Streaming This March on CBC Gem

New to CBC GEM in March:

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• MOHAWK GIRLS Season 1 (Drama/Comedy, Canada) Begins streaming Thursday, March 12
  What does it mean to be a modern day Mohawk woman? MOHAWK GIRLS is a dramatic comedy about four young women trying to figure out the answer. But with their parents, friends, community, and even their garbage man having an opinion, it’s an impossible task.

• ART, DEATH AND TAXES (Arts, Canada) Begins streaming Friday, March 13
  ART, DEATH AND TAXES unpacks the art world’s greatest taboo: money. With vivid graphics and candid conversations — featuring acclaimed illustrator Anita Kunz, Meghan Remy of U.S. Girls, Lego phenom Ekow Nimako and more — the eight-part series offers the straight goods on the cost of a life — and career — in the arts.

• COLOUR STUDY (Arts, 2020) Begins streaming Friday, March 13
  Acclaimed Canadian writers Chelene Knight, Charles Demers and Shazia Hafiz Ramji take us on a dreamy journey through ROYGBIV in this meditative and evocative short film.

• FAITS DIVERS Season 1 (Crime, 10×44, Canada) Radio-Canada Original; Begins streaming Friday, March 20
  At dawn, in a muddy field next to a dairy farm, a car lies flipped on its side with its doors open. An animal sniffs hors d’oeuvres that had been prepared for a cocktail reception. Close by, two bodies lie on the frozen ground. A suburbanite and a farmer, both killed. Chief investigator of the regional office, 37-year-old Constance Forest is sent to the scene. But the double killing is only the beginning of this murderous saga. FAITS DIVERS takes us into the murky land of the suburbs where one dirty trick always deserves another. It depicts the lives of small-time criminals well on their way down the slippery slope and we gradually enter the inevitable game of cat and mouse between cops and criminals. A game that no one ever emerges from unscathed.

• SÉRIE NOIRE Season 1 (Drama/Comedy, Canada) Radio-Canada Original; Begins streaming Friday, March 20
  SÉRIE NOIRE is the story of Denis and Patrick, two screenwriters at wit’s end. Who, after the resounding failure of their implausible procedural series The Law Of Justice, are forced to write another season. To restore their honour, they will have no choice but to radically transform their writing process. How far will they go to make sure their work is believable?

• VERSAILLES Season 2 (Drama, 10×60, Canada/France) Begins streaming Friday, March 27
  Louis (George Blagden, Les Misérables) has completed the first phase of construction. Surrounded by corruption, greed and lewd behavior, he watches his dream crumble and loses his sense of purpose as the nobility start to turn against him. Blinded by passion and hatred, he remains deaf to the Church’s injunctions. Will the dream of Versailles prevail?

• RACE (Drama, 2016) Begins streaming Friday, March 27
  Based on the incredible true story of Jesse Owens, the legendary athletic superstar whose quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history thrusts him onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympics, where he faces off against Adolf Hitler’s vision of Aryan supremacy. RACE, starring Stephan James (If Beale Street Could Talk), is an enthralling film about courage, determination, tolerance, and friendship, and an inspiring drama about one man’s fight to become an Olympic legend.

• CBC ARTS PRESENT: B.L.A.C.K. SLAM Monologue with Stephan James and Shamier Anderson, begins streaming live Saturday, March 28 Hosted by Amanda Parris, this fierce competition show features 13 high school slam monologue performers from Toronto’s east end competing for glory with superstar judges and mentors Shamier Anderson and Stephan James.

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2020 CANADIAN SCREEN AWARDS 

• THE CINEMATIC ARTS GALA presented by CBC Films begins streaming live on Sunday, March 29 at 11 a.m. ET (8 a.m. PT)
  Part of the Canadian Screen Week celebrations, the Cinematic Arts Gala, presented by CBC Films, recognizes the best of our country’s narrative, documentary, and animated filmmaking.

• THE CANADIAN SCREEN AWARDS begin streaming live on Sunday, March 29 at 8 p.m. (9 AT, 9:30 NT)  The Canadian Screen Awards celebrate our country’s finest productions and talent in film, English-language television and digital media.

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2020 JUNO AWARDS AND MUSIC DAY ON CBC PROGRAMMING

• CBC MUSIC PRESENTS: JUNOFEST JAZZ SHOWCASE, begins streaming Friday, March 13
  Live from Saskatoon, this very special JUNO Week concert features performers from 2020 JUNO-nominated jazz artists, with host Laila Biali.

