And We Know How to Dance: Women in World War I (1993) [NFB]
Angels of Mercy – about Canadian nurses in World War II
A century of women (US) 1994. Narrated by Jane Fonda. Six 1-hour videos on Work, Family, Social Justice, Sexuality, Image and Popular Culture
A score for women’s voices, NFB, 2001. In French, Partition pour voix de femmes.
(March of Women)
Black Mother Black Daughter (1989) [NFB] Experiences of Black women in Nova Scotia
Breaking the Ice: The Story Mary Ann Shadd Cary (1999) [First Run/Icarus]
– review by Jane Rhodes raises concerns about certain factual inaccuracies
Butterbox Babies (1994) Feature film on Ideal Maternity Home in Chester, N.S.
Le film d’Ariane, Mtl : Productions la marée montante, 1985.
Finding Dawn, NFB, 2006 (from video jacket cover: ‘Dawn Crey. Ramona Wilson. Daleen Kay Bosse. These are just three of the estimated 500 Aboriginal women who have gone missing or been murdered in Canada over the past thirty years. Directed by acclaimed Métis filmmaker Christine Welsh)
Flappers: The birth of the 20th century woman, Princeton Films for the Humanities and Sciences, 2001.
Forbidden Love: The Unabashed Stories of Lesbian Lives [NFB]
Killing Me Softly (and its later editions) which deals with advertising and body image
Lea Roback: A Vision in the Darkness (1992) Quebec labour/social activist Roback
Looking for Angelina (2005) [Galaxy] Feature film on murder trial of Angelina Nepolitano and afterward
Madeleine Parent: Weaving the Fabric of Solidarity (2002) [Virage] Labour/feminist activist
The Matchless Six, BC: Great North Productions, 1996. (From video jacket cover: In 1928, women were first admitted into the Olympic Games as competitors. This is the story of Canada’s famous “Matchless Six” who caught the attention of international media and captured the overall points titles. Parallel to this story is an historical account of the early struggles women faced as they gained the right to participate and compete in athletic events.)
La meilleure façon de marcher, Mtl: GIV, 2001.
Motherland Tales of Wonder (1995) [NFB] Part I – Deals with “ideals” of mothering in postwar period – includes excerpts of films from that period with mother blaming message.
Muriel Duckworth: Practicing Peace (1999) [Perversity] Documentary on Voice of Women founder, Muriel Duckworth
The Notorious Mrs. Armstrong, Paula Kelly (Director), 44 mins, 2001. This documentary showcases Helen Armstrong’s life and beliefs. The Winnipeg General Strike receives extended treatment.
Obachan’s Garden (2001) [NFB] Japanese woman immigrant who came to Canada in early 1920s as picture bride
Of hopscotch and little girls, NFB, 2006. In French: Des marelles et des petites filles: l’enfance violée de millions de filles (Video first produced in 1999, new release)
“On the Eighth Day” – about new reproductive technologies
The Pill (1999) [NFB] Historical overview of the development of oral contraception (the pill).
Polytechnique, Denis Villeneuve (Director), 77 mins, 2009. This feature film is an English-language fictionalized re-creation of the 1989 Montreal Massacre.
Prairie Women (1987) [NFB] History of farm women’s movement on the Prairies
Rosies of the North (1999) [NFB] Women war workers in Fort William Canadian Car factory
Seven Brides for Uncle Sam (1997) [NFB] Newfoundland women who married American servicement
Showgirls – about African Canadian showgirls in Montreal during the thirties and forties
Stand Together (2002) [V-Tape] – A documentary history of lesbian and gay rights movement in Ontario from 1967 to l987
Sterilization of Leilani Muir (1996) [NFB] Eugenics and sterilization
Stork Derby (2002) Feature film on the “Great Toronto Stork Derby” – contest for woman who could produce most children between l926 and l936
Therese Casgrain, Mtl : Productions du Sagittaire & Radio-Canada, 1998.
Under the Willow Tree: Pioneer Chinese Women in Canada (1997) [NFB]
Voice of Women – about the women’s peace group by the same name.
Woman Alone (1956) [NFB] Role of Salvation Army in “assisting” unwed mothers
Who is Sylvia? (1957) [NFB] Concerns about female youth – fear of juvenile delinquency
Women in the 1940s and 1950s [NFB] Includes recruitment films from WWII
Women in the Shadows (1991) [NFB] Christine Welsh’s exploration of her Metis family heritage, and more generally, history of Aboriginal/Euro-Canadian intermarriage
Women on the March (1958) [NFB] Women’s struggle for the vote in North America and Britain
(American educational films and other kinds of films from l940s and l950s on DVD from Earthstation1.Com such as Teenage Dating Films and Sex Education Films)
Further Resources: Merna Forster at heroines.ca has a long list of videos and films in Canadian women’s history.