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CBC Docs POV

CBC Docs POV
Genredocumentary
Country of originCanada
No. of seasons6
No. of episodes83
Production
Running time60 minutes
Original release
NetworkCBC Television
ReleaseOctober 22, 2015 (2015-10-22) –
2021 (2021)

CBC Docs POV is a Canadian television point-of-view documentary series, which airs on CBC Television.[1] The series premiered in fall 2015 under the title Firsthand, replacing Doc Zone, after the CBC discontinued its internal documentary production unit, and was renamed CBC Docs POV in 2017. The series airs one documentary film each week, commissioned from external producers rather than being produced directly by the CBC; some, but not all, films screened as part of the series have also had longer versions separately released as theatrical feature documentaries.

Repeat airings of the series have also sometimes included films which were originally broadcast as part of Doc Zone.

The CBC announced in 2021 that it would not commission further documentaries under the CBC Docs POV brand, instead merging all documentary broadcasts into The Passionate Eye.[2]

Episodes

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Firsthand, Season 1

[edit]
No.TitleDirected byOriginal air date
1"The Woman Who Joined the Taliban"Kai LawrenceOctober 15, 2015 (2015-10-15)
A profile of Beverly Giesbrecht, a Canadian woman who joined the Taliban to fight in the War in Afghanistan.[3]
2"Hold Your Fire"Helen SlingerOctober 22, 2015 (2015-10-22)
An exploration of police response to incidents of people in mental health crisis, delving into the reasons why such incidents frequently end in shootings.[4]
3"Reefer Riches"Cynthia BanksOctober 29, 2015 (2015-10-29)
A portrait of the transition toward legalization of marijuana, highlighting the experiences of the U.S. states of Colorado and Washington.[1]
4"Forever Young"Geoff D'EonNovember 4, 2015 (2015-11-04)
An exploration of the human quest to extend our lives toward the horizon of immortality.[5]
5"IF, the Poet"Kim SaltarskiNovember 12, 2015 (2015-11-12)
Portrait of Canadian slam poet Ian French.
6"The Oka Legacy"Sonia BoileauNovember 19, 2015 (2015-11-19)
An examination of the legacy of the Oka Crisis of 1990, and its effects both on Boileau as an individual and on the wider community.[6]
7"Omar Khadr: Out of the Shadows"Patrick Reed, Michelle ShephardDecember 2, 2015 (2015-12-02)
Shorter television edition of their feature documentary Guantanamo's Child.[7]
8"Cowboy Up"Judith PykeJanuary 4, 2016 (2016-01-04)
A portrait of Alberta farm families involved in the rodeo circuit.[8]
9"Girls' Night Out"Phyllis EllisFebruary 25, 2016 (2016-02-25)
An examination of the alcohol consumption habits of women, and the reasons why binge drinking has increased much more rapidly among women than men in recent years.[9]
10"Looking for Mike"Dylan ReiblingMarch 3, 2016 (2016-03-03)
After the sudden death of his former colleague Michael de Bourcier at age 33 leads to the revelation that the man was living under an assumed identity, the filmmaker tries to investigate the mystery of who his friend really was.[10]
11"I, Pedophile"Matthew Campea, Robin BengerMarch 10, 2016 (2016-03-10)
A portrait of two men who struggle with sexual attractions to children, exploring whether social stigmas around talking about the issue make it more difficult for a person struggling with it to get compassionate treatment, and thus increase their risk of actually committing a sexual offense.[11]
12"The War at Home"Shelley SaywellMarch 17, 2016 (2016-03-17)
An examination of domestic violence against women, delving into problems within the law enforcement and legal systems that make it difficult to combat.[12]
13"A Jihadi in the Family"Eileen ThalenbergMarch 24, 2016 (2016-03-24)
Profile of a woman in Calgary whose son was radicalized by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant over the internet, and died in 2014 while fighting in Syria.[13]
14"Perfect"Jérémie BattagliaAugust 4, 2016 (2016-08-04)
A profile of the Canadian synchronized swimming team in preparation for the 2016 Summer Olympics.[14]

