In honour of National Indigenous History Month, the Indigenous Stories Collection includes award-winning miniseries POUR TOI FLORA (DEAR FLORA) (June 2) commissioned by Radio-Canada and APTN, feature film RUN WOMAN RUN (June 2) from Zoe Leigh Hopkins (Little Bird, Kayak to Klemtu), and documentary EVER DEADLY (June 16) about Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq
In recognition of Pride Month, the Pride Collection features Italian documentary INTO MY NAME (June 7) executive produced by Elliot Page, the exclusive Canadian premieres of International Emmy™-winning Australian series RŪRANGI (June 9) and lifestyle series HOT CAKES (June 16) featuring a top-team of cake queens, CBC Gem original drama ALTER BOYS (June 16), and UK documentary BEND IT LIKE BOLLYWOOD (June 19) about a gender non-conforming dancer.
Acclaimed international titles include the exclusive Canadian premiere of acclaimed Australian family drama LOVE ME Season 2 (June 2) and period drama MARIE ANTOINETTE (June 16)
THE 2023 INDSPIRE AWARDS (June 18 at 8 p.m., 8:30 NT) celebrate this year’s recipients and 30 years of honouring First Nations, Inuit, and Métis individuals who demonstrate outstanding achievement in their communities and beyond
CBC Gem is Canada’s streaming service, offering more than 6500 hours of live and on-demand Canadian programming and a curated selection of acclaimed, best-in-class content from around the world, including more than 800 documentaries, 500 hours of ad-free content for kids and tweens, and a collection of over 200 Canadian feature films. CBC Gem is available free as an app for iOS and Android devices and online at CBCGem.ca, and on TV screens via Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV and Xbox.
For screening links or more information about any of the following titles, please contact Tanya Koivusalo at tanya.koivusalo@cbc.ca. Note: This schedule is subject to change.
For images from CBC Gem titles, click here. Please credit Courtesy of CBC Gem.
INDIGENOUS STORIES COLLECTION
WINNIPEG’S NORTH END: A FOOD DESERT (13min, NSI IndigiDoc, directed by Marsha Knight, Canada)
Begins streaming Thursday, June 1
Winnipeg’s North End is a food desert. The high population of Indigenous and ethnically diverse peoples must deal with food insecurity on a daily basis. Community members at the Indigenous Family Centre provide insight into what is involved with being able to put food on the table.
SPIRIT OF NATION: THE PLACES WE BELONG (10min, NSI IndigiDoc, directed by Chris Vajcner, Canada)
Begins streaming Thursday, June 1
THE PLACES WE BELONG tells the story of the Fort McKay First Nation people and their struggles as they live and work in a modern colonized world. Through the lens of several key interviewees, the audience is transported on a journey from the bustling city to the traditional lands of the northern Cree. In walking hand in hand with members of Fort McKay First Nation, audiences can better understand the often-conflicting feelings of Indigenous peoples, as they toe the balance between the modern world, while honouring and passing on the teachings of their ancestors.
KOKUM, WITH LOVE (11min, NSI IndigiDoc, directed by Kim Stadfeld, Canada)
Begins streaming Thursday, June 1
Flora Bear’s youngest granddaughter searches for truth and answers about her Indigenous grandmother’s life.
RUN WOMAN RUN (100min, Comedy/Drama, directed by Zoe Leigh Hopkins, Canada)
Begins streaming Friday, June 2
Single mother Beck has been running from reality. Her “breakfast of champions” is a five cream, five sugar coffee, and donuts. Something has to give and it does when Beck finds herself in a diabetic coma and visited by a ghostly ancestor, the legendary Indigenous marathon runner Tom Longboat, who becomes her wise-cracking new life coach. Told with a lighthearted touch by Zoe Leigh Hopkins (Little Bird, Kayak to Klemtu), Run Woman Run is a feel-good anti-rom-com about a woman who has to tackle the ghosts of her past before she can run toward a new future. Winner of Best Film at the 2021 American Indian Film Festival and winner of Best Feature at the 2022 Vancouver International Women in Film Festival.
