Judith Merritt

This series of seven one-hour films examines the nature, evolution and consequences of modern warfare. Filmed in ten countries, on two oceans, and with the co-operation of the armed forces of six nations, War features interviews with top-level NATO and Soviet military leaders and strategists, eminent historians and other professional observers of combat. Drawing as well on film and picture archives worldwide, with footage of important battlefields on three continents, this documentary series argues that war, an institution invented to settle disputes between nations, no longer serves its purpose. It concludes that nations must find other ways to resolve their differences. The on-camera host for the War series is Gwynne Dyer, Canadian international affairs analyst and military historian.

In 1953 the Canadian government relocated Inuit families from Northern Québec to the High Arctic, promising an abundance of game and fish and assuring them they could return home after two years if things didn't work out. They would not see their ancestral lands for 30 years. Abandoned in flimsy tents, the Inuit were left to fend for themselves in the desolate settlements of Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord, where the sea was nearly always frozen and darkness reigned for months on end.

This documentary takes an in-depth look at the witch hunts that swept Europe just a few hundred years ago. False accusations and trials led to massive torture and burnings at the stake and ultimately to the destruction of an organic way of life. The film questions whether the widespread violence against women and the neglect of our environment today can be traced back to those times.

This short documentary traces the life and career of composer Eldon Rathburn. A music lover since childhood, Rathburn used to go to the movies in Saint John, New Brunswick, in the 1920s just to hear the soundtrack. In 1947, he joined the National Film Board as a staff composer and went on to score over 300 documentaries and feature films. He is responsible for the music heard in classic NFB films like City of Gold and the IMAX feature Momentum, as well as the scores for lesser-known “classics” like Hog Family Supreme and Fish Spoilage Control.

A performing arts film by Alanis Obomsawin, it documents efforts to raise funds for the James Bay Cree and was made at a time when Cree territory was threatened by hydro-electric projects. Amisk represents early work by Obomsawin, a trailblazer in Canadian Aboriginal film.