Swerve

After her boyfriend leaves town, Justine, depressed and unfulfilled, picks up her neglected guitar which takes her on a journey that gets her heart beating for the first time in years.

Hairy Legs, an animated short film, documents a 13-year-old girl’s small yet life-changing act of rebellion on the road to womanhood and feminism. Deciding not to shave her legs led filmmaker Andrea Dorfman to question and ultimately defy society’s expectations. With charm, warmth and humour, Hairy Legs captures the universality of girls exploring gender, curiosity and freedom as they evolve from spending exuberant, carefree days on their bicycles to facing and defying stereotypes.

Flawed is nothing less than a beautiful gift from Andrea Dorfman's vivid imagination, a charming little film about very big ideas. Dorfman has the uncanny ability to transform the intensely personal into the wisely universal. She deftly traces her encounter with a potential romantic partner, questioning her attraction and the uneasy possibility of love. But, ultimately, Flawed is less about whether girl can get along with boy than whether girl can accept herself, imperfections and all. This film is both an exquisite tribute to the art of animation and a loving homage to storyboarding, a time-honoured way of rendering scenes while pointing the way to the dramatic arc of the tale. (NFB)

Love That Boy is the story of Phoebe, a socially inept overachiever, unrecognized in a world run by C students. Phoebe’s life is totally dominated by her “To Do Before Graduation” list. When Phoebe’s best friend Robyn dumps Phoebe two weeks before college graduation, Robyn points out that Phoebe’s list is missing one essential thing - a boyfriend. Not wanting to be alone at graduation, the most important day of her life, Phoebe begins an ill-fated quest to find a boyfriend. After the demise of her first relationship - her “boyfriend” didn’t even know that they were going out - Phoebe inadvertently falls in love. The only problem is, he’s fourteen.

After her partner breaks up with her on her 39th birthday, Gaby tackles her fears of loneliness as well as preconceptions of what it means for a woman to be single.

This animated short tells the story of Trudy, a little girl who is equal parts truthful and rude. A bright-minded and quick-witted child, Trudy has an unfiltered and deeply curious way of looking at the world. Here, events force her to question what it means to speak the truth, and comes to understand how our differences make us unique.

A young woman mulls how to terminate her unwanted pregnancy and whether to leave her boyfriend.

The year I turned nine I became pathologically afraid that my parents would die. I stopped letting them leave the house at night, even for a walk around the block. I'd call them repeatedly at restaurants if they tried to go out for dinner and once threatened to kill myself if anything happened to them. That's when they sent me to a psychiatrist. This is the story of the year I was nine.

Heirloom is a stop motion journey through a papery land... from lost love to found freedom. Every once in a while I hear a song that stops me in my tracks. This was the case when I heard Heirloom by Kim Harris. It moved to tears. It created a flurry of images in my mind. Two years later, I finally had some time to manifest those images. It's a celebration of Kim's song and also of the power of collaboration because we're so much better together than alone.

From a solitary walk in the woods to sitting unaccompanied on a city park bench to eating a meal and even dancing alone, How to Be Alone, reveals the possibilities and joys waiting to be discovered when we engage in activities on our own. As she soothes the disquietude that accompanies the fear of aloneness, and celebrates the power of solitude to change how we see ourselves and the world, Tanya reveals how, removed from the noise and distractions of other lives, we can find acceptance and grace within.

Lean into loneliness — and know you’re not alone in it. Filmmaker Andrea Dorfman reunites with poet Tanya Davis to craft tender and profound animation on the theme of isolation, providing a wise and soaringly lyrical sequel to their viral hit How to Be Alone.

Combining the authenticity of Indigenous writer Rebecca Thomas' narrative, the power of poetry, and stunning animation, "I Place You into the Fire" invites viewers to consider their roles in fostering understanding, compassion and justice.

A short film about bicycles, knitting, and love.

Over five years, acclaimed filmmaker Andrea Dorfman follows the heartbreaking yet uplifting story of the girls of Meru and their brave steps toward meaningful equality for girls worldwide. In Kenya, one in three girls will experience sexual violence before age 18, yet police investigations are the exception. In The Girls of Meru, a multinational team led by Canadian lawyer Fiona Sampson and Tumaini Shelter head Mercy Chidi Baidoo builds the case of 11 girls to pursue an unheard of legal tactic. Together they created legal history.

"Street Cents," a teen-centered newsmagazine aired on CBC Television from 1989 to 2006, stood out for its focus on consumer and media awareness for young viewers. Created by producer John Nowlan and inspired by Britain's "Pocket Money," the series garnered critical acclaim, winning Gemini Awards and an International Emmy for Best Youth Programming. Ad-free like CBC's Marketplace, it prioritized unbiased critique of products and services, promoting safety, ethics, and youth empowerment. Despite its lauded inclusivity, the show ended in October 2006 due to declining teen viewership, leaving CBC-TV without youth-targeted programming.