POUR TOI FLORA (DEAR FLORA) (6x45, Drama, Nish Media, Canada)
Begins streaming Friday, June 2
POUR TOI FLORA tells the story of young Anishinaabe (Algonquins) now trying to make peace with the painful past of residential schools. We follow them from the heartbreaking moment when they, as children, are torn from their parents by the Oblates in the 1960s to the consequences that haunt them so many decades later. This dramatic miniseries weaves between different periods in their lives, showing the long lasting impacts felt by so many of the survivors and how they’ve managed and struggled to move forward in their lives. Commissioned by Radio-Canada and APTN. Winner of the Mipcom 2022 Diversify Award for best-scripted representation of race and ethnicity, and winner of Best Miniseries at the C21 International Drama Awards.
DƏNE YI’INJETL|SCATTERING OF MAN (75min, Documentary, directed by Luke Gleeson, Canada)
Begins streaming Monday, June 5
*Exclusive Canadian Premiere*
In 1968, BC Hydro completed construction on the W.A.C Bennett Dam and began flooding the Rocky Mountain Trench in northern British Columbia, Canada. The resulting flood greatly impacted the Tsay Keh Dene people who have inhabited this area since time immemorial. DƏNE YI’INJETL is told from the perspective of the Tsay Keh Dene Nation and its membership about the events that took place before and after the flood. Viewed by many critics as a provincial vanity project, development of the dam was pushed forward and completed ahead of schedule, with little thought given to the resulting impacts that the natural environment and Tsay Keh Dene people would soon face.
VOICES ACROSS THE WATER (84min, Documentary, directed by Fritz Mueller, Canada)
Begins streaming Friday, June 9
*Canadian Premiere*
Fritz Mueller and Teresa Earle’s feature documentary VOICES ACROSS THE WATER follows two master boat builders as they practice their art and find a way back to balance and healing. For Alaskan Tlingit carver Wayne Price and young apprentice, Violet, fashioning a dugout canoe from a single massive red cedar tree is a way to reconnect to the Ancestral Knowledge of Indigenous craftspeople. Francophone artist Halin de Repentigny’s handmade birch bark canoes recall the vessels once used by the voyageurs. Connected by their devotion to craft and the critical importance of succession, they carry forward the ancient art of navigating life’s unexpected currents.
“The film offers a painstaking look at the process of keeping culture alive.”
THE AWAKENERS (6x50, Doc Series, Soaring Productions, Canada)
Begins streaming Friday, June 16
Acclaimed Canadian singer and songwriter Laura Vinson is on a personal journey to connect with Indigenous artists with disabilities. Their spirit-born work is awakening the beauty of Indigenous people to all who see, hear and feel their art.
EVER DEADLY (90min, Documentary, directed by Chelsea McMullan and Tanya Tagaq, Canada)
Begins streaming Friday, June 16
*Canadian Premiere*
EVER DEADLY is an immersive, visceral music and cinema experience featuring Tanya Tagaq, avant-garde Inuit throat singer, and created in collaboration with award-winning filmmaker Chelsea McMullan. This documentary explores Tagaq’s transformation of sound with an eye to colonial fallout, natural freedom and Canadian history. We witness Tagaq’s intimate relationship with the Nuna—the Land—a living, breathing organism present in all forms of her improvised performances. EVER DEADLY weaves concert footage with stunning sequences filmed on location in Nunavut, seamlessly bridging landscapes, stories and songs with pain, anger and triumph—all through the expressions of one of the most innovative musical performers of our time. Audience Choice for Best Canadian Documentary Feature at the 2022 Yellowknife International Film Festival and Special Mention from the Canadian Documentary Jury at the 2022 Vancouver International Film Festival.
PRIDE COLLECTION
INTO MY NAME (93min, Documentary, directed by Nicolò Bassetti, Italy)
Begins streaming Wednesday June 7
*Canadian Premiere*
Nico is 33 years old, Leo is 30, Andrea 25 and Raff 23: they come from different parts of Italy. They are starting their gender transition at different times in their lives. Day by day, they boldly face all the obstacles of a strictly binary world. To achieve a fulfilling and dignified life is a matter
of survival. They need to be resolute and infinitely patient, while seeing the funny side of the whole matter. Executive produced by Elliot Page and nominated for Best Documentary/Essay Film at the 2022 Berlin International Film Festival, where it had its world premiere.