Firsthand, Season 2

[edit]
No.TitleDirected byOriginal air date
1"Road to Mercy"Nadine PequenezaOctober 6, 2016 (2016-10-06)
An exploration of the ethical implications of medically assisted death.[15]
2"Being Greene"Jeff NewmanOctober 13, 2016 (2016-10-13)
Portrait of the Greenes, a Manitoba family with a history of mental health issues.[16]
3"Inside These Walls"Juliet Lammers, Lorraine PriceOctober 20, 2016 (2016-10-20)
The family of Chinese dissident Wang Bingzhang struggles to secure his release from Chinese prison.[17]
4"Sugar Sisters: Confessions of a Sugar Baby"Hannah DoneganOctober 27, 2016 (2016-10-27)
Two sisters, struggling financially, decide to experiment with dating sugar daddies.[18]
5"Not Criminally Responsible: Wedding Secrets"John KastnerNovember 24, 2016 (2016-11-24)
A sequel to Kastner's 2013 television documentary NCR: Not Criminally Responsible, the film updates the story of Sean Clifton as he attempts to make amends to Julie Bouvier, the woman he was convicted of stabbing in 1999, prior to the wedding of his son Jon McMahon to an associate producer of the earlier film, to which both Clifton and Bouvier have been invited.[19]
6"Unstoppable: The Fentanyl Epidemic"Robert OsborneDecember 1, 2016 (2016-12-01)
An examination of the epidemic of fentanyl use in Canada.[20]
7"Once an Immigrant"Michael McNamaraJanuary 12, 2017 (2017-01-12)
Actors Peter Keleghan, Ted Dykstra, Elvira Kurt, Maria Vacratsis, Grace Lynn Kung and Raoul Bhaneja, all first-generation Canadians of a variety of ethnic backgrounds, explore their parents' histories as immigrants to Canada.[21]
8"Colonization Road"Michelle St. JohnJanuary 26, 2017 (2017-01-26)
Comedian Ryan McMahon explores the impact of Ontario's historical colonization road system on First Nations.[22]
9"Lost on Arrival: Me, the Mounties and PTSD"Helen SlingerFebruary 9, 2017 (2017-02-09)
CBC journalist Curt Petrovich recounts his experience recovering from post-traumatic stress disorder while simultaneously investigating the killing of Robert Dziekański.[23]
10"Kosher Love"Evan BeloffFebruary 16, 2017 (2017-02-16)
Profile of Yisroel Bernath, a rabbi in Montreal who is also a popular matchmaker for Jewish people seeking romantic relationships.[24]
11"Free Reins"Jackie TorrensFebruary 23, 2017 (2017-02-23)
A profile of Hinchinbrook, a horse farm in Nova Scotia which specializes in horse therapy for people with physical and mental disabilities.
12"The Missing Tourist"Geoff MorrisonMarch 2, 2017 (2017-03-02)
An investigation of the case of Atsumi Yoshikubo, a Japanese tourist who went missing in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories in 2014.[25]
13"The Skin We're In"Charles OfficerMarch 9, 2017 (2017-03-09)
Writer Desmond Cole examines the history of anti-Black Canadian racism in Canada.[26]

