Lives & Legacies

At 99 years old, cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch recounts her experiences playing in a prisoner orchestra at Auschwitz.

Punjabi-Black singer Judi Singh was a fixture in the Edmonton jazz scene from the 1950s to 1970s, yet her legacy is largely forgotten.

Jamaican American poet and LGBTQ+ activist Staceyann Chin seeks out the mother who abandoned her, while forging a new sense of home.

This portrait chronicles the highs and lows of visionary Vancouver-based architect Arthur Erickson's personal and professional life.

Dr. Ruth Westheimer reflects on her painful past and the path that led to her becoming the world's most famous sex therapist.

An evocative portrait of legendary Mexican singer Chavela Vargas - a queer icon who dared to dress, speak, sing and dream her unique life into being.

The stranger-than-fiction story of an entrepreneur's dream of developing an island on Okanagan Lake into a Middle Eastern-themed amusement park.

This Oscar-nominated documentary follows the search to learn more about a mysterious nanny who secretly took over 100,000 photographs.

Based on writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin’s final manuscript, Raoul Peck’s documentary examines race relations in America.

How legendary artist Robert Davidson became one of the world's foremost modern artists and a leading figure in the revival of Haida culture.

For over 40 years, society columnist and photographer Malcolm Parry has been chronicling the goings-on in the city of Vancouver.

Melbourne opera singer Tiriki Onus tries to uncover a mystery surrounding the life of his grandfather, who may be the first Aboriginal filmmaker.

A striking portrait of celebrated Black artist David Hammons, whose rule-breaking practice offers an essential commentary on race in America.

Arts communities rally to save poet Al Purdy's cabin - once a mecca for the pioneers of Canadian literature.

This is the definitive exploration of singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen through the prism of his internationally renowned song Hallelujah.

Canadian architect Raymond Moriyama overcame injustice and went on to design groundbreaking works, including the Canadian War Museum.

An exploration of the relationship between jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan and his common-law wife Helen, who shot and killed him in 1972.

Hollywood star Hedy Lamarr had a secret life, spending her evenings inventing technology to defeat the Nazis.

The story of how Stephen Hawking overcame personal adversity, found professional triumph and got lost in cosmological inquiry.

Told in his own words, this is the definitive story of Keith Haring, who blazed a trail through the New York art scene in the 1980s.

Renowned for her extensive use of polka dots, Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama's fierce determination brought her international fame.

Bossa nova's most famous female singer, Miúcha, struggled to find her voice in a man's world, but her vibrant spirit couldn't be held back.

Terminal cancer patient James Pollard rallies his family and friends to stretch his final years into an unconventional project.

This intimate documentary is a revealing portrait of John Lennon’s momentous final years in New York City during the 1970s.

Folk singer and activist Joan Baez reflects on her life on and off the stage, including her emotional struggles and her romance with Bob Dylan.

Sara Driver explores the pre-fame years of Jean-Michel Basquiat, and how 1970s New York formed the artist he became.

This portrait of gospel/soul legend and civil rights icon Mavis Staples reveals intimate stories of her inspirational journey.

Filmmaker Cheryl Foggo examines the myths surrounding John Ware, a Black cowboy who settled in Alberta before the turn of the 20th century.

From acclaimed filmmaker Charles Officer comes the story of Harry Jerome, Canada's record-setting track and field star.

Emily Carr's unconventional life and her connection to the First Nations peoples of the northwest coast of BC deeply influenced her art.

Mohawk activist Mary Two-Axe Earley fought for more than two decades against gender discrimination in Canada's Indian Act.

Ron Mann celebrates the life and art of Robert Altman, the genre-busting maverick filmmaker who reinvented what a movie could be.