RŪRANGI (5x20, Drama, Autonomouse, New Zealand)
Begins streaming Friday, June 9
*Exclusive Canadian Premiere*
Starring, produced and written by New Zealand’s gender diverse community, RŪRANGI follows transgender activist Caz Davis as he leaves behind his life in the big city and heads home to the isolated, conservative dairy town of Rūrangi - to reconcile with the past he left behind when he transitioned. There he discovers that his former best friend, his estranged father and his ex-boyfriend are grappling with their own shifting identities. As Caz experiences the joys and heartache of reconnecting with his roots as the man he was always meant to be, he discovers renewed purpose in his father’s environmental fight which is dividing the town. Winner of Best Short Form Series at the 2022 International Emmy™ Awards and nominated for Outstanding
Limited or Anthology Series at the 2022 GLAAD Media Awards.
GIRL LIKE YOU (60min, Documentary, directed by Frances Elliott and Samantha Marlowe, Australia)
Begins streaming Monday, June 12
*Exclusive Canadian Premiere*
When Lauren first saw Lewis smashing out the drums on stage, with smudged eyeliner, knotted hair and ripped jeans, she fell in love. Lewis had been open about identifying as transgender, but was still physically presenting as male and fairly certain he’d stay that way. Six months into their relationship, Lewis tells Lauren that he wants to medically transition genders, change pronouns from He to She, and become Elle. Over six years, we watch a couple desperate to stay together, as they navigate the effects of new body parts, changing gender roles as well as battling their own evolving sexual identities. GIRL LIKE YOU uses the dramatic reality of changing genders while in a relationship to explore the larger thematic questions of the fluidity of gender and sexual identity, and the self sacrifice required to nurture a lover through life.
“their [Elliott and Marlowe] greatest success to date.”
Kerrie O’Brien, The Sydney Morning Herald
HOT CAKES (5x30, Lifestyle, Boom, UK)
Begins streaming Friday, June 16
*Exclusive Canadian Premiere*
For entrepreneurs Gareth and Ryan, life couldn’t be sweeter as customers flock to their bakery for show-stopping cakes for special occasions. And with their top team of cake queens, they are up to any challenge. Take viewers behind the counter in this new series that looks good enough to eat, where it’s all about picture-perfect cakes, the people who make them, and the emotional stories behind the epic treats.
THE ICE KING (90min, Documentary, directed by James Erskine, UK)
Begins streaming Friday, June 16
*Canadian Premiere*
A portrait of celebrated figure skater John Curry. A story of art, sport, sexuality, and rebellion, and the man who turned ice-skating from a dated sport into an exalted art form. From what was a macho, technical sport whose judges punished deviation blossomed - through John Curry's stubborn beauty - ice-dancing.
**** “[A] well-crafted documentary ...”
Nigel Andrews, Financial Times
ALTER BOYS (6x25, Drama, Farpoint Films, Canada) - CBC Gem Original Series
Begins streaming Friday, June 16
*World Premiere*
A group of young men recover in a northern Manitoba hospital after being rescued from a forest fire that tore through an isolated conversion therapy camp that they attended, only to discover they haven’t yet escaped. Instead, they must relive the summer’s haunting interplay of hope and ruin when a camp casualty has authorities asking questions about the program.
BEND IT LIKE BOLLYWOOD (60min, Documentary, directed by Hannah Blackwell, UK)
Begins streaming Monday, June 19
*Exclusive Canadian Premiere*
Growing up in Leicester, Vinay felt unable to live his life as a visibly out and queer person, worried what his community and family would think of his sexuality and way of life. Feeling rejected by the people of his hometown, Vinay left for the bright lights and freedom of the capital. Three years on, he’s built a brand-new life in London: openly gay, gender non-conforming – a dazzling collection of sarees in tow – and running his own successful dance class, Bollyqueer. But one thing’s always remained unresolved for Vinay: the freedom to be himself when he was growing up. And in this film, he takes a bold step: to return to his hometown of Leicester to launch his Bollyqueer dance classes. Exploring gender, family and community, this moving and ultimately life-affirming film follows Vinay as he tries to bury the ghosts of his past as he puts it all on the line to stage the biggest show of his life.
"[a] moving and ultimately life-affirming film"
JUMP, DARLING (90min, Drama/Comedy, directed by Phil Connell, Canada)
Begins streaming Friday, June 23
A rookie drag queen, reeling from a break-up, escapes to the country, where he finds his grandmother in steep decline yet desperate to avoid the local nursing home. Starring Thomas Duplessie (Man Seeking Woman) and Oscar™-winner Cloris Leachman (The Last Picture Show).