• CBC MUSIC PRESENTS: JUNOFEST CLASSICAL SHOWCASE, begins streaming Saturday, March 14
  Live from Saskatoon with host Julie Nesrallah, featuring performances from select JUNO Award nominees in the classical music categories.

• JUNO GALA DINNER & AWARDS, begins streaming live Saturday, March 14 at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT)
  Hosted by Brett Kissel and Amanda Parris, the annual event will see 36 of this year’s JUNO Awards handed out, and honour the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award recipient, Pegi Cecconi and the MusiCounts Teacher of the Year Award winner. Performances by Half Moon Run, Hunter Brothers, Irish Mythen, Riit and Aiza.

• JUNO SONGWRITERS’ CIRCLE, begins streaming Sunday, March 15
  The ‘Jewel of Juno Week’ in Saskatoon, the JUNO Songwriters’ Circle offers fans the unique opportunity to hear the stories behind the songs and then hear those songs performed in a raw, acoustic format.

• CBC MUSIC FESTIVAL (Music Day on CBC), begins streaming Sunday, March 8 
  Hosted by Raina Douris and Angeline Tetteh-Wayoe, relive the largest, all-Canadian music festival with performances and interviews from: Alvvays, Stars, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Peach Pit and DJ NDN.

• CBC MUSIC: JUNO SESSIONS (Music Day on CBC), begins streaming Tuesday, March 3
  The biggest Canadian songs over the past 50 years are covered by Canada’s best and brightest acts in a series of exclusive sessions for CBC Music.

• INDUCTED: THE ROAD TO THE CANADIAN MUSIC HALL OF FAME (Music Day on CBC), begins streaming Tuesday, March 3
  Jann Arden, Andy Kim, Cowboy Junkies, Chilliwack and Bobby Curtola are the most recent inductees to the CMHF. Follow these inductees back to the places that helped shape their epic careers and learn why they are so influential.

• THE JUNOS PRE-SHOW WITH TOM POWER (Music Day on CBC), begins streaming begins streaming Sunday, March 8 
  Watch interviews with some of the biggest nominees and performers from the 2020 Juno Awards, including Daniel Caesar, Dallas Green, and Lennon Stella, as well as an interview with host Alessia Cara.

• 2020 JUNO AWARDS, begins streaming live on Sunday, March 15 at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT)
  Canada’s biggest night in music, hosted by Alessia Cara, live from the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon.

• CBC MUSIC PRESENTS: PLAYLIST LIVE, begins streaming live on Sunday, March 15 at 11:30 p.m. ET (8:30 p.m. PT)
  Hosted by CBC Music’s Saroja Coelho, a special musical event to celebrate the conclusion of JUNO Week with live performances from JUNO nominees.

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OH! CANADA! RETRO FAVOURITES

• BEING CANADIAN (Documentary, 2015) Begins streaming Friday, March 6 
  Rob Cohen embarks on a road trip to discover what it truly means to be Canadian. He interviews famous Canadians William Shatner, Mike Myers and Alanis Morissette to try and piece together an answer.

• ROADKILL (Drama, 1989) Begins streaming Thursday, March 12
  Dubious rock ‘n’ roll promoter Roy Seth (Gerry Quigley, A History of Violence), concerned that one of his bands is botching their recent tour, sends his assistant, Ramona (Valerie Buhagiar, A Winter Tale, Cypher), to find them. Ramona has lied about being able to drive, so she must find a taxi driver (Larry Hudson) willing to drive all over Canada in search of the band. Along the way, they run into many eccentrics, including a philosophical aspiring murderer (Don McKellar, Last Night, Blindness) and a depressed boy who won’t speak (Mark Tarantino).

• THE RED VIOLIN (Drama, 1998) Begins streaming Thursday, March 12
  The intricate history of a beautiful antique violin is traced from its creation in Cremona, Italy, in 1681, where a legendary violin maker (Carlo Cecchi, Stealing Beauty) paints it with his dead wife’s blood to keep her memory alive, to an auction house in modern-day Montreal, where it draws the eye of an expert appraiser (Samuel L. Jackson, Pulp Fiction, Django Unchained). Over the years between, the violin travels through four different countries, where it has a profound impact on all those who own it.

• DA KINK IN MY HAIR Season 1 (Comedy, 13×30, Canada) Begins streaming Thursday, March 12
  DA KINK IN MY HAIR follows the lives of a group of women who let their hair down in more ways than one at “Letty’s”, a vibrant and bustling hair salon in Toronto’s Caribbean community. The series filters its stories through the quirky, ironic, irrepressible humour of the Caribbean community while using its salon setting to tackle universal themes: what we all really talk about, cry about, and laugh about when we feel free to be ourselves.

