Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make Believe

Sep 8, 2023

1h 31m

★ 7.2

Overview

Kindness, creativity, inclusivity, and a touch of magic makes the world a brighter place. Explore the story and impact of Canadian entertainer Ernie Coombs and his iconic series, Mr. Dressup, which enriched the lives of five generations.

Genres

Documentary

Production Companies

Shaw Rocket Fund

Roger Documentary Fund

Ontario Creates

Departments and Agencies of the Government of Canada

Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make Believe Trailers

Cast

Self

Ernie Coombs

Self

Jonathan Torrens

Self

Andrew Phung

Self

Michael J. Fox

Self

Bruce McCulloch

Self

Scott Thompson

Self

Peter Mansbridge

Self

Craig Baird

Self

Fred Rogers

Self

Catherine Tait

Self

Robert Mills

Self

Ed Robertson

Jesus 'Chuy' Aceves and a dozen living members of his extended family suffer from the very rare condition of congenital hypertrichosis, meaning they were born with excessive hair on their faces and bodies. Due to their appearance, they suffer from discrimination in all areas of their lives: the children are made fun of at school and abandoned by their 'non-hairy' parents, and the adults cannot find work unless they choose to exhibit themselves as freaks in circuses. This moving and visually arresting documentary is a portrait of Chuy and his family members. It examines their day-to-day lives and their struggle to find love, acceptance and employment.

0.0

Kier-La Janisse on Cockfighter

Oct 25, 2024

The author of Cockfight: A Fable of Failure recounts her long history with Monte Hellman’s Cockfighter (1974), which is effectively illegal to screen in the UK due to staged scenes of the titular blood sport.

0.0

A Return to Memory

Oct 17, 2024

When Canada entered World War II, the National Film Board suddenly had an urgent new mission—and hundreds of women stepped forward, helping to create Canadian cinema as we now know it.

0.0

Preschool to Prison

Jul 15, 2023

Preschool to Prison is a compelling examination of how the United States public school system is built and operated like prisons. Zero-tolerance policies are used to justify suspension and arrests that set up a pathway to send children of color and children with special needs from school to prison. Children are being suspended, restrained, dragged, physically manhandled, and subsequently arrested for minor offenses such as throwing candy on a school bus. These personal accounts from people affected by the school-to-prison pipeline give riveting tales about the generational impact on society.

7.5

Grizzly Man

Jul 28, 2005

Werner Herzog's documentary film about the "Grizzly Man" Timothy Treadwell and what the thirteen summers in a National Park in Alaska were like in one man's attempt to protect the grizzly bears. The film is full of unique images and a look into the spirit of a man who sacrificed himself for nature.

7.5

Bowling for Columbine

Oct 9, 2002

This is not a film about gun control. It is a film about the fearful heart and soul of the United States, and the 280 million Americans lucky enough to have the right to a constitutionally protected Uzi. From a look at the Columbine High School security camera tapes to the home of Oscar-winning NRA President Charlton Heston, from a young man who makes homemade napalm with The Anarchist's Cookbook to the murder of a six-year-old girl by another six-year-old. Bowling for Columbine is a journey through the US, through our past, hoping to discover why our pursuit of happiness is so riddled with violence.

7.0

I Am Martin Parr

Oct 17, 2024

Since the 1970s‚ Martin Parr has fearlessly held out his unique photographic mirror and given us some of the most extraordinary and unique visual clichés of modern times. Sometimes serious‚ often absurd but always playful‚ his insightful and often acrid commentary on consumer society has always been a subject of controversy and discussion.

0.0

Madame Soleil, la femme qui était supposée savoir

Sep 4, 2023

No overview available.

8.0

Une vie avec Oradour

Sep 21, 2011

No overview available.

6.4

The ABCs of Book Banning

Feb 16, 2024

In recent years, more than 2,500 books have been removed from school districts around the US, labeled as banned, restricted, or challenged, and made unavailable to millions of students. By no accident, the themes targeted are the usual scapegoats of the American Right—LGBTQ+ issues, Black History, and women’s empowerment—impeding the power of future generations to develop their own thoughts and opinions on critical social issues. By weaving together a lyrical montage of young readers and authors, THE ABCs OF BOOK BANNING reveals the voices of the impacted parties, and inspires hope for the future through the profound insights of inquisitive youthful minds.

10.0

The Obama Years: The Power of Words

Mar 9, 2017

Barack Obama launched into our national consciousness at the 2004 Democratic National Convention and ever since, he's delivered messages of patriotism, unity, and hope through the power of words. But of all the speeches he's given, six in particular may define his legacy as, in historian Doris Kearns Goodwin's words, "one of the best writers and orators in the presidency." Interviews with eminent historians and key figures in his writing process give rare insights into these iconic speeches, as well as the Obama presidency and the man himself.

7.5

Inside Chernobyl's Mega Tomb

Dec 21, 2016

Documentary which follows the construction of a trailblazing 36,000-tonne steel structure to entomb the ruins of the nuclear power plant destroyed in the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

10.0

Documentário Brasil Tupinambá

Aug 9, 2021

No overview available.

0.0

Hockney on Photography and Other Matters

Nov 13, 2009

Hockney talks about his 40 year love affair with photography.

7.3

Catherine Deneuve, in the eye of the camera

Oct 22, 2023

She worked with the world’s greatest actors and directors: Buñuel, Mastroianni, Lellouche, Depardieu... The film guides us throughout her career with the filmmakers with whom she invented herself not to be a “cold blonde actress”, thanks to great interviews of many artists who crossed her path.

5.5

War Game

Aug 2, 2024

A bipartisan group of U.S. defense, intelligence, and elected policymakers spanning five presidential administrations participate in an unscripted role-play exercise in which they confront a political coup backed by rogue members of the U.S. military, in the wake of a contested presidential election.

0.0

Candace Parker: Unapologetic

Nov 12, 2023

A wide-ranging, revealing, and often intimate portrait of WNBA player Candace Parker, one of the most transcendent women's sports stars in history.

6.7

In Viaggio: The Travels of Pope Francis

Dec 14, 2022

A chronicle of the first nine years of Pope Francis' pontificate, including trips to 53 countries, focusing on his most important issues - poverty, migration, environment, solidarity, and war - while also giving rare access to the public life of the pontifical.

8.7

The Whale and the Raven

Sep 5, 2019

Director Mirjam Leuze’s The Whale and The Raven illuminates the many issues that have drawn whale researchers, the Gitga’at First Nation, and the Government of British Columbia into a complex conflict. As the people in the Great Bear Rainforest struggle to protect their territory against the pressure and promise of the gas industry, caught in between are the countless beings that call this place home.

8.0

Jordan River Anderson, The Messenger

Sep 10, 2019

The story of a young boy forced to spend all five years of his short life in hospital while the federal and provincial governments argued over which was responsible for his care, as well as the long struggle of Indigenous activists to force the Canadian government to enforce “Jordan’s Principle” — the promise that no First Nations children would experience inequitable access to government-funded services again.