Mike on the Farm

Preparation of "spawn" for commercial mushrooms, which grow to the tune of "You Came Along." Also: extraction & uses of snake venom; personal dress forms; a Frank Lloyd Wright building in Racine, Wisc.

The Marr Family from Edmonton, Alberta travel to Thailand for one last search for their missing son, Jamie. This compelling documentary produced for the CBC Witness strand follows a grueling three week search into the underbelly of Thai society as they desperately try and find Jamie who disappeared 5 years earlier. This was nominated for a Gemini for the Donald Britain Award for best documentary and a Hot Doc nomination for best social political documentary. CBC.

Local, organic, and sustainable are words we associate with food production today, but 40 years ago, when Fran and Tony McQuail started farming in Southwestern Ontario, they were barely spoken. Since 1973, the McQuails have been helping to build the organic farming community and support the next generation of organic farmers. This is a documentary about the McQuails that explores the very real ways their farm has contributed to the long term ecological viability of agriculture in Ontario. It is a call to action for all those who believe there is a better way to take care of our planet and feed the world.

Intensif

Farm families in Lestock, Saskatchewan, have pooled their resources so that rising operating costs will not drive them off their land. By pooling their land, their equipment, their livestock, and farming as a cooperative, they are able to live as they choose, to maintain their standard of living, and even to have some spare time left over to enjoy. An engaging look at a novel approach to big-scale farming.

A group of citizens lobbied to save the landmark Alberta Wheat Pool grain elevator, one of the defining features of Mayerthorpe’s landscape, from being torn down in 2003 - as thousands of others had been. This film documents those efforts while exploring the broader history and significance of the grain elevator.

A deep dive into the history of the Canadian Government and the Department of National Defence leasing First Nations reserves as practice bombing ranges during World War I and World War II. This documentary follows the Enoch Cree Nation's process of developing it's land claim against the Canadian Government following the discovery of active landmines in the heart of the nation's cultural lands and golf course in 2014, almost 70 years later.

A glimpse into the raw and simple power of nature through encounters with farm animals: the eponymous Gunda, a mother pig; two cows, and a one-legged chicken.

This short film reveals the story behind oatmeal cookies, from the farmer's field to fresh from the oven. Without words.

A strange story from Somerset, England about a filmmaking farmer and the inspiring legacy of his long-lost home movies.

Abruzzo

A fascinating account of the presidency of Andrew Jackson, who was both one of America's great presidents and a borderline tyrant. The seventh president shook up the glossy world of Washington, DC with his "common-man" methods and ideals, but also oversaw one of the most controversial events in American history: the forced removal of Indian tribes, including the Cherokees, from their homes.

A close-up portrait of the daily lives of a pair of cows: told by way of some narrative-free, intimate POV photography, with plenty of close shot images, we follow the daily routine of these animals as they live what can only be described as mundane, boring lives - all with an ultimate purpose within the human food chain.

A different perspective on the exile and social impact of major projects such as oil sands mining in Alberta, Canada. These large-scale projects, based on economic growth, also have human costs that change the cultural face of the regions on a small or large scale. Over a six-month period, three families from the Acadian Peninsula in New Brunswick opened their doors and hearts to director Renée Blanchar and her team. A film about exile, choice of life, values, but especially absence; absence being probably the highest price to pay for each member of these families.

"She Climbs to Conquer" shot by W.J. Oliver, was a noteworthy film which gained well merited acclaim. Made in 1933 it pictured the climb of Georgia Engelhard, a professional mountain climber, from Abbot's Pass to the peak of Mount Victoria.

When Dick and Jane go to visit their cousin Billy and Aunt Ruth at their farm, they learn the process of how butter is made and prepared for stores by making it homemade.

A one hour documentary on the aftermath of the 2013 Alberta Floods in the town of High River.

The work of an oil-drilling crew. Audiences will relish this tale of tough roustabouts who bulldoze a wilderness in a push for liquid wealth.

John Deere tractors, combines, planters, graders, and hay balers. See the important role bees play in the growing process. Visit an apple orchard and learn about different kinds of apples. See John Deere tractors working hard at Santa Anita Race Track and the Los Angeles Equestrian Center - where kids learn to ride and jump horses. Fast-paced, entertaining, and fun for kids of all ages.

Sepp Holzer explains some of the innovative, labour-saving agricultural techniques he applies at his farm in the Eastern Alps of Salzburg, Austria.