• KENNY VS. SPENNY Season 1 (Comedy, 26×30, Canada) Begins streaming Thursday, March 12
  KENNY VS. SPENNY revolves around the relationship—and rivalry—between two lifelong friends, who in the course of each episode challenge each other to perform outrageous real life competitions.

• DUE SOUTH Season 1 (Comedy, 22×60, Canada) Begins streaming Thursday, March 12
  DUE SOUTH is a lightning-paced comedy/adventure in which Constable Benton Fraser (Paul Gross, Hyena Road, Passchendaele), a polite, by-the-book Canadian Mountie from the frozen North is teamed-up with Ray Vecchio (David Marciano, The Shield), a wise-cracking Chicago cop with a flexible sense of morality. Brought together in the Windy City by a mysterious murder which has personal ramifications for both men, these unlikely budies must find a common ground amidst overwhelming differences.

• MADE IN CANADA Season 1 and 2 (Comedy, 13×30, Canada) Begins streaming Thursday, March 12
  In the wake of a highly successful, critically acclaimed first season, MADE IN CANADA picks up where the program left off in the offices of Pyramid Productions, a film and television company brimming with sleazy show biz execs clawing their way to the top. Biting satire at its meanest, the next 13 episodes chronicle the Machiavellian quest of the show’s anti-hero, Richard Strong (Rick Mercer, Rick Mercer Report, This Hour Has 22 Minutes) and opens with a merger between two high-profile entertainment companies to create a new company, Pyramid/Prodigy.

• EDGEMONT Season 1 (Drama, 13×30, Canada) Begins streaming on Thursday, March 12 
  The world of Edgemont revolves around relationships, dating, family, friendship, power games and trust. It’s high school in all its glory – or gruesome details, depending on the kind of day you’re having. It’s a time of innocence and harsh lessons learned. It’s a world full of decisions and dilemmas: an unplanned pregnancy, the school bully, a trip out of the closet, school as a single mom. But it’s also a world of fun, freedom, gossip, parties and junk food – lots of junk food. Savvy, sassy, bittersweet and laced with humour, EDGEMONT captures the universal challenges and triumphs of coming of age.

• DA VINCI’S INQUEST Season 1 and 2 (Drama, 13×60, Canada) Begins streaming Thursday, March 12
  Vancouver Coroner Dominic Da Vinci pursues the mysteries behind death in a world where there are no simple solutions, no perfect people, and where each death poses more questions than he can answer.

• THE NEWSROOM Seasons 1, 2 and 3 (Drama/Comedy, 13×22/6×22, Canada) Begins streaming Thursday, March 12
  THE NEWSROOM is set in the tumultuous TV newsroom world of George Findlay (Ken Finkleman, Good Dog). The overbearing regional news director is solely motivated by casualty statistics which will improve his ratings, and office intrigues which might preserve his job.

• SLINGS AND ARROWS Season 1, 2 and 3 (Comedy, 13×44, Canada) Begins streaming Thursday, March 12
  Showered with awards and critical acclaim SLINGS AND ARROWS is a darkly comic Canadian series that follows the fortunes of a dysfunctional Shakespearean theatre troupe, exposing the high drama, scorching battles and artistic miracles that happen behind the scenes.

• INTELLIGENCE (Drama/Crime, 13×44, Canada) Begins streaming Thursday, March 12
  Jimmy Reardon (Ian Tracey, Hello Destroyer, Eadweard) is one of the top organized crime bosses in the city. He is forced to work with Mary Spalding (Klea Scott, Collateral, Minority Report), the director of the Organized Crime Unit after being offered immunity from prison. But everything comes at a price; in exchange for not going to jail he takes on the role as a police informant. Reardon and Spalding couldn’t be more opposite when it comes to the law, but they have more in common than one might think.

• DA VINCI’S CITY HALL (Drama, 13×44, Canada) Begins streaming Thursday, March 12
  DA VINCI’S CITY HALL focuses upon intriguing dramatic incidents in the life of Mayor Da Vinci as he begins his political life in the city where he’s been a crusading and outspoken coroner for the last fifteen years. From the low track to the fast lane, from the back alleys to the corridors of power, Dominic (Nicholas Campbell, Backcountry) takes you behind the closed doors where the deals that shape the city are made and broken. Investigating the power of politics and the politics of power, DA VINCI’S CITY HALL is a dynamic, realistic, gritty and no holds barred portrayal of a city and citizens in a hyper development phase of its history.

