John N. Smith

In 1969, a visiting geologist from Newfoundland arouses scandal in a small Irish village when he romances a local girl who’s destined for the convent.

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Haunting Film recalls a tragic journey that culminates in one of the most brutal historical events in Canadian history - the Cypress Hills Massacre

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In 1930s Saskatchewan Tommy Douglas, a small town pastor, sees the poverty and injustice around him which seem beyond his power to address from the pulpit. Douglas enters politics with the socialist Canadian Commonwealth Federation where his idealism runs into powerful opposition from the wealthy and the powerful. Despite the long odds, Douglas' new calling would soon make him a leader who transformed Canada.

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A grocery-store worker in a small Canadian town gets a chance to appear on a popular television game show.

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This award winning miniseries traces the difficult passage of young Mary Keane (Aoife McMahon) from servitude in Ireland to the squalor of rough-and-tumble Newfoundland in the early 1800s. Escaping attempted rape and abuse, Mary moves on with her infant daughter to find shelter at a remote fishing station run by Thomas Hutchings (Colm Meaney). In a time and place where life and death are a hair's breadth apart, Mary joins the community's struggle for survival against sickness and starvation. All of the Cape's people are fugitives of one kind or another, but by pulling together through hardships and tragedies, they forge a new life of hope - and even love.

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Russell, a single father, balances his work as a lawyer with the care of his five-year-old son after his wife abandoned them. When she reappears creating turmoil, he must deal with his new love interest and the job opportunity of a lifetime.

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Sam Giancana is a ruthless mob boss from Chicago. During a trip to Las Vegas, he sees a performance by the McGuire Sisters, a popular singing group with a pure image. Sam is attracted to Phyllis and begins aggressively courting her. The two enter into an epic romance, but it brings unwanted attention and tarnishes Phyllis's reputation. For Sam, however, the consequences are far more drastic, landing him in trouble with the law and his fellow mobsters.

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Former Marine Louanne Johnson lands a gig teaching in a pilot program for bright but underachieving teens at a notorious inner-city high school. After having a terrible first day, she decides she must throw decorum to the wind. When Johnson returns to the classroom, she does so armed with a no-nonsense attitude informed by her military training and a fearless determination to better the lives of her students -- no matter what the cost.

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The true story of boys being sexually abused at their orphanage, run by a religious community in Newfoundland.

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A dramatization of the failed World War II raid which became the most serious defeat of Canadian forces in the war.

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Fifteen years after the events of The Boys of St. Vincent took place, the various boys involved are brought in to testify against the brothers, now finally standing trial, who assaulted them when they were children.

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Newfoundlanders share their food, culture, and homes with a group of Tamil refugees found off the coast.

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At 16, Tony is an English-speaking high-school drop-out in Montreal. In trouble with the law and at odds with his struggling single parent mother, Tony is sent to Juvie where he realizes that he's neither as tough or as disadvantaged as he thought. Then he comes home on a weekend pass only to find his younger brother following in his footsteps.

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Full of gentle warmth and humour, and with an upbeat reggae score, this feature from the NFB's Alternative Drama program provides an intimate look at the lives of four Black teenagers in Montréal. Some of the issues examined include poverty, teenage pregnancy, racism, and the importance of having a community.

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Family Crisis Series short directed by John N. Smith

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First Stop, China is a record of the choreographed performances and the unrehearsed moments of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens ballet company on the road, against a backdrop of unfamiliar sights and sounds. Their itinerary included China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Japan and Korea.

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This feature-length drama explores the changing role of men in today's society by delving into the stories of 4 men and their relationships with women.

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A historical drama depicting an Irish immigrant family’s first winter in Canada, where isolation, illness, and an unforgiving landscape test their will to survive.

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A portrait of the Canadian Dance Spectacular, a 1981 show at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, at which eight Canadian professional dance companies all performed on stage together for the first time (Wikipedia). Nominated for Best Feature Length Documentary at the 4th Genie Awards in 1983.

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This short documentary takes us to St. John's Cathedral Boys' School, at Selkirk, Manitoba, one of the most demanding outdoor schools in North America. As the school can’t accommodate every student wishing to enroll, boys of 13 to 15 years old are put through an initiation tougher than they have ever faced. They paddle canoes through some 500 kilometers of wilderness in 2 weeks, portaging and camping all the way, thereby learning vital outdoor lore, cooperation and self-confidence.

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The true story of boys being sexually abused at their orphanage, run by a religious community in Newfoundland.

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Fifteen years after the events of The Boys of St. Vincent took place, the various boys involved are brought in to testify against the brothers, now finally standing trial, who assaulted them when they were children.

Open details →

Newfoundlanders share their food, culture, and homes with a group of Tamil refugees found off the coast.

Open details →

At 16, Tony is an English-speaking high-school drop-out in Montreal. In trouble with the law and at odds with his struggling single parent mother, Tony is sent to Juvie where he realizes that he's neither as tough or as disadvantaged as he thought. Then he comes home on a weekend pass only to find his younger brother following in his footsteps.

Open details →

Full of gentle warmth and humour, and with an upbeat reggae score, this feature from the NFB's Alternative Drama program provides an intimate look at the lives of four Black teenagers in Montréal. Some of the issues examined include poverty, teenage pregnancy, racism, and the importance of having a community.

Open details →