New to CBC Gem in February:
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CBC Gem originals UTOPIA FALLS, DIMA’S GAME, PORTRAIT OF POCKETS, CANADA’S A DRAG (Season 3), LOVE LETTERS FROM EVEREST and HEY LADY! premiere throughout February (dates below)
documentary Channel original TOXIC BEAUTY begins streaming Friday, February 7
British comedy series BRASSIC begins streaming Friday, February 21
“It is a hilarious, warm, brutal melange that works because it has heart without sentimentality and authenticity without strain.” -The Guardian
THE LONG SONG begins streaming Friday, February 7
“A beautiful, moving, horrifying adaptation of [July’s] unsimple tale, that honours the source and its subject.” -The Guardian
ELVIS GOES THERE begins streaming Friday, February 7
British drama series ABC MURDERS begins streaming Friday, February 28
BRITANNIA begins streaming Friday, February 28
Canadian films including GÈNESE and THE ART OF THE STEAL premiere throughout the month (dates below), expanding CBC Gem’s extensive library of homegrown films
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CBC GEM ORIGINAL COMEDY
- HEY LADY! (Comedy) CBC Gem original; Begins streaming Friday, February 14
HEY LADY! is a comedy about a wiry old gal (Jayne Eastwood, Dawn of the Dead, My Big Fat Greek Wedding) with a whiskey voice and a bourbon appetite, who refuses to let herself be put out to pasture. HEY LADY! will make its world premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival on January 28.
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BLACK HISTORY MONTH COLLECTION
- CHARLEY PRIDE: I’M JUST ME (Documentary, 2019) Begins streaming Saturday, February 1
CHARLEY PRIDE: I’M JUST ME traces the improbable journey of Charley Pride, from his humble beginnings as a sharecropper’s son on a cotton farm in segregated Sledge, Mississippi to his career as a Negro American League baseball player and his meteoric rise as a trailblazing country music superstar.
- ELVIS GOES THERE (Documentary, United States) Begins streaming Friday, February 7
Renowned journalist Elvis Mitchell takes A-list filmmakers and actors to places of inspiration around the world, with unprecedented access, exploring how each location shaped their work and identity.
- THE LONG SONG (Period Drama, United Kingdom) Begins streaming Friday, February 7
THE LONG SONG opens just as 300 years of slavery are finally coming to an end on the British-ruled island of Jamaica. But, far from being a harrowing tale of misery that one might expect from such a history, THE LONG SONG is a story of hope, passion, determination, and humour in the face of adversity. It follows a defiant, wily young woman, July (Tamara Lawrance, Corvidae, On Chesil Beach), who is born a slave, but ends up as the mother of a gentleman.
- I AM THE BLUES (Documentary, 2015) Begins streaming Sunday, February 2
I AM THE BLUES takes the audience on a musical journey through the swamps of the Louisiana Bayou, the juke joints of the Mississippi Delta and Moonshine soaked BBQs in the North Mississippi Hill Country. Visiting the last original blues devils, many in their 80s, still living in the American deep south and touring the Chitlin’ Circuit. Let Bobby Rush, Barbara Lynn, Henry Gray, Carol Fran, Little Freddie King, Lazy Lester, Bilbo Walker, Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, RL Boyce, LC Ulmer, Lil’ Buck Sinegal and their friends awaken the blues in all of us.
- WARRIOR WOMEN WITH LUPITA NYONG’O (Documentary, 2019) Begins streaming Friday, February 14
In this immersive and epic TV documentary, with extraordinary and unique access, Oscar ® -winning actress, author, and producer Lupita Nyong’o journeys across Benin, West Africa to uncover the remarkable truth behind the women who helped to inspire the Dora Milaje of Marvel’s film Black Panther.
- BLUE NOTE RECORDS: BEYOND THE NOTES (Documentary, 2019) Begins streaming Friday, February 14
BLUE NOTE RECORDS: BEYOND THE NOTES explores the unique vision behind the iconic jazz record label. Through rare archival footage, current recording sessions and conversations with Blue Note artists and people closely affiliated with the label, the film provides an intimate look behind the scenes and reveals an inspiring quest that continues to be vital in today’s political climate. With Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Robert Glasper, Norah Jones, Don Was and many more.