CBC Docs POV, Season 1

[edit]
No.TitleDirected byOriginal air date
1"Bee Nation"Lana Slezic2017 (2017)
2"Mohamed Fahmy: Half Free"David Paperny2017 (2017)
3"Return to Park Ex"Tony Asimakopoulos2017 (2017)
4"Sickboy"Andrew MacCormack2017 (2017)
5"Indictment: The Crimes of Shelly Chartier"Lisa Jackson, Shane Belcourt2017 (2017)
An investigation of the "catfishing" crimes of Shelly Chartier.[27]
6"Inseparable: 10 Years Joined at the Head"Judith Pyke2017 (2017)
7"Birth of a Family"Tasha Hubbard2017 (2017)
Four indigenous siblings who were separated from their parents as part of the Sixties Scoop, and placed for adoption, are reunited for the first time as adults.[28]
8"Skinhead"Andrew Gregg2017 (2017)
9"Angry Inuk"Alethea Arnaquq-Baril2017 (2017)
10"The Caregivers' Club"Cynthia Banks2017 (2017)
11"The Way Out"Michelle Shephard, David York2017 (2017)
12"Searching for Winnetou"Drew Hayden Taylor2017 (2017)
13"Sweet Dreams for Chiyo"Kaz Ehara, Rhiana Ehara2018 (2018)
The filmmakers document their own experience as parents of a daughter with Type 1 diabetes.[29]
14"Love, Hope & Autism"Helen Slinger2018 (2018)
15"Catwalk: Tales from the Cat Show Circuit"Aaron Hancox, Michael McNamaraApril 1, 2018 (2018-04-01)
A look at the culture of cat shows.[30]
16"After the Sirens"Kevin EastwoodApril 8, 2018 (2018-04-08)

CBC Docs POV, Season 2

[edit]
No.TitleDirected byOriginal air date
1"14 & Muslim"Wendy Rowland2018 (2018)
2"Prison Pump"Gary Lang2018 (2018)
3"The Reckoning: Hollywood's Worst Kept Secret"Barry Avrich2018 (2018)
An exploration of the issue of sexual harassment in Hollywood.
4"Band Geeks"Morgan Elliott2018 (2018)
5"The Third Dive: The Death of Rob Stewart"Robert OsborneOctober 26, 2018 (2018-10-26)
An exploration of the scuba diving death of Canadian documentary filmmaker Rob Stewart during production of Sharkwater Extinction.[31]
6"Shut Him Down: The Rise of Jordan Peterson"Patricia Marcoccia2018 (2018)
7"Next of Kin"Nadine Pequeneza2018 (2018)
8"Know I'm Here"Elbert Bakker2018 (2018)
9"I Think You've Been Looking for Me"Kacim Steets2018 (2018)
10"Pugly: A Pug's Life"Michael McNamara2018 (2018)
11"To the Worlds"Wendy OrdJanuary 18, 2019 (2019-01-18)
Profile of a group of older women from Kelowna, British Columbia, who came together as a figure skating team with the goal of participating in the International Skating Union's 2018 adult figure skating competition in Oberstdorf, Germany.[32]
12"Spaceman"John Choi, Nicolina Lanni2019 (2019)
13"Mr. Jane and Finch"Ngardy Conteh GeorgeFebruary 22, 2019 (2019-02-22)
Portrait of Winston LaRose, a longtime community activist in Toronto's Jane and Finch neighbourhood who is campaigning for a Toronto City Council seat in the 2018 Toronto municipal election.[33]
14"Year of the Gun"Marc de Guerre2019 (2019)
15"My Farmland"Xiaoping Diana Dai2019 (2019)
16"Village of the Missing"Michael Del MonteMarch 22, 2019 (2019-03-22)
An examination of the 2010–2017 Toronto serial homicides by Bruce McArthur in Toronto's Church and Wellesley gay village.[34]
17"Modified"Aube Giroux2019 (2019)

