On Docs

Filmmaker Ali Weinstein explains to host Colin Ellis how the C3 Global Church has found the secret formula to converting millennials into churchgoers: coffee, concerts, and community. Her documentary, #Blessed, follows pastor Sam Picken to examine C3's belief system, the politics around the church, and what happens when its initial promise of inclusion falls away. #Blessed is streaming at the Hot Docs Online Festival until June 14 and will air on CBC DOCS POV at 8 p.m. on July 18, 2020.

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Michael Kanentakeron Mitchell joins host Colin Ellis to talk about his 1969 short film You Are On Indian Land. The documentary, made by the Indian Film Crew, an all-Indigenous unit at the NFB, documents a 1969 protest at Akwesasne. This episode delves into Mitchell's career in film and politics, the film's screening at Alcatraz prison, and why he was credited as the film's director in 2017.

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The 2010 G20 protest in Toronto was the site of the largest mass arrest in Canadian history, many of them unlawful. This is where director Martin Himel begins his documentary "The Arrest," which explores what happens to people in Ontario when they're wrongfully arrested and the fight that ensues when they try to clear their names. Clips from "The Arrest" are courtesy of Vigilance Productions Inc.

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Bruce Beach has a plan to save the world. Located in Horning's Mills, Ont., about 1.5 hours northwest of Toronto, Beach owns the largest privately-owned nuclear fallout shelter in the world. Director Paul Kell followed him for eight years while producing The Dawnsayer. His documentary looks into Bruce's complicated legacy, eccentricity and inventions, and success and failure.

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Filmmaker Liz Marshall joins host Colin Ellis to discuss her latest documentary, "Meat the Future" which looks at some of the innovators behind cell-based meat. It's a process where animal tissue is used to make meat products without the need to slaughter animals or harm the environment. Does cell-based meat point the way towards a more sustainable future?

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Host Colin Ellis speaks with filmmaker Alan Zweig, whose TVO Original documentary Coppers takes an unflinching look at the lives of retired police officers. They discuss how Zweig's former work as a cabbie informed his approach to his subjects and how police officers often suffer in silence.

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Food writer Suresh Doss joins host Colin Ellis to talk about the acclaimed 2011 documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi and its influence. Jiro Ono is the owner of Tokyo's Sukibayashi Jiro and has dedicated his life to the craft of making sushi. The film, which explores his obsession with perfection and his legacy's effect on his sons, is a jumping-off point for this episode's discussion of food, culture, and inevitable change.

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In this bonus episode of On Docs, actor and filmmaker Maryam Zaree joins host Colin Ellis to discuss her documentary, Born in Evin. The daughter of political dissidents, Zaree was born inside Iran's notorious prison. She and her mother fled to Germany as refugees when she was a child. The film, which follows her quest to find answers about her early years, was screened at the 17th annual Human Rights Watch Film Festival in Toronto.

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In this bonus episode of On Docs, Colin Ellis sits down with Jane Jankovic, executive producer of documentaries at TVO, to discuss this year's group of Academy Award nominees: Honeyland, American Factory, The Cave, For Sama, and The Edge of Democracy. Then, Sami Khan of Sarnia, Ont., discusses his Oscar-nominated short documentary, St. Louis Superman, and what it's like to be up for an Academy Award.

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Host Colin Ellis speaks with Jamie Kastner, the director of There Are No Fakes, a TVO Original Documentary, about the legacy of famed Anishinaabe artist Norval Morrisseau. Credit: Cave 7 Productions

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