Western Brigade

The Hutterites

January 1964 •English

A look at the Hutterites, an Anabaptist religious community similar to the Amish or the Mennonites in rural Alberta.

Fires of Kuwait

June 1992 •English

After Saddam Hussein had the Kuwait Oil wells lit up, teams from all over the world fought those fires for months. They had to save the oil resources, as well as reduce air pollution. The different teams developed different techniques of extinguishing the fires. Man's emergency creativity can be seen at it's best.

Woman on Fire

November 2016 •English

Woman on Fire follows Brooke Guinan, the first openly transgender firefighter in New York City. A character-driven documentary, the film follows Brooke as she sets out to challenge perceptions of what it means to be transgender in America today.

Hotshot

October 2023 •English

Imagine fighting a million acre wildfire, by hand, without any water. That's exactly what a Hotshot does. Hotshots are like the Navy SEALs of wildland fire. They are the most elite, the most hardened, and the most skilled men and women on the fireline.

Nos hommes dans l'Ouest

November 2017 •French

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.

The Crying Fields

July 2019 •English

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.

Apache 8

November 2011 •English

This is the story of the courageous all-female Apache 8 firefighting unit which has protected their reservation and responded to wildfires around the nation for 30 years. This group, which recently became co-ed, earned the reputation of being fierce, loyal and dependable--and tougher than their male colleagues. Despite facing gender stereotypes and the problems that come with life on the impoverished reservation, the women became known as some of the country's most elite firefighters. The film focuses on four women from different generations of Apache 8 crewmembers who speak tenderly and often humorously of hardship, loss, family, community and pride in being a firefighter.

The Lebanese Burger Mafia

May 2023 •English

The heir to a Burger Baron franchise, the filmmaker chases clues through rural Alberta, capturing the trials and tribulations of Arab immigrants while uncovering the saga of a rogue fast-food chain with mysterious origins and a cult following.

Round Up

January 2010 •English

This short film traces Pete Standing Alone's personal journey from cultural alienation to pride and belonging. As a spiritual elder, teacher and community leader of the Blood Indians of Southern Alberta, Pete works with youth to repair the cultural and spiritual destruction wrought by residential schools. At age 81, he has come full-circle in his dedication to preserving the traditional ways of his people.

Notre-Dame: Our Lady of Paris

September 2020 •English

This ABC documentary special provides a detailed look into the disastrous fire that ravaged Paris' revered Notre-Dame Cathedral in 2019. Firsthand accounts of firefighters, clergy, local officials and those who were inside the cathedral on April 15, 2019, as well as harrowing footage from within the inferno, tell the story of the fire watched around the world.

9/11 Firehouse

September 2013 •English

Documentary film recounting the story of Ten House, the fire station right next to the World Trade Center, and the experiences of its firefighters on 9/11

Anchor Point

March 2021 •English

A feature documentary about badass women that rely on each other as they fight fire and gender-based discrimination.

Digging in the Dirt

September 2019 •English

A documentary about the psychological costs of working in Alberta's oil sands and the mental health crisis that's been ignored for a decade.

No Visible Trauma

September 2020 •English

Deftly upending the popular assertion that Canadian law enforcement agencies differ from those in the US, this provocative exposé fixes a sharp lens on the Calgary Police Service’s rampant, unchecked use of excessive force.

Burn

November 2012 •English

A character-driven, action-packed documentary about Detroit, told through the eyes of the Detroit firefighters, the men and women charged with the thankless task of saving a city that many have written off as dead.

Les Mégafeux, la nouvelle guerre du feu

August 2022 •French

Prisoners of Fire

March 2025 •English

June 26,1990, the Dude Fire rages across Zane Gray country in the towering ponderosa forests below the Mogollon Rim in Central Arizona, killing five prison crew members and a female supervisor on her first fire. Follow along with the survivors and firefighters as they share their experience as inmate firefighters and their harrowing story of courage, loss and redemption.

Water at the Door: The High River Flood

December 2013 •English

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

Fire Engine of 1788

December 1913 •

All hands to the pump! This demonstration of a 125 year old fire engine shows it can still be useful when the need arises.

Mike on the Farm

May 2022 •English

89-year-old Italian immigrant Mike Nardone operates a farm all by himself in Alberta, Canada.