Our Dear Sisters
1975 · 14 min · Documentary
Alanis Obomsawin, a North American Indian who earns her living by singing and making films, is the mother of an adopted child. She talks about her life, her people, and her responsibilities as a single parent. Her observations shake some of our cultural assumptions.
Directed by Kathleen Shannon
Your Rating
Cast
-
Alanis Obomsawin Self
Make it a double feature
25m together
Both from Kathleen Shannon.
More from Kathleen ShannonSee all →
Four Families · 1960Four Families
★ 10.01960
MovieDocumentary
A cross-cultural study of child-rearing in India, France, Japan, and Canada, observing how family practices around a one-year-old reflect broader cultural values, with commentary by Margaret Mead.
Joseph Howe: The Tribune of Nova Scotia · 1961Joseph Howe: The Tribune of Nova Scotia
★ 10.01961
MovieHistory
This short drama is a portrait of Nova Scotian journalist and politician Joseph Howe (1804-1873) and his battle for freedom of press. When, in 1835, Howe was accused of seditious libel, no lawyer dared defend him. Choosing to defend himself, he addressed the jury for over 6 hours, urging jurors to leave an unshackled press as a legacy to their children. Though the judge instructed the jury to find Howe guilty, jurors took only 10 minutes to acquit him - a landmark event in the evolution of press freedom in Canada.
Illuminated Lives: A Brief History of Women's Work in the Middle Ages · 1989Illuminated Lives: A Brief History of Women's Work in the Middle Ages
★ 10.01989
MovieHistoryAnimation
This animated short challenges enduring myths, spawned by fairy tales and romances, about women in medieval society. It explores the differences and similarities between that distant period and our own, and shows what medieval women’s lives were really like.
Lewis Mumford on The City · 1963Lewis Mumford on The City
★ 10.01963
SeriesDocumentary
Six-part series tracing the origins of the city, its transformations and prospects, based on Lewis Mumford's book The City in History. Aired by CBC in their Explorations strand.
Turnaround: A Story of Recovery · 1984Turnaround: A Story of Recovery
★ 9.01984
MovieDocumentary
The women who seek help at Aurora House share a common illness: they are physically and psychologically dependent on alcohol, prescription drugs, street drugs, or a combination of these. This documentary focuses on the lives of five women at various stages of their rehabilitation. In the supportive and healing atmosphere of women helping other women, they are confronting the issues and feelings they had previously drunk or drugged out of consciousness.
Adam's World · 1989Adam's World
★ 9.01989
MovieDocumentary
Intercut with illustrative stock footage, Adam's World present a short lecture by Elizabeth Dodson Gray, a feminist theologian, environmentalist, and futurist. She speaks to us about the severity of our global environmental crisis, and analyzes the root cause of this crisis as lying in the perceptions, beliefs, and assumptions of the patriarchal system we have inherited.
Laila · 1980Laila
★ 9.01980
MovieDocumentary
Laila Paattinen is a working woman. Tired of low-paying jobs, she completed a five-month course in dry-wall installation. Because she had chosen a non-traditional job for women, she ran into resistance in the marketplace. She finally solved her problems by opening her own dry-wall application business. A useful film for women seeking non-traditional jobs.
Waterwalker · 1984Waterwalker
★ 8.31984
MovieDocumentary
Naturalist Bill Mason on his journey by canoe into the Ontario wilderness. The filmmaker and artist begins on Lake Superior, then explores winding and sometimes tortuous river waters to the meadowlands of the river's source. Along the way, Mason paints scenes that capture his attention and muses about his love of the canoe, his artwork and his own sense of the land. Mason also uses the film as a commentary on the link between God and nature and the vast array of beautiful canvases God created for him to paint. Features breathtaking visuals and exciting whitewater footage, with a musical score by Bruce Cockburn.
Circle of the Sun · 1961Circle of the Sun
★ 8.21961
MovieDocumentary
A young man of the Kainai Nation (Blood tribe) shows us contemporary life of people as he attends a Sun Dance ceremony with the tribe.