• DURHAM COUNTY Season 1 (Drama/Crime, 6×47, Canada) Begins streaming Thursday, March 12
  DURHAM COUNTY is an emotionally powerful, six one-hour dramatic series that revolves around Detective Mike Sweeney (Hugh Dillon, Flashpoint) and his family as he hunts a serial killer he’s certain is the guy across the street. You’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference between the cop and the killer or between you and them. They have a shared history, one that goes all the way back to high school. You think you can leave your past behind. But you can’t…

• THE ENGLISHMAN’S BOY (Period Drama, 2×87, Canada) Begins streaming Thursday, March 12
  In 1920s Hollywood, writer Harry Vincent (Michael Therriault, Cult of Chucky) is engaged by movie mogul Damon Ira Chance (Bob Hoskins, Snow White and the Huntsman) to track down Shorty McAdoo (Nicholas Campbell, Naked Lunch), an elusive old-time Western actor whose story will be the basis of the producer’s new film. Vincent’s relationships with both the actor and the megalomaniac studio boss are filled with deceit, manipulation, guilt and violence – the dark side of myth-making.

• WHAT WOULD SAL DO? (Comedy, 8×30, Canada) Begins streaming Thursday, March 12
  A modern day parable of an entitled underachiever who, for the first time in his life, is challenged to be a good person when he discovers he’s the Second Coming of Jesus. WHAT WOULD SAL DO? is about many things, not the least of which is hope. Hope that even the worst among us are capable of greatness.

• SHARKWATER (Documentary, 2006) Begins streaming Friday, March 20  
  Arguing that sharks are misunderstood as dangerous creatures, biologist Rob Stewart travels to the Galapagos Islands, Costa Rica and other places where the animals can be found. Underwater, he feeds sharks to demonstrate their fundamentally nonviolent nature. With 90 percent of the shark population destroyed by indiscriminate hunting, Stewart joins forces with conservationist Paul Watson to fight poachers who illegally kill the animals for their fins and sell the meat to the Taiwanese Mafia.

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YOUNG ADULT NEW ADULT PROGRAMMING

• SPRING BREAKAWAY (Drama, 2019) Begins streaming Friday, March 6
  After a series of mishaps, Rhyme (Annie LeBlanc, A Girl Named Jo), Autumn (Lilia Buckingham, Something Better), Zoe (Anna Cathcart, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before), and Effie (Kianna Naomi, Chicken Girls) find themselves together in Miami for spring break. New crushes and new friends will make this a trip they’ll never forget!

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ACCLAIMED FROM AROUND THE WORLD

• MOTHERFATHERSON (Drama, 8×60, BBC Studios, United Kingdom) Begins streaming Friday, March 27
  Max (Richard Gere, Chicago, Pretty Woman) owns one of the world’s most influential media empires. Information is his trade: he holds dark secrets on everyone, and uses his power ruthlessly. His son Caden (Billy Howle, Dunkirk) is editor of Max’s mouthpiece, The National newspaper. But Caden is crumbling under the pressure of his father’s expectations, escaping into a world of sex and drugs. When Caden’s excess causes a massive stroke, he’s left like a helpless child. For Kathryn (Helen McCrory, The Queen) – Max’s estranged wife – this is a chance to reconnect with the sensitive boy Max ripped away from her. As Max and Kathryn fight for the soul of their son, another fight is about to begin, a fight for the heart of the nation. Because Caden knows secrets that could bring Max’s empire crashing down. And Caden’s silence can’t be bought.

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KIDS PROGRAMMING

• TEEPEE TIME Season 2 [English and Mi’Kmaq] (Kids, 26×11, Canada) Begins streaming Monday, March 16
  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 Monday, March 16
  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.

• SPLATALOT (Tween, 52×23, Canada) Begins streaming Thursday, March 12, with new episodes released weekly
  SPLATALOT is a hilarious medieval-themed physical game show geared to the 8-12 year-old audience. The 26-part series features a larger-than-life extreme obstacle course with more splats and spills than ever imaginable. Each episode features a different group of 12 thrill-seeking teen contestants, dubbed Attackers, competing in three hilarious rounds: Cross the Moat, Escape the Stockade, and Capture the Crown. The Defenders of Splatalot, an international squad of nine costumed gladiators, do their best to protect the castle from the Attackers – leaving only one to be crowned King or Queen of Splatalot.

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DOCUMENTARIES

• ART, DEATH AND TAXES (Arts, Canada) Begins streaming Friday, March 13
  ART, DEATH AND TAXES unpacks the art world’s greatest taboo: money. With vivid graphics and candid conversations — featuring acclaimed illustrator Anita Kunz, Meghan Remy of U.S. Girls, Lego phenom Ekow Nimako and more — the eight-part series offers the straight goods on the cost of a life — and career — in the arts.