**** “Very rarely does a debut from a relatively unknown director and filmmaker manage to tug at the heartstrings as much as Jump, Darling."
ACCLAIMED INTERNATIONAL SERIES
LOVE ME Season 2 (6x45, Drama, Warner Bros. Australia, Australia)
Begins streaming Friday, June 2
*Exclusive Canadian Premiere*
In this series return, the Matheson family, Glen, his daughter Clara and son Aaron, have picked up the pieces of their complex lives following Christine’s death and are each grappling with a new reality that poses the challenging question – is love enough?
Glen and Anita are faced with the arrival of someone from her past who will threaten their current happiness and security; Clara must come to terms with becoming a step parent to Peter’s son as well as the very real prospect that her hopes of having a family of her own may never be realized; and Aaron’s attempts to juggle fatherhood, Ella and his love for Jesse send him into a spiral of self doubt and erratic behaviour. Together, however, the Mathesons will weather the storm of uncertainty as they always do, with humour, arguments, misunderstandings, champagne and of course... a deep and bonding love. Nominated for Best Drama Series, Best Lead Actress (Bojana Nivakovic) and Best Lead Actor (Hugo Weaving) at the 2022 AACTA Awards.
**** “You’ll enjoy being in the company of all the characters in this gently crafted show.”
MARIE ANTOINETTE (8x60, Drama, Banijay Studios, UK/France)
Begins streaming Friday, June 16
Marie Antoinette is just a teenager when she leaves Austria to marry the Dauphin of France. When she arrives at Versailles, she must obey the numerous and complex rules of the French court. The princess quickly suffers from not being able to live her life the way she wants, while her mother keeps pushing her to continue the Bourbon line and thus secure the alliance between the two countries. However, faced with Louis’ avoidant and solitary character, the mission turns out to be more complicated than expected...
**** “...it’s hugely entertaining”
LIFESTYLE
ESCAPE TO THE COUNTRY Season 29 (a) (28x60, Lifestyle, Naked Television, UK)
Begins streaming Friday, June 2
When homeowners are reviewing their quality of life and questioning the need to live in expensive and polluted urban spaces, Escape to the Country’s satisfying journeys of rural property searches and lifestyle changes have never felt more relevant. Having been on screen for twenty years, this heritage brand now focuses on escaping to the countryside in its broadest sense, presenting practical lifestyle content and constructive suggestions for the viewer, all the while capturing the seasonal beauty of the British landscape. More variety is presented in the property options offered to the contributors and in the mix there might be rented homes, new-builds, kit-homes, addresses within market towns or even a plot with the potential to build. Working to a wide range of budgets, a warm and knowledgeable cast of presenters helps a broad range of property hunters from couples to first time buyers and singletons, including those seeking a multi-generational move.
CBC KIDS
GARY’S MAGIC FORT Season 3 (14x11, Preschool, CBC Kids)
Begins streaming Monday, June 5
Gary and his Fort friends are back again for season 3 of Gary's Magic Fort! This season promises even more fort fun than ever before with trips to space, dinosaur mountains, hot air balloon rides, gymnastics shows, missing cupcake mysteries, and more! In each episode, a new adventure leads Gary to navigate the world of emotions. Whether it's jealousy of a new toy, confusion about how his friend is choosing to play dress up, or battling impatience in a long line, Gary's friends are always there to help him work through his feelings!
THE BEST OF CBC
The Canadian streaming home of past and current seasons of hit CBC series including HEARTLAND, KIM’S CONVENIENCE, MURDOCH MYSTERIES, THE GREAT CANADIAN BAKING SHOW, SCHITT’S CREEK and WHEN CALLS THE HEART, plus ARCTIC VETS, BARONESS VON SKETCH SHOW, MR. D, PRETTY HARD CASES, THE PORTER, RUN THE BURBS, SKYMED, SON OF A CRITCH, SORT OF, STILL STANDING and TALLBOYZ, and classic CBC hits like BEING ERICA.
COMING IN JULY
BEFORE THE CRASH
DODI AND DIANA: THE PRINCESS AND THE PLAYBOY
THE MISSING
TEN YEAR OLD TOM Season 2