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VALENTINE’S DAY COLLECTION
- LOVE LETTERS FROM EVEREST (Documentary, 2019) CBC Gem Original; begins streaming Friday, February 7
Part heart-crushing melodrama, part classic adventure story, LOVE LETTERS FROM EVEREST is the true transatlantic love story of filmmaker Celeste Koon’s grandparents, Barbara and Fritz.
- PAUL O’GRADY FOR THE LOVE OF DOGS Season 8 (Unscripted, 8×30, United Kingdom) Begins streaming Friday, February 14
Battersea Cats and Dogs Home is one of the UK’s most recognizable and respected charities. In this heartwarming series, Paul O’Grady presents the ups and downs of life at the home as they care for our four legged friends in need. It is an entertaining mix of heart warming stories, informative features and some surprise endings.
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CANADIAN FILMS PREMIERING IN FEBRUARY:
- GÈNESE (Drama, 2018) Begins streaming Friday, February 21
Three teenagers are shaken up by their first loves in the turmoil of their youth. At a time when others are conforming, they stand their ground and assert their right to love and be free.
- THE ART OF THE STEAL (Drama, 2013) Begins streaming Friday, February 28
Crunch Calhoun (Kurt Russell, The Hateful Eight, Silkwood), a third rate motorcycle daredevil and semi-reformed art thief, agrees to get back into the con game and pull off one final lucrative art theft with his untrustworthy brother, Nicky (Matt Dillon, There’s Something About Mary, Crash). Reassembling the old team, Crunch comes up with a plan to steal a priceless historical book, but the successful heist leads to another far riskier plan devised by Nicky. They fail to realize each other’s separate agendas when their plan goes awry in this con movie about honour, revenge and the bonds of brotherhood.
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YOUNG ADULT PROGRAMMING
- UTOPIA FALLS (Sci-Fi Drama) CBC Gem Original; begins streaming Friday, February 14
Set in the not-too-distant future, amidst the charred ruins of Earth, UTOPIA FALLS follows a group of teens chosen to compete in the prestigious Exemplar performing arts competition in the seemingly idyllic colony of New Babyl. When they stumble upon a hidden archive of cultural relics, they are forced to question everything they have been taught, ultimately using the power of music to ignite change and expose the truth. The series showcases a variety of musical genres and dance styles (Hip Hop, Pop, Latin, House, Classical, and Indigenous, among others), and features themes of afrofuturism, youth activism, and eco-awareness.
- CHICKEN GIRLS: THE MOVIE (Drama, 2018) Begins streaming Friday, February 14
Rhyme (Annie LeBlanc, A Girl Named Jo) and her friends – known by their ‘ship name, THE CHICKEN GIRLS – have been dancing together forever. But as they enter high school, everything begins to change. They’ll have to survive boy drama, mean girls, and new interests that threaten to tear the girls apart.
- INTERN IN CHIEF (Drama, 2019) Begins streaming Friday, February 21
Faced with another long summer of hard and strenuous work at the Crown Lake country club, Rhyme (Annie LeBlanc, A Girl Named Jo) and Effie (Kianna Naomi, Chicken Girls) jump at the opportunity to work as fashion interns at the high-end magazine “Très Chic.” This summer will be one for the books.
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ACCLAIMED FROM AROUND THE WORLD
- BRASSIC (Dramedy, 6×60, United Kingdom) Begins streaming Friday, February 21
BRASSIC follows a group of working-class friends who find unconventional ways to win at life. Vinnie (Joseph Gilgun, This Is England), a Lancashire lad with bipolar disorder, and Dylan (Damien Molony, GameFace), his razor smart best mate, are inseparable and utterly co-dependent. Alongside Cardi, Ash, Tommo and JJ, the lads have dealt, scammed, bribed and conned their way through adolescence. But now, on the brink of adulthood, their dealing and stealing is catching up with them. Like a carefully stacked tower of cards, what happens if one of them is knocked down or, worse, removed from the pack entirely? Veering between hilarious comedy and raw, heartfelt emotion, this outrageous, funny and bold show is about irreplaceable lifelong friends, loyalty and the things that come between them.
