The Dikes

Cyberspace

January 1995 •English

Documentary looking at the ways which computer on-line services and the Internet have evolved, how they have been applied and the problems they can cause.

Time of the Gifts

February 2010 •French

A documentary investigation of the world of French agriculture today through various testimonials. A world that manages to resist the upheavals that it faces – economic, scientific, social – and which continues, for better or for worse, to maintain the link between generations.

The Illinois Parables

January 2016 •English

From dreamy aerial opening shots, we are sent on an expedition through the storied land of our fifth most populous state, Illinois, often called a miniature version of America. Deborah Stratman’s experimental documentary explores how physical landscapes and human politics can each re-interpret historical events. Eleven parables relay histories of settlement, removal, technological breakthrough, violence, messianism, and resistance. Who gets to write history—physical monuments, official news accounts, or personal spoken-word memories?

Older, Stronger, Wiser

January 1989 •English

In this short documentary, five black women talk about their lives in rural and urban Canada between the 1920s and 1950s. What emerges is a unique history of Canada’s black people and the legacy of their community elders. Produced by the NFB’s iconic Studio D.

Their Eyes

February 2025 •English

How does a machine learn to read the world? Testimonies and screen recordings introduce the experience of online micro-workers from the Global South: their job is to teach the AI of self-driving cars to navigate the streets of the Global North.

Seeds of Death: Unveiling the Lies of GMOs

December 2012 •English

This documentary exposes the massive public health dangers of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The film features the world's leading scientists, physicians, professors, politicians, attorneys, and environmental activists who reveal the frightening truth surrounding the vast use of GMOs in our food supply. You'll see the deception and deep layers of corruption being perpetuated against the public at large by the world's largest and most powerful biotechnology companies, chemical companies, agricultural companies, and governments.

Grain Elevator

January 1981 •English

This documentary short is a visual portrait of “Prairie Sentinels,” the vertical grain elevators that once dotted the Canadian Prairies. Surveying an old diesel elevator’s day-to-day operations, this film is a simple, honest vignette on the distinctive wooden structures that would eventually become a symbol of the Prairie provinces.

Do You Trust this Computer?

April 2018 •English

Science fiction has long anticipated the rise of machine intelligence, and today a new generation of self-learning computers has begun to reshape every aspect of our lives. Will A.I. usher in an age of unprecedented potential, or prove to be our final invention?

Dans les coulisses du métro de Paris

October 2016 •French

CyberBaby

January 1998 •English

In this video series an individual confronts fears and, through the process of confessing directly to the camera, transcends trauma. It is also about agin, longing, the delusions and misconceptions we are encumbered with as we mature towards self-awareness, and the masks we assume to deny or hide understanding. The tapes rupture, fracture, and use digital effects to mirror the psychological changes of the protagonist.

Der kleine Held vom Hamsterfeld

September 2020 •German

Look & See: A Portrait of Wendell Berry

March 2016 •English

A cinematic portrait of farmer and writer Wendell Berry. Through his eyes, we see both the changing landscapes of rural America in the era of industrial agriculture and the redemptive beauty in taking the unworn path.

The Seeds of Vandana Shiva

November 2021 •English

How did the willful daughter of a Himalayan forest conservator become Monsanto’s worst nightmare? The Seeds of Vandana Shiva tells the remarkable life story of Gandhian eco-activist Dr. Vandana Shiva, how she stood up to the corporate Goliaths of industrial agriculture, rose to prominence in the regenerative food movement, and inspired an international crusade for change.

Koyaanisqatsi

April 1983 •English

Takes us to locations all around the US and shows us the heavy toll that modern technology is having on humans and the earth. The visual tone poem contains neither dialogue nor a vocalized narration: its tone is set by the juxtaposition of images and the exceptional music by Philip Glass.

Horské pastviny

January 1947 •Czech

První žně pětiletky

January 1949 •Czech

Vesnice na rozcestí

January 1948 •Czech

Společně k cíli

January 1948 •Czech

Volání pastvin

January 1947 •Czech

Trois frères pour une vie

December 1999 •French

Together, the three Bertrand brothers work their farm in a small Savoyard village. In 1972, they took the enormous risk to invest in the construction of an ultra modern stable for 82 milk cows. With modern organisation, they hoped to lead a better life. Almost 30 years later, the farm is successful. Their work is meticulous and the milk is graded top quality. The human cost is much more sombre. Indeed these thirty years can be summarised in one word : work. The brothers are bachelors and – each one now over sixty years old – a bitterness when they recall their past. The younger brother says it himself: "It's an economic success, but it's a human failure...".