17:00 minutes.

• One of Them

Freedom from bullying, name calling and violence motivates the high school seniors in this school-based drama. Jamie is shocked when she and her best friend become victims of homophobic name-calling. But she must face up to her own reactions as she realizes that her friend is “one of them” and needs her support. And Jamie’s boyfriend must decide if he will support Jamie. Set firmly in the context of human rights and freedom from discrimination, One of Them raises the questions that high school students talk about in school halls and washrooms. With a focus on homophobia and discrimination, not sexual behaviour, the dramatization prompts viewers to examine their own responses and promote a safe school environment for all students.

National Film Board of Canada, 2000, 25:24 minutes.

Torture

• Window of Hope: Coming to Terms with Torture

A video by the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture stresses the importance of dealing with torture and how to take steps in order to come to terms with torture. It asks the viewer to think about what torture does to the bodies and minds of men, women and children it affects. It examines the stories of real victims who have immigrated to Canada and who are still dealing with the after effects of their past.

Focus Productions, 2000, 20:15

• The Innocent Victims

A Documentary about Torture and Oppression against the Worlds Children. Produced with financial aid or support from Danida, Commission of European Union DG1A, Amnesty International, SNU and PMF.

A Co-Production between Film Compagniet and Denmarks Radio TV-Factual, 39:00 minutes.

Young Offenders

• The Law of The Land

This short video, intended for children under the age of 12, focuses on informing them about the Young Offenders Act. It discusses the possibility of legal consequences after they reach the age of 12 and that they have rights and protections under the Young Offenders Act.

The John Howard Society, 1991,11:00 minutes.

• Youth Justice: A New Approach

A look at the Canadian government’s renewal of the youth criminal justice system – told through real life stories of young people getting their lives back on track.

PLENA Network