CBC Docs POV, Season 3

[edit]
No.TitleDirected byOriginal air date
1"Drag Kids"Megan WennbergJuly 25, 2019 (2019-07-25)
Profile of four young drag performers.[35]
2"Town of Widows"Natasha Luckhardt, Rob ViscardisAugust 8, 2019 (2019-08-08)
Centres on the families of former workers General Electric's operations in Peterborough, Ontario, who are seeking reparations for their loved ones' often premature deaths of cancer believed to have been caused by chemical contamination in the workplace.[36]
3"Humboldt: The New Season"Kevin EastwoodAugust 15, 2019 (2019-08-15)
Profile of the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team as they prepare to return to the ice for the first time since the Humboldt Broncos bus crash of 2018.[37]
4"Never Too Old"Marcia ConnollyAugust 22, 2019 (2019-08-22)
Profile of Olive Bryanton, an 82-year-old woman who is pursuing her Ph.D. at the University of Prince Edward Island, with her doctoral thesis focusing on the physical and mental health needs of other women in her age bracket.[38]
5"The Mill"David CraigAugust 29, 2019 (2019-08-29)
History of environmental controversies associated with the Northern Pulp Mill in Pictou County, Nova Scotia.[39]
6"Disruptor Conductor"Sharon LewisSeptember 5, 2019 (2019-09-05)
Profile of Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, a gay Black Canadian orchestral conductor who works to make classical music accessible to non-traditional audiences.[40]
7"Saving Rabbit"Manfred Becker, Karen WookeySeptember 12, 2019 (2019-09-12)
Profile of Peter "Rabbit" Saunders, a fentanyl addict struggling to recover from his dependence.
8"Hockey Mom"Andrew Moir, Teyama Alkamli2019 (2019)
A single mother who came to Canada as a refugee from the Syrian Civil War enrols her son in ice hockey in an attempt to adapt to their new lives in Canada.
9"We Will Stand Up"Tasha Hubbard2019 (2019)
Television edit of Hubbard's theatrical documentary film Nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up, about the death of Colten Boushie.
10"Margaret Atwood: Encounters"Nancy Lang, Peter RaymontNovember 14, 2019 (2019-11-14)
A profile of writer Margaret Atwood. Shorter version of their feature documentary Margaret Atwood: A Word After A Word After A Word Is Power.[41]
11"The Internet of Everything"Brett Gaylor2019 (2019)
12"The Art of Downsizing"Geeta Sondhi2019 (2019)

CBC Docs POV, Season 4

[edit]
No.TitleDirected byOriginal air date
1"Cottagers and Indians"Drew Hayden TaylorJuly 4, 2020 (2020-07-04)
Profile of James Whetung, an indigenous activist who plants wild rice at Pigeon Lake, and his conflicts with local homeowners opposed to the project.[42]
2"Above the Law"Marc Serpa Francoeur, Robinder UppalJuly 11, 2020 (2020-07-11)
An examination of allegations of abuse of power against the Calgary Police.[43] Shorter edition of the filmmakers' feature film No Visible Trauma, which premiered in full at the 2020 Vancouver International Film Festival later in the year.
3"#Blessed"Ali WeinsteinJuly 18, 2020 (2020-07-18)
Profile of Sam Picken, the pastor of a C3 Church Global congregation in Toronto.[44]
4"The World's Biggest Family"Barry StevensOctober 1, 2020 (2020-10-01)
After discovering that he is the biological son of Norman Barwin, an Ottawa fertility doctor who secretly used his own semen to impregnate women, the filmmaker tries to track down some of his 600+ biological half-siblings while examining the ethics of the larger practice of anonymous sperm donation.[45]
5"Rare Bird Alert"Michael MelskiOctober 3, 2020 (2020-10-03)
Profile of people engaged in the hobby of birdwatching.[46]
6"There's No Place Like This Place, Anyplace"Lulu WeiOctober 8, 2020 (2020-10-08)
Examination of urban gentrification, through the closure, demolition and redevelopment of the historic Honest Ed's department store in Toronto.[47]
7"Company Town"Peter FindlayOctober 10, 2020 (2020-10-10)
An examination of the effects on the city of Oshawa, Ontario of General Motors' announcement that it would close the Oshawa Car Assembly plant.[48]
8"Her Last Project"Rosvita DransfeldOctober 15, 2020 (2020-10-15)
Profile of Shelly Sarwal, a physician in Nova Scotia who is working to prepare the donation of her organs following her medically assisted death.
9"The Killing of Phillip Boudreau"Megan WennbergOctober 17, 2020 (2020-10-17)
An examination of the 2013 death of Phillip Boudreau, a smalltime criminal in Isle Madame, Nova Scotia who was murdered by vigilantes.[49]
10"Year of the Goat"Michael McNamara, Aaron HancoxOctober 24, 2020 (2020-10-24)
Profile of goat farmers in Southwestern Ontario who compete in goat-raising competitions at agricultural fairs.[50]
11"UFO Town"UnknownMarch 26, 2021 (2021-03-26)

