NFB

A POV documentary exploring the life and work of James Beveridge, an idealist who never let go of his dreams. As a co-founder of the National Film Board of Canada, Beveridge was a disciple of John Grierson - making films with a political purpose to provoke social change. He was an inspirational mentor to many, but often ignored and abandoned his family. His daughter Nina retraces the steps of his complex career, wondering if it was worth the collateral damage.

“I will tell you once, but you must never ask me again.” With these words from her mother, Rhonda Larrabee discovered the startling truth about her family. She was not of Chinese and French descent, as she had been told while growing up in Vancouver's Chinatown. Rhonda’s mother was First Nations. Striving to preserve a legacy that her mother felt forced to escape, Rhonda struggled to piece together a hidden history. Her journey led to the life-altering day that she obtained her Indian Status Card. Today, as proud Chief of the New Westminster Band, she is focused on revitalizing the Qayqayt First Nations. With beautiful archival footage and compelling interviews, this documentary captures Rhonda's quest to embrace her roots and make amends for her mother's pain. As she works to restore the land, culture and pride of the Qayqayt First Nations, she becomes an inspiration to the generations that follow.

Bevel Up is a compelling documentary that follows outreach nurses through their day-to-day work as they bring healthcare directly to youth, sex workers, addicts and street people in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. As they work with people in alleys and seedy hotels, the nurses reflect on why they do this work, and about the respectful and nonjudgmental relationship so crucial in developing trust. That they, and the filmmakers, have earned this trust is apparent in the honest, wry and painful observations from both nurses and street people. Nettie Wild's award-winning documentaries have shown her to be one of Canada's most socially committed and skilled directors, a filmmaker who embeds her belief that "behind the politics in our communities lie human dramas that deeply affect our lives" into her films. While Bevel Up stands alone as a powerful vérité documentary, Wild has designed it to be the heart of a groundbreaking interactive DVD.