- KARENA & KASEY’S FOREIGN FLAVOURS Season 2 (Lifestyle, 10×30, New Zealand) Begins streaming Friday, February 7
Karena and Kasey have got a taste for travel and they are off on another global culinary tour! This time—ten countries, ten cultures and ten cuisines! From the picture-perfect islands in Hawaii, to the Andean mountains of Peru, from the lush tea plantations of Sri Lanka, to the hot and dry Arizona desert…it’s a long way from home for the sisters from Maketu—but Kasey and Karena can’t wait to learn as much as possible about the people they meet and the food they eat.
- THE FAMILY LAW Season 2 (Comedy, 6×30, Australia) Begins streaming Friday, February 14
With Jenny and Danny now happily divorced, Benjamin and the Laws look forward to a fresh start. But as the Laws are about to discover, no divorce ever goes smoothly. And in the baking Queensland sun, nothing stays fresh for long.
- THE FAMILY LAW Season 3 (Comedy, 6×30, Australia) Begins streaming Friday, February 14
For THE FAMILY LAW’s third and final chapter, Benjamin and Jenny are thrust headfirst into new worlds of self-discovery and hormones, only to find that for every thrill there is also terror, and that it takes courage to come of age…and finally come out.
- BRITANNIA Season 1 (Drama, 8×60 + 1×90, United Kingdom) Begins streaming Friday, February 28
When the Romans invade Britain in 43AD, Kerra (Kelly Reilly, True Detective), daughter of the King of the Cantii, is forced to put her differences aside with arch-rival Queen Antedia (Zoë Wanamaker, My Family, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone) to face their invaders. The Romans, led by General Aulus Plautius (David Morrissey, The Walking Dead), are determined to succeed where Julius Caesar failed and conquer this mythical land at the far edge of the Roman Empire.
- THE ABC MURDERS (Drama, 4×45, United Kingdom) Begins streaming Friday, February 28
1933. Hercule Poirot (John Malkovich, Being John Malkovich, In the Line of Fire), older and greyer, receives letters threatening murder. The sender signs themselves only as “A.B.C.” When he takes the letters to the police looking for help Hercule finds all his old friends have moved on. But soon there is a murder, and in order to have any hope of catching the killer, the once great detective must take matters into his own hands.
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KIDS PROGRAMMING
- TEEPEE TIME Season 1 [English and Mi’Kmaq] (Kids, 26×11, Canada) Begins streaming Saturday, February 1
TEEPEE TIME is an animated preschool series about a curious little tipi discovering the world, one new adventure at a time. Imagine you’re just five years old and you’re learning to write, going to the store or visiting the dentist for the very first time.
- MOON & ME Season 1 (Kids, 25×22, USA) Begins streaming Friday, February 7
Inspired by well-loved tales of toys that come to life when nobody is looking, MOON & ME is the story of a special friendship between two characters from completely different worlds.
- GARFIELD’S PET FORCE (Comedy, 2009) Begins streaming Friday, February 7
All is not right in the comic cosmos. An evil comic book demoness is bent on conquering Cartoon World and turning all the comic characters into her slaves. Our newspaper comic strip heroes join forces with comic book superheroes to do mortal combat with this vile vixen in a titanic confrontation of publishing universes!
- GARFIELD’S FUN FEST (Comedy, 2008) Begins streaming Friday, February 7
It’s time for Fun Fest again; the annual talent competition that determines the funniest comic strip in Cartoon World. Garfield wins it every year, so why should this year be any different? Well, there’s a new shooter in town, that’s why. His name is Ramone. He’s tall, he’s handsome, and he’s a threat.
- GARFIELD GETS REAL (Comedy, 2007) Begins streaming Friday, February 7
Follow Garfield behind the scenes in Cartoon World where he grows bored with his life as a comic strip star. Thinking that life is greener on the other side of reality, Garfield decides to escape to the “real world”. Leaving his friends, family and job behind, he soon realizes that real-life cats don’t enjoy the perks of cats in the entertainment biz.
