Absolutely Canadian airs locally from July through September on CBC Television and CBC Gem. (CBC)

Absolutely Canadian brings local films and documentaries to your screen!



Celebrating community stories from around the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Absolutely Canadian showcases award-winning short films and documentary programs created by in-house and independent local producers, as well as student filmmakers from Ryerson University and Sheridan College. This stellar lineup of films and documentaries showcases Toronto stories about people and places in our community.

Absolutely Canadian airs locally from July through September on CBC Television and CBC Gem.

Toronto Reel Shorts 2019

Airs Saturday July 6 at 7 p.m.

This compilation features works from student filmmakers from Ryerson University and Sheridan College, as well as independent filmmakers. With scripted and unscripted shorts, this year's selection features stories about young people overcoming obstacles, talented GTA musicians and much more.

The lineup this year includes First Steps, Limbs and Stereo: Jasmine Kiara, as well as two animated shorts, Wash Day and Askew.

The 2019 Toronto Reel Shorts compilation includes Limbs, Stereo: Jasmine Kiara, First Steps, Askew and Wash Day.

Toronto Stories: Ethiopian Musicians and Winston LaRose

Airs Saturday July 13, beginning at 7 p.m.

This one-hour program will include two short documentaries highlighting Toronto community stories. Tizita and Mr. Jane and Finch - Winston LaRose are independent documentaries produced in collaboration with CBC Docs.

Part 1: Tizita

Behind the scenes of Tizita production with director Gezahegn Mekonnen Demissie ( John Tran)

Tizita explores how three exiled Ethiopian musicians are adjusting to life in Canada. The film follows three musicians en route to a gathering in a Toronto café to play a "Tizita," a traditional Ethiopian ballad invoking nostalgic memories. This documentary sheds light onto the growing Canadian immigrant community and the broader meaning of art in the lives of those compelled to pursue it.

This independent documentary was produced by Fraser Ash at Rhombus Media and directed by Gezahegn Mekonnen Demissie.

You can also read a blog written by director Gezahegn M. Demissie about the experience of living in exile here.

Part 2: Mr. Jane and Finch - Winston LaRose

Airs Saturday July 13, beginning at 7 p.m.

Mr. Jane and Finch director Ngardy Conteh George, middle, with drone operator Jeff David King, left, and Winston LaRose. (Yvano Wickham-Edwards)

Since the 1960s, Jane and Finch has become home to many new immigrants, growing from a small community of 1,300 residents at the time to roughly 82,000 today. The current residents have not seen their economic opportunities or social services grow in tandem with the population. This documentary profiles Winston LaRose, an 81-year-old community activist, affectionately known as 'Mr. Jane and Finch,' as he runs for political office for the first time.

This independent documentary was produced by Alison Duke and Ngardy Conteh George and directed by Ngardy Conteh George.

My Piece of the City

Airs Saturday July 20 at 7 p.m.

(encore presentation)

(Chris Romeike, Cinematographer)

This documentary tells the story of a group of young artists in Toronto's Regent Park neighbourhood, as their community undergoes one of the most dramatic urban revitalizations in North America. The young artists come together to perform 'The Journey', a musical that helps them explore various challenges during this crucial period of their lives.

My Piece of the City follows these young artists as they create the building blocks of the show, develop their own artistry, and explore all that they have lost and gained as a new world builds around them.

This independent documentary was directed by award-winning director Moze Mossanen and produced by 100 Dragons' Teresa M. Ho.

The Leslie McCurdy Story: On the Money

Airs Saturday September 14 at 7 p.m.

Leslie McCurdy on stage as Viola Desmond. (Enhao Fan)

For two decades, Leslie McCurdy has brought the stories of heroines to life on stage. The actress and playwright from Windsor, Ontario has dedicated her life to telling the stories of black women who stood up against racial injustice, such as Harriet Tubman and Viola Desmond.

The film, The Leslie McCurdy Story: On the Money, gives context to the reason why Viola Desmond is now on the Canadian ten dollar bill and features a reunion between McCurdy and Desmond's now famous sister, Wanda Robson. The film also raises issues about economic and social justice as well as the importance of preserving and teaching black history.

This independent documentary was produced and directed by Pat Jeflyn and Kim Kristy from Windsor, Ontario.

Toronto Docs 2019

Airs Saturday September 21 at 7 p.m.

2019 Toronto Docs: Mother Tongue, His Nose, Her Eyes, Whose Face, Art of Chaos (Painter, Dancer) and Family Affair.

Toronto Docs 2019 is a compilation show featuring short documentaries from independent producers as well as student filmmakers from Ryerson University and Sheridan College. The program will include behind-the-scenes interviews with each filmmaker to learn more about their film and community stories.

Films include: Art of Chaos (Painter, Dancer), Mother Tongue, Family Affair, His Nose, Her Eyes, Whose Face.

FOXY

Airs Saturday September 28 at 7 p.m.

FOXY (Ellis Poleyko, Trista Suke)

Director Trista Suke documents her personal experience struggling with alopecia universalis through an eccentric, scripted memoir. Interview segments featuring various people living with the hair loss condition are artfully tied into Suke's story, shining light on mental health, society's unachievable beauty standards and what it's like to live as a bald woman. The dramatic story features Penny, a 20-year-old aspiring Toronto filmmaker, who decides to make a film to "come out" about her baldness, which she's been hiding with wigs and makeup.

FOXY is an independent production by Ellis Poleyko and Trista Suke.

Watch all of the Absolutely Canadian films on CBC Television and CBC Gem.