If You Love This Planet · 1982If You Love This Planet
★ 7.51982
MovieDocumentary
Australian pediatrician Helen Caldicott delivers a lecture on the potential medical and societal consequences of a nuclear war, and advocates for nuclear disarmament. The film includes newsreel records of the beginnings of the arms race and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as film records showing the Japanese who were severely scarred and burned in the bombings.
Universe · 1960Universe
★ 7.51960
MovieDocumentary
A triumph of film art, creating on the screen a vast, awe-inspiring picture of the universe as it would appear to a voyager through space, this film was among the sources of inspiration used by Stanley Kubrick for his 2001: A Space Odyssey. Realistic animation takes you into far regions of space, beyond the reach of the strongest telescope, past Moon, Sun, and Milky Way, into galaxies yet unfathomed.
Full Circle · 1992Full Circle
★ 7.01992
MovieDocumentary
Authors, teachers, social activists and feminists explore manifestations of contemporary women's spirituality in the Western world.
Behind the Veil: Nuns · 1984Behind the Veil: Nuns
★ 7.01984
MovieDocumentaryHistory
The history of nuns mirrors the history of all women -- in what we are taught about the past, women are almost invisible. Although today's one million nuns outnumber priests two to one, they must struggle to be heard by the all-male Roman Catholic hierarchy from which they are excluded. Behind the Veil: Nuns is the first film ever to record from a global perspective the turbulent history and remarkable achievements of women in religion, from pre-Christian Celtic communities to the radical sisters of the 1980s. Contemporary nuns of strength, dignity and commitment speak of their lives and of their predecessors.
Great Grand Mother · 1975Great Grand Mother
★ 7.01975
MovieDocumentaryHistory
This short film is an ode to the women who settled the Prairies, from the days of early immigration to 1916 - when Manitobans became the first women in Canada to receive the provincial vote - and beyond. Recollections of women are complemented by a series of quotations drawn from letters, diaries, and newspapers of the day, which are spoken over re-enacted scenes and archival photographs.
I Want to Be an Engineer · 1983I Want to Be an Engineer
★ 7.01983
MovieDocumentary
This film provides a lively introduction to the professional and personal lives of three female engineers-just a few of the growing number of women who were opting for "non-traditional" jobs in1983.
Abortion: Stories from North and South · 1984Abortion: Stories from North and South
★ 7.01984
MovieDocumentary
Women have always sought ways to terminate unwanted pregnancies, despite powerful patriarchal structures and systems working against them. This film provides a historical overview of how church, state and the medical establishment have determined policies concerning abortion. From this cross-cultural survey--filmed in Ireland, Japan, Thailand, Peru, Colombia, and Canada--emerges one reality: only a small percentage of the world's women has access to safe, legal operations.
More Like This
Meet the Patels · 2014Meet the Patels
★ 7.02014
MovieRomanceComedy
Finding love is never easy. For Ravi Patel, a first generation Indian-American, the odds are slim. His ideal bride is beautiful, smart, funny, family-oriented, kind and—in keeping with tradition—Indian (though hopefully raised in the US). Oh, and her last name should be Patel because in India, Patels usually marry other Patels. And so at 30, Ravi decides to break up with his American girlfriend (the one who by all accounts is perfect for him except for her red hair and American name) and embark on a worldwide search for another Patel longing to be loved. He enlists the help of his matchmaker mother, attends a convention of Patels living in the US and travels to wedding season in India. Witty, honest and heartfelt, this comedy explores the questions with which we all struggle: What is love? What is happiness? And how in the world do we go about finding them?
The Story of the Weeping Camel · 2004The Story of the Weeping Camel
★ 7.12004
MovieDocumentaryDrama
When a Mongolian nomadic family's newest camel colt is rejected by its mother, a musician is needed for a ritual to change her mind.
The 11th Hour · 2007The 11th Hour
★ 6.82007
MovieDocumentaryDrama
A look at the state of the global environment including visionary and practical solutions for restoring the planet's ecosystems. Featuring ongoing dialogues of experts from all over the world, including former Soviet Prime Minister Mikhail Gorbachev, renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, former head of the CIA R. James Woolse