- GRACE BESIDE ME (Tween, 13×30, Australia) Begins streaming Friday, February 14
Fuzzy Mac’s life is turned upside down on her 13th birthday, when she discovers she can communicate with spirits! It’s hard enough navigating the highs and lows of becoming a teenager while living with your eccentric Nan and Pop. Throw in a host of needy spirits, mischievous totems and spooky ancestors, and you have a recipe for a whole bunch of trouble! Combining whimsy, adventure, comedy and drama, the series takes audiences on an emotional roller coaster ride, following Fuzzy, as she learns to accept her gift and understand the meaning of ‘grace.’
- LIFE WITH DEREK Seasons 3 and 4 (Tween, 26×30, Canada) Begins streaming Friday, February 14
LIFE WITH DEREK is a half‐hour comedy series about a modern blended family, which has forced together two wilful teenagers, Casey (Ashley Leggat) and Derek (Michael Seater), each used to being in charge and each determined to keep it that way.
- VACATION WITH DEREK (Tween, 1×66, Canada) Begins streaming Friday, February 14
Derek (Michael Seater) and Casey (Ashley Leggat) are back and continue their hilarious sibling rivalry during a family vacation to visit their grandmother’s lakefront lodge in VACATION WITH DEREK.
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DOCUMENTARIES
- TOXIC BEAUTY (Documentary, 2019) documentary Channel original; begins streaming Friday, February 7
TOXIC BEAUTY is a documentary feature film that tackles the life and death issues of public health that have been kept in the shadows by the power of pharmaceutical companies and the weakness of government regulators.
- CANADA’S A DRAG Season 3 (Documentary, 10×8) CBC Gem Original; begins streaming Friday, February 7
Sashaying back into the spotlight for a third season, CANADA’S A DRAG brings you the boundary-pushing drag performers you won’t find on the shiny-floor reality shows — kings, queens and in-betweens. As drag pushes into the mainstream, CANADA’S A DRAG brings you the mind-blowing artists from the margins.
- DIMA’S GAME (Documentary, 2020) CBC Gem Original; begins streaming Friday, February 7
Dima came to Canada in 2017 as a Syrian refugee and, with the loving support of her husband and two children, has overcome many challenges while pursuing her dream to compete in Table-Tennis at the 2020 Paralympic games.
- SECRETS OF THE ROYALS: INSIDE THE CROWN (Documentary, 4×60, 2019) Begins streaming Friday, February 7
Queen Elizabeth II, the world’s most famous woman, has been on the British throne for 67 years. Ever since her glittering coronation Queen Elizabeth II has become one of the most powerful and respected leaders on earth and her story has fascinated and delighted people, not just in Britain but around the world. Now this landmark series, which is themed across four episodes, provides fresh insider insight from historians, royal insiders and the wider family creating a fascinating rich series that reveals who the Queen and her family really are, and just how they have navigated the sometimes turbulent last seven decades of her record-breaking reign.
- PORTRAIT OF POCKETS (Documentary, 2020) CBC Gem Original; begins streaming Friday, February 21
A monkey. A woman. And the paintings that made them famous. PORTRAIT OF POCKETS follows the life story of an artist – capuchin monkey Pockets Warhol – and his muse, their rise to world success, and the opening of their first-ever solo exhibition.
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- Past and current seasons of CBC series, including hit competition series BATTLE OF THE BLADES; crowd-pleasing dramas MURDOCH MYSTERIES, FRANKIE DRAKE MYSTERIES, HEARTLAND, and ANNE WITH AN E; acclaimed comedies STILL STANDING, TALLBOYZ, KIM’S CONVENIENCE, BARONESS VON SKETCH SHOW, and SCHITT’S CREEK; and classic CBC hits like THE KIDS IN THE HALL and BEING ERICA.
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COMING IN MARCH:
- GOOD PEOPLE WITH MARK SAKAMOTO
- MOTHERFATHERSON
- CANADIAN CLASSICS COLLECTION