Martin Defalco

This short dramatic film illustrates a cooperative program of fire protection that was carried out across Alberta in the late 1950s. It presents the problems inherent in a voluntary fire brigade, as well as the everyday heroes who step up and get the job done. The film is an entertaining look at how a crew that was once considered to be the joke of the town can evolve into the best fire brigade in the West.

The Hudson's Bay Company's 300th anniversary celebration was no occasion for joy among the people whose lives were tied to the trading stores. This film, narrated by George Manuel, president of the National Indian Brotherhood, presents the view of spokesmen for Canadian Indian and Métis groups. There is a sharp contrast between the official celebrations, with Queen Elizabeth II among the guests, and what Indians have to say about their lot in the Company's operations.

In this feature drama, a Canadian Indigenous youth attempts to find a place for himself. He faces culture shock as the educational system teaches him to be a white man and tries to find a way of life more meaningful to his Indigenous culture and ancestry.

One of six Canada Vignettes from the NFB production Don Messer - His Land and His Music, featuring one of the principal performers, Marg Osburne, who has since passed away.

This drama portrays an immigrant family and the mingled feelings of hope and despair that characterize their life in a strange land. An Italian wife joins her husband in a large Canadian city. After two years in Canada the husband feels his dream of a better life is close to realization, but his wife feels that differences of language and custom are insurmountable. How such feelings are dispelled by simple gestures of friendship from Canadian-born neighbours gives a heartening conclusion to the film.

The story of an Italian immigrant, a widower living alone with his memories, his Bible and Dante, which he learned to read in English. In this black-and-white film from 1966 he talks about his past, his children and of good times and bad. What he tells and what the camera shows of his life make a warm, human portrait of an aging man who chooses freedom and independence even though it sometimes means solitude.

The focus of this film is on Canada's nuclear research centre at Chalk River, Ontario. Key to atomic progress are the radioactive isotopes. The insertion and handling of these isotopes in the deadly interior of the reactor are shown in detail. Also shown are the applications of radioactive isotopes in various fields of endeavor, particularly medicine, agriculture, and manufacturing industries. Co-produced by the NFB and Crawley Films Ltd. with the assistance of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited.

This short film was shot on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and shows off the new technology employed on modern fishing boats in the mid-1960s. The featured trawler is open-stern style, allowing full nets to be dragged easily from the sea then lifted to release the silvery catch into the cleaning troughs. -NFB

Water functions as a willing worker, shaping the land, shifting earth or rock, carrying the food by which plants survive, and so supporting other forms of life. This film is designed primarily to show the astonishing utility of this common substance, but it also shows the beauty of water in movement, from raindrops pelting the earth to the mighty cataract of Niagara.

One of six Canada Vignettes from the NFB production Don Messer - His Land and His Music, featuring one of the principal performers, Don Messer, who has since passed away.

A young Japanese-Canadian businessman, now established in Montréal, recalls the time during World War II when the Japanese-Canadian community of Canada's west coast was uprooted and moved inland. There are some flashbacks to the events he describes, but the film is mainly about his home and family life in Montréal and his successful career as a chemical engineer.

Style of fishing done by Indigenous fishermen in the Prairie provinces. Commentary is offered by a fisherman as he goes about his business - when to set a net, how to handle fish, and what it all costs in money, time, equipment and skill.

Don Messer: His Land and His Music celebrates the king of Maritime fiddling. It's 1969, and Messer's band is on a poignant, cross-Canada farewell tour. Poignant, because CBC-TV has just announced the cancellation of the long-running Don Messer's Jubilee. But if Messer's upset, he isn't showing it. Instead, he's in top form, packing them in from Halifax to Whitehorse: one curling rink, hockey arena and small-town theatre after another. More than a musician, Don Messer was a genuine folk icon, idolized by millions of fans who felt as though they knew him personally. Although he died in 1973, Messer has remained a vital presence in Canadian music. Fiddlers continue to be inspired by his old-time style. Don Messer: His Land and His Music marries cinematic innovation with irresistible, toe-tapping music - taking us on the road, into the studio and backstage with a one-of-a-kind, fun-loving band.