• GOOD PEOPLE WITH MARK SAKAMOTO (Documentary, Canada) Begins streaming Friday, March 20
  Mark Sakamoto goes on a journey to discover the root causes of some of the most troubling social issues of our time such as homelessness and gun violence. After meeting the people working the front lines, he looks for potential solutions that offer hope and a new way of thinking about old problems.

• RAINBOW ICE (Documentary, 2020, Canada) Begins streaming Friday, March 20  
  When the members of the Keystone Rainbow Curling League get together, it’s not just about the game. RAINBOW ICE follows four members of Manitoba’s premiere LGBT2SQ+ curling league, as they gear up for another season. Since 2005 the league, made up of 28 teams of community members and allies, has been an open and inclusive place to escape Winnipeg’s brutal winters, and enjoy some exercise and camaraderie at the 140-year-old, Granite Curling Club. RAINBOW ICE takes a look at what happens when the spirit of fun, friendship and freedom to be yourself combine with a love of curling to bring people together.

• A-YI (Short Documentary, 2020, Canada) Begins streaming Friday, March 27
  When a group of friends moved into their traditional East Vancouver home eight years ago, they couldn’t have known about a new mysterious roommate, a staple of the neighbourhood, who slowly occupied the empty spaces around their home and then their hearts. A-Yi (Auntie, in Cantonese) collects cans at all hours and tends to the garden that she has built on their rented property, where she also operates her personal ’bottle depot‘. With the help of a translator, the housemates finally get a chance to communicate with A-Yi, straightening out hilarious assumptions and, most importantly, letting her know that they’re moving out. What will A-Yi do once they’ve gone?

• LIFE IN THE CITY OF DIRTY WATER (Documentary, 2019, directed by Clayton Thomas-Muller) Begins streaming Friday, March 27
  Rooted in Indigenous storytelling tradition, this series of intimate vignettes weaves together the remarkable life of Indigenous climate change activist, Clayton Thomas-Muller. Scenes juxtapose Clayton’s rise as a prominent Indigenous campaigner with his raw and troubled journey of addiction, incarceration, healing, and forgiveness.

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NATIONAL FILM BOARD COLLECTION

 

The NFB collection includes over 20 titles, such as:

• UNARMED VERSES (Documentary, 2016, directed by Charles Officer) Begins streaming Thursday, March 12
  This feature documentary presents a thoughtful and vivid portrait of a community facing imposed relocation. At the centre of the story is the remarkable, astute and luminous 12-year-old Francine Valentine, whose poignant observations about life, the soul, and the power of art give voice to those rarely heard in society. UNARMED VERSES is a  cinematic rendering of our universal need for self-expression and belonging.

• WHAT WALAA WANTS (Documentary, 2018) Begins streaming Thursday, March 12 
  Raised in a refugee camp in the West Bank while her mother was in an Israeli prison, Walaa is determined to become one of the few women in the Palestinian Security Forces—not easy for a girl who breaks all the rules. Following Walaa from the ages of 15 to 21 with an intimate POV, WHAT WALAA WANTS tells the compelling story of a defiant young girl who navigates formidable obstacles, disproving the negative predictions from her surroundings and the world at large.

• THE ROAD FORWARD (Documentary, 2017) Begins streaming Thursday, March 12 
  THE ROAD FORWARD, a musical documentary by Marie Clements, connects a pivotal moment in Canada’s civil rights history—the beginnings of Indian Nationalism in the 1930s—with the powerful momentum of First Nations activism today. Clements paints an electrifying picture of how a tiny movement, the Native Brotherhood and Native Sisterhood, became a powerful voice for social, political and legal advocacy, eventually effecting profound change at the national level.

• BEAUTY (Documentary, 2018) Begins streaming Thursday, March 12 
  In a world of fixed positions and prescribed roles, expanding the definition of gender requires the courage to dive deep into understanding and acceptance. Christina Willings’ documentary BEAUTY explores the lives of five gender-creative kids, each uniquely engaged in shaping their ideas of what it means to be fully human. Claiming your own sense of gender when everything around you insists that you comply and conform can be challenging, and sometimes scary. But luckily, family and friends are there to help.

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THE BEST OF CBC:

• 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 APRIL:

• FIND ME IN PARIS Season 2

• THE TUNNEL Season 3

• TIMEWASTERS Season 1

• A JOURNEY HOME