This November, documentary showcases films that celebrate the triumph of the human spirit and the value of staying true to your beliefs.
Everest: A Climb For Peace – Friday, Nov. 7, at 8 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT
Narrated by actor Orlando Bloom, Everest: A Climb For Peace has been hailed by the Dalai Lama as a “tremendous achievement”. Not just your typical Everest film, this socially relevant documentary explores peace, war and the power of the human spirit. Filmed on location in Nepal, Tibet, Israel, Palestinian territories, Jordan, U.A.E and the United States, Everest: A Climb For Peace chronicles the spectacular journey of nine peace climbers from different faiths and cultures as they embark on their journey, believing that “It’s through actions of peace that peace is spread”. Palestinian Ali Bushnaq and Israeli’s Dudu Yifrah and Micha Yaniv come together to forge a path of teamwork and cooperation while attempting to summit the world’s highest peak—not an easy task, considering their nations have been embroiled in a brutal war for years and each believes they are on the right side. It will be Everest that tests their spirits, as they each know that it is there, on the highest point in the world, that cooperation is a matter of life and death.
Morbidly Obese – Monday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. ET/ 10 p.m. PT
Directed by Alec Mathewson and produced by John Christou of Creative Matter Media Inc. Morbidly Obese chronicles the lives, struggles and metamorphoses of Antonio, Vanessa and Jean Pierre as they struggle with obesity and choose to undergo radical bariatric surgery. Antonio is 42 and weighs 550 lbs, Vanessa is 29 and weighs 250 lbs. and Jean Pierre is 52 and weighs 362 lbs. All three suffer from a multitude of ailments—from asthma and high blood pressure to diabetes and sleep apnea.
North Americans are among the most obese people on the planet and those afflicted with ‘morbid obesity’ have a shorter life expectancy than those afflicted by HIV. Morbidly Obese watches as all three patients shed the pounds and work to regain the lives they lost to this common disease.
Cutting Edge – Monday, Nov. 17 at 9 p.m. ET
Spirited, funny and fast-paced, Cutting Edge takes an informal look inside Levels, a bustling barbershop located in the heart of Harlem, New York. The HBO film shows the vital role community barbershops play as a forum for black men to discuss any topic, whether controversial or banal, political or personal in an environment of heated debate and male fellowship. As the opening narration explains, barbershops are “the nexus of all black male life: young, old and everything in between – it’s where brothers come to show love”.
Directed by Bill McCullough and produced by Amani Martin, Joseph June Morris and S. Reginald Williams, Cutting Edge watches as men from Harlem come to Levels to discuss a multitude of topics which include HIV/AIDS, infidelity, gay marriage, greedy preachers, Bill Clinton, the world’s sexiest actresses, and more. Although in some ways this is a quintessential black barbershop where macho attitudes prevail, women do play a role in the shop’s conversations. And with the increasing gentrification of the area, a number of diverse clients, including a white gay man, occasionally enter the mix.
Sharia in Canada- Thursday, Nov. 20 and Thursday, Nov. 28 at 9 p.m. ET/ 10 p.m. PT
Sharia in Canada focuses on the views of Muslim women and other citizens who raised their voices leading Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty to ban all religious arbitration, whether Muslim, Jewish or Christian. The high profile public debate caused McGuinty to reject the Boyd Report recommendation that Ontario authorize Islamic tribunals based on the “sharia”, a system of justices directly inspired by the Quran.
Directed by Dominique Cardona and produced by Daniele Carloz and Claudette Jaiko, Sharia in Canada looks at the key issues that took place from December 2004, when the Boyd Report was released to the public, to September 2005, when the Premier banned all religious negotiations. Over those months, a heated debate played out across the country, revealing deep cleavages in Canada’s multicultural fabric.
documentary is Canada’s television destination for film-lovers, passion-seekers and those hungry for fresh ideas and perspectives. From Academy Award®-winning features to cutting-edge independent films, documentary is home to the most innovative, engrossing, edgy and entertaining documentaries and films from Canada and around the world.