CBC Docs POV, Season 5

[edit]
No.TitleDirected byOriginal air date
1"Prison Farm"Tess GirardSeptember 18, 2021 (2021-09-18)
Explores the revival of the prison farm as a concept in the rehabilitation of prison inmates, through the story of several prisoners at the Collins Bay Institution.[51]
2"Born Bad"Marc de GuerreSeptember 25, 2021 (2021-09-25)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "CBC documentary delivers useful, timely primer on pot". Edmonton Journal, October 29, 2015.
  2. ^ Jordan Pinto, "CBC implements new strategy, brand for doc commissioning". Playback, April 28, 2021.
  3. ^ "The Player risks it all". Regina Leader-Post, October 15, 2015.
  4. ^ Travis Lupick, "CBC doc Hold Your Fire reveals B.C. police shot and killed 28 people experiencing a mental-health crisis". The Georgia Straight, October 6, 2015.
  5. ^ John Doyle, "Intriguing doc explores how to live to 100, if you really must". The Globe and Mail, November 4, 2015.
  6. ^ Carolyn Potts, "Review: CBC Firsthand – The Oka Legacy". TV, eh?, November 20, 2015.
  7. ^ "You are not informed on Omar Khadr until you see this". The Globe and Mail, December 3, 2015.
  8. ^ Alexis Kienlen, "Young Albertans show what rodeo is all about in TV doc". Alberta Farmer Express, February 5, 2016.
  9. ^ Rosemary Counter, "The alarming rise in binge drinking among young women". Maclean's, February 21, 2016.
  10. ^ John Doyle, "Looking for Mike reminds us that the best mysteries are true tale". The Globe and Mail, March 2, 2016.
  11. ^ Knelman, Martin (March 9, 2016). "I, Pedophile dares to empathize". Toronto Star.
  12. ^ Doreen Nicoll, "'The War at Home' intimate, stark portrayal of Canada's domestic violence epidemic". Rabble.ca, March 16, 2016.
  13. ^ Marc Montgomery, "Documentary film: A Jihadi in the Family". Radio Canada International, March 20, 2016.
  14. ^ "Holding their breath: Doc follows Canadian synchronized swimming team on hopeful road to Rio". Winnipeg Free Press, August 4, 2016.
  15. ^ Sheryl Ubelacker, "CBC’s Road to Mercy explores ethical frontiers of doctor-assisted death". Toronto Star, October 5, 2016.
  16. ^ Greg David, "Firsthand: It ain’t easy 'Being Greene'". TV, eh?, October 12, 2016.
  17. ^ T'cha Dunlevy, "Documentary captures Montreal family's fight for patriarch imprisoned in China". Montreal Gazette, April 4, 2017.
  18. ^ Bill Brownstein, "CBC documentary Sugar Sisters explores world of sugar-daddy 'dating'". Montreal Gazette, October 26, 2016.
  19. ^ Alex Ballingall, "The stabber, the victim, the lost son, and the wedding". Toronto Star, November 12, 2016.
  20. ^ Brad Oswald, "'The perfect illegal drug': Doc reveals Canada's uphill struggle against fentanyl". Winnipeg Free Press, November 30, 2016.
  21. ^ "‘Once an Immigrant’ Airs Tonight on CBC Firsthand". Point of View, January 12, 2017.
  22. ^ "Film explores dark legacy of colonization roads in Muskoka and beyond". MuskokaRegion.com, January 18, 2017.
  23. ^ Travis Lupick, "Vancouver reporter recounts unconventional treatments for PTSD in new CBC documentary". The Georgia Straight, February 6, 2017.
  24. ^ Bill Brownstein, "Love Rabbi makes marriage work in Kosher Love, a documentary about Jewish matchmaking". Montreal Gazette, February 10, 2017.
  25. ^ "Documentary reveals new details on what happened to missing tourist Atsumi Yoshikubo". CBC News, March 2, 2017.
