Production
Heritage Minutes, also known officially as Historica Minutes: History by the Minute, are a series of sixty-second short films, each illustrating an important moment in Canadian history. They appear frequently on Canadian television and in cinemas before movies and are now also sold on DVD. The Minutes were first introduced on March 31, 1991 as part of a one-off heavily-promoted history quiz show hosted by Rex Murphy. The thirteen original short films were broken up and run between shows on CBC Television and CTV Network. The continued broadcast of the Minutes and the production of new ones was pioneered by Charles Bronfman's CRB Foundation, Canada Post Power Broadcasting, and the National Film Board. They were devised, developed and largely narrated by noted Canadian broadcaster Patrick Watson, while the producer of the series was Robert Guy Scully. In 2009 Historica merged with The Dominion Institute to become The Historica-Dominion Institute. While the foundations have not paid networks to air Minutes, they have made them freely available, and in the early years paid to have them run in cinemas across the country. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has ruled that Heritage Minutes are an "on-going dramatic series" thus each minute counts as ninety-seconds of a station's Canadian content requirements.
Claudia Guillermo, a Cuban graduate student in a foreign city, and is having a very, very bad day. A wallet left at home is getting in the way of making new friends, and passing a crucial exam. But don't worry, Mother Nature's got her back.
"There's only one thing to do here - we're going to ask people to open their doors." It was the day in which Gander and surrounding communities welcomed the world to its doorstep.
In 1940s outport Newfoundland, young Sadie struggles to cope with the tragic death of both her parents.
Everyone has a different story to tell, especially when it comes to relationships. Lynda Boyd stars as Anna, a recently widowed cardiologist facing romantic challenges. While attending a wedding, Anna discovers she is not alone and bonds with six other women as they each share their unique stories of navigating the complex world of relationships. This anthology film weaves through the love lives of these women, charting their ups and downs in romance and rejection.
The Death of Winter: In 1830s Newfoundland, a woman is on trial for the murder of her husband. While innocent of the homicide, she is hanged for having an affair.
Nalujuk Night is an up close look at an exhilarating, and sometimes terrifying, Labrador Inuit tradition. Every January 6th from the dark of the Nunatsiavut night, the Nalujuit appear on the sea ice. They walk on two legs, yet their faces are animalistic, skeletal, and otherworldly. Snow crunches underfoot as they approach their destination: the Inuit community of Nain. Despite the frights, Nalujuk Night is a beloved annual event, showing that sometimes it can be fun to be scared. Rarely witnessed outside of Nunatsiavut, this annual event is an exciting chance for Inuit, young and old, to prove their courage and come together as a community to celebrate culture and tradition. Inuk filmmaker Jennie Williams brings audiences directly into the action in this bone-chilling black and white short documentary about a winter night like no other.
Through a tapestry of reflection, rare footage and her own home, Inuk filmmaker Holly Andersen tells the little-known story of the forced relocation of an Inuit community from Hebron, north of Nain, to more southerly locations along the Labrador Coast. Although that painful disruption of 233 lives occurred more than 50 years ago, the repercussions of the move last to this day.
Part oral history and part visual poem, Miss Campbell: Inuk Teacher is the story of Evelyn Campbell, a trailblazer for an Inuit-led educational system in the small community of Rigolet, Labrador.
Nearly a decade ago, the Spirit Song Festival began as one day event. It has since blossomed into a weeklong, award winning, world-class gathering of Indigenous artists with audience members in the thousands. Through the lens of an Indigenous-led SJIWFF Framed Documentary program, and in partnership with First Light, this short documentary charts the rise of the festival through performances by, and interviews with, Indigenous icons and artists from across Canada.
Margaret is a grandmother serving out a sentence in a minimum security prison. Daniel, her grandson, is a gifted classical guitar student who loves his nan very much. They've always had a deep connection, rooted in music. The day before his graduation, Margaret gets authorization to attend Daniel's concert ceremony. During the next 24 hours, they play music together, discuss the nature of family, and freedom, and get reacquainted after a long time apart. On the day of the ceremony, Daniel reveals a hidden intention - to help Margaret regain her freedom.
For generations, the sound of traditional Inuit drum dancing fell silent in Labrador due to colonization. In the early 21st century, the beat of the drum returned, and with it a renewed sense of pride in Inuit culture. Evan’s Drum tells the story of seven-year-old Evan Winters of Happy Valley-Goose Bay as he learns from his mother, Amy, how to drum dance. Amy hopes that her son will continue this newly reclaimed tradition and help to pass it on to future generations of Inuit. Labrador Inuk filmmaker Ossie Michelin brings us into the home of the Winters-Allen family for an intimate look as the revitalized tradition of drum dancing is once more passed down through the generations. Evan’s Drum provides a window into modern Inuit family life through the story of Evan and his family, who work alongside their community to keep the drumbeat alive.
On the last day of packing up her home, a woman can't shake the regret she feels about her late husband.
