On Docs

Join Colin Ellis for this podcast on documentaries and the stories they tell. He'll introduce you to filmmakers who give us fascinating takes on people, perspectives and what it means to be human.

  • 33 minutes 1 second
    The carpenter who helped the unhoused survive winter

    At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, carpenter Khaleel Seivwright found himself busy building shelters for unhoused people. He'd calculated that a person living in one of the structures he was making could act as a heat source. His tiny shelters would be a vital resource as winter arrived in the city and they had the potential to save lives.

    But the City of Toronto took a dim view of his work. John Tory's government filed a court injunction against Seivwright and continued to criminalize those living in parks. The city's argument against the shelters was that the tiny wooden houses were unsafe, fire hazards for those who lived in them, and for the surrounding neighbourhoods. In protest, community activists organized rallies and placed signs on the small shelters stating, "Someone lives here. Please don't remove." They criticized the government for this move against unhoused people and its lack of action when it came to the housing and homelessness crisis.

    The documentary "Someone Lives Here" captures Khaleel Seivwright's struggles to get the buildings certified as safe and his search for accountability from municipal politicians. The film won the Roger's Audience Award at Hot Docs. Zack Russell, the film's director, and Khaleel Seivwright, the subject of the documentary, speak to Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka on this episode of TVO's On Docs podcast. They dissect the making of the documentary, how the tiny house project started, how the tiny shelters were made, and the public response to the initiative.

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    22 June 2023, 9:00 am
  • 34 minutes 21 seconds
    Why are Chinatowns disappearing?

    Whether it's in New York or Toronto, Chinatowns are being attacked by the forces of gentrification, development pressure, and much more. But communities are resisting this pressure to retain their intangible cultural heritage forged by the bonds of a shared history - often tied together by the historical racist policies of their new homes. Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka talk with director Karen Cho and community organizer Rick Wong about how Cho's new documentary, "Big Fight in Little Chinatown," shows how people are mobilizing to save these places.

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    15 June 2023, 9:00 am
  • 29 minutes 26 seconds
    The Satanic Panic was Built on Lies

    The Satanic Panic - a phenomenon of the 1980s and '90s - was a terrifying rollercoaster for all involved. Accusations of child sacrifice ruined lives as the public sought answers for why everyone suddenly seemed to have been victims of Satanists and Satanic rituals. Amplified by the Catholic Church, law enforcement and daytime TV, rumours of these cults made their way through fearful communities, creating a witch hunt for anyone believed to be part of alleged Satanic worship groups.

    At the centre of this conspiracy was a book called "Michelle Remembers," a memoir published in 1980 by Canadian psychiatrist Larry Pazder and his patient Michelle Smith in which Smith's recounted false memories where she was abducted and tortured by a satanic cult in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

    The new documentary, "Satan Wants You," describes the experiences of the satanic panic, how the memoir (,Michelle Remembers,) sparked it, and exposes how a lie from a Canadian patient and doctor became an enduring myth. The film was featured at HotDocs and SXSW, and its filmmakers Sean Horlor and Steve J. Adams speak to Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka on this episode of TVO's On Docs podcast. They dissect the chilling story and production behind "Satan Wants You," and the satanic panic phenomenon of the 1980s and '90s.

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    8 June 2023, 9:00 am
  • 22 minutes 24 seconds
    Celebrating On Docs' 100th episode with Jane Jankovic

    Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka celebrate On Docs' 100th episode with Jane Jankovic, TVO's executive producer for documentaries, in a wide-ranging discussion about the evolution of the documentary genre.

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    25 November 2022, 10:00 am
  • 36 minutes 42 seconds
    The Worker's Cup

    The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will be a spectacle, but in the spotlight is the country's use of migrant labour to build everything from stadiums to highways. Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka are joined by Michael Page, Human Rights Watch's deputy director in the Middle East and North Africa, to talk about the sacrifices made for football.

    Canada Soccer has released a statement stating that, "Canada Soccer supports the ongoing pursuit of further progress regarding workers' rights and inclusivity as Qatar prepares to host the world."

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    18 November 2022, 10:00 am
  • 25 minutes 58 seconds
    Scrap

    Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka speak with director Stacey Tenenbaum about "Scrap," the stuff that gets thrown into landfills and the title of her latest documentary on how we need to rethink our waste-filled consumer culture. They talk about photojournalists like Saumya Khandelwal who are capturing the stories of those most affected by waste and the movement trying to give consumers the right to repair their things.

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    11 November 2022, 10:00 am
  • 24 minutes 59 seconds
    Woodstock '99: A train wreck and dumpster fire rolled into one concert

    Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka watch HBO's "Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage" and Netflix's "Trainwreck: Woodstock '99," and discuss the disastrous concert that redefined a legendary music festival.

    Nam Kiwanuka clip from Woodstock '99 credit: MuchMusic/BCE Inc./YouTube

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    4 November 2022, 9:00 am
  • 32 minutes 59 seconds
    Pray for our Sinners with Sinead O’ Shea

    Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka speak with filmmaker Sinead O'Shea about her latest documentary, "Pray for our Sinners," which explores the role of the Catholic Church in her hometown of Navan, Ireland.

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    28 October 2022, 1:53 pm
  • 26 minutes 12 seconds
    Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On

    Colin Ellis speaks with legendary singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie about how a new documentary, "Carry It On," captures her life and career.

    Clips courtesy Eagle Vision & White Pine Pictures.

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    21 October 2022, 9:00 am
  • 29 minutes 18 seconds
    Dear Jackie with Henri Pardo

    Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka chat with director Henri Pardo about his new documentary, "Dear Jackie." The film explores how Montreal attempted to cast itself as a post-racial city after legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson played for the Royals, but, as we learn from the stories of people from the city's historic Black neighbourhood Little Burgundy, it was anything but.

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    14 October 2022, 9:00 am
  • 36 minutes 7 seconds
    The Perfect Story: Michelle Shephard and Sahal Abdulle

    Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka speak with Michelle Shephard and Sahal Abdulle about "The Perfect Story," a new documentary that examines what happens when cracks form in a journalist's story.

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    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    7 October 2022, 9:00 am
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