  26. ^ Shantal Otchere, "Watch Desmond Cole's doc, The Skin We’re In, on CBC.ca". Now, March 10, 2017.
  27. ^ Brad Oswald, "TV documentary explores 'catfishing' scandal". Winnipeg Free Press, October 28, 2017.
  28. ^ "Filmmaker Tasha Hubbard's personal connection to the Sixties Scoop". CBC Radio. October 17, 2017.
  29. ^ Pat St. Germain, "Emotional one-hour documentary focuses on daughter who lives with Type 1 diabetes". Stratford Beacon-Herald, February 2, 2018.
  30. ^ Justin Skinner, "Fancy felines take a turn on the Catwalk in new film by Annex directors". Toronto.com, March 20, 2018.
  31. ^ Frederick Blichert, "Exclusive clip: CBC Docs POV’s “The Third Dive”". RealScreen, October 24, 2018.
  32. ^ "From 46 to 77 years old, these women are defying age to pursue a figure skating dream". The Current, January 16, 2019.
  33. ^ John Doyle, "Mr. Jane and Finch: Portrait of politics as it should be, but isn’t". The Globe and Mail, February 20, 2019.
  34. ^ "Doc on Bruce McArthur case, 'Village of the Missing,' to debut on CBC". CityNews, March 5, 2019.
  35. ^ "Hot Docs 2019: In Drag Kids, parents cheer as children slay gender norms". The Globe and Mail. April 22, 2019.
  36. ^ "Documentary highlights fight for justice for ailing GE Peterborough workers". Toronto Star, August 7, 2019.
  37. ^ Furminger, Sarah (August 6, 2019). "Vancouver filmmaker chronicles the fallout in Humboldt". Vancouver Courier.
  38. ^ "P.E.I. senior, Olive Bryanton, to star in documentary". Journal Pioneer, August 1, 2019.
  39. ^ Tara Hakim, "‘The Mill’: tearing people apart, bringing people together". Point of View, August 24, 2019.
  40. ^ Peter Knegt, "With a little help from a famous drag queen, Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser is re-imagining the symphony". CBC Arts, September 4, 2019.
  41. ^ Victoria Ahearn, "Margaret Atwood documentary 'a love story,' say filmmakers". CTV News, November 7, 2019.
  42. ^ Angela Lavallee, "Subject of Cottagers and Indians documentary wants to return manoomin to Rice Lake". Peterborough Examiner, July 9, 2020.
  43. ^ Norman Wilner, "Review: CBC’s Above The Law documents shocking abuses of police power in Calgary". The Georgia Straight, July 10, 2020.
  44. ^ David Nickle, "Toronto documentary filmmaker takes a clear-eyed look at millennial church". Toronto.com, July 4, 2020.
  45. ^ Greg David, "Preview: The World’s Biggest Family explores the impact of sperm donation". TV, eh?, September 29, 2020.
  46. ^ Stephen Cooke, "From mosh pit to meadow, Rare Bird Alert a colourful blend of birding and punk". Halifax Chronicle-Herald, October 1, 2020.
  47. ^ Peter Howell, "Honest Ed’s documentary an honest look at the beloved Toronto store and the future of Bloor/Bathurst". Toronto Star, May 26, 2020.
  48. ^ Marc Glassman, "Company Town Review: Compassion for Oshawa’s Auto Workers". Point of View, October 9, 2020.
  49. ^ Stephen Cooke, "Documentary The Killing of Phillip Boudreau examines death that divided a community". Halifax Chronicle-Herald, October 15, 2020.
  50. ^ Galen Simmons, "Stratford filmmakers set to premier Year of the Goat documentary on CBC". Stratford Beacon-Herald, October 20, 2020.
  51. ^ Peter Hendra, "Documentary takes behind-the-fence look at local prison farms". Kingston Whig-Standard, October 5, 2021.
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