Through the eyes of Edmonton’s documentary film directors, you’ll find a city passionate about burgers, sports and superheroes. You’ll also find a city filled with ambitious, big-hearted and resilient individuals, whether they’re cancer patients, garbage sorters or adoptive parents.
Here’s a list of some local docs to watch:
Edmonton’s bicycle couriers are no flakes when it comes to winters. Follow Mariah Hoy as she traverses the snowy streets downtown in this short doc, directed by Frederick Kroetsch and Kurt Spenrath.
Six-year-old Mable Tooke to the rescue! In 2015, the young cancer patient captured the hearts of Edmonton with her superhero exploits, set up by The Children’s Wish Foundation and filmed by director Kelly Wolfert.
He backstopped the Edmonton Oilers to five Stanley Cups in the 1980s. He was also the first Black player inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. An in-depth portrait of the life and career of Grant Fuhr, directed by Don Metz and produced by Adam Scorgie.
When Trevor Anderson was a child, he had one of those “old west” portraits taken with his dad at West Edmonton Mall. Decades later, Anderson recreates the photo session. (Trevor Anderson Films – 9 mins)
An emotional look at organ donors and recipients at the University of Alberta Hospital. Directed by Niobe Thompson and produced by Rosvita Dransfeld for CBC’s The Nature of Things, this documentary was repackaged as Transplanting Hope for the U.S. and nominated for an Emmy.
We usually don’t think twice about what we toss in the trash. It’s all disposable, right? In Anthony Goertz’s documentary, we meet the people who sort our garbage at the Edmonton Waste Management Centre.
Editor’s Note: The top image of SpiderMable – a real life superhero story is courtesy of Leven Creative.
Read about life in Edmonton—stories of business, innovation and the people who make it happen.
