CBC Docs POV is a Canadian television point-of-view documentary series, which airs on CBC Television.[1] The series premiered in fall 2015 under the title Firsthand, replacing Doc Zone, after the CBC discontinued its internal documentary production unit, and was renamed CBC Docs POV in 2017. The series airs one documentary film each week, commissioned from external producers rather than being produced directly by the CBC; some, but not all, films screened as part of the series have also had longer versions separately released as theatrical feature documentaries.
Repeat airings of the series have also sometimes included films which were originally broadcast as part of Doc Zone.
The CBC announced in 2021 that it would not commission further documentaries under the CBC Docs POV brand, instead merging all documentary broadcasts into The Passionate Eye.[2]
An exploration of police response to incidents of people in mental health crisis, delving into the reasons why such incidents frequently end in shootings.[4]
An examination of the alcohol consumption habits of women, and the reasons why binge drinking has increased much more rapidly among women than men in recent years.[9]
10
"Looking for Mike"
Dylan Reibling
March 3, 2016 (2016-03-03)
After the sudden death of his former colleague Michael de Bourcier at age 33 leads to the revelation that the man was living under an assumed identity, the filmmaker tries to investigate the mystery of who his friend really was.[10]
A portrait of two men who struggle with sexual attractions to children, exploring whether social stigmas around talking about the issue make it more difficult for a person struggling with it to get compassionate treatment, and thus increase their risk of actually committing a sexual offense.[11]
An examination of domestic violence against women, delving into problems within the law enforcement and legal systems that make it difficult to combat.[12]
A sequel to Kastner's 2013 television documentary NCR: Not Criminally Responsible, the film updates the story of Sean Clifton as he attempts to make amends to Julie Bouvier, the woman he was convicted of stabbing in 1999, prior to the wedding of his son Jon McMahon to an associate producer of the earlier film, to which both Clifton and Bouvier have been invited.[19]
6
"Unstoppable: The Fentanyl Epidemic"
Robert Osborne
December 1, 2016 (2016-12-01)
An examination of the epidemic of fentanyl use in Canada.[20]
Four indigenous siblings who were separated from their parents as part of the Sixties Scoop, and placed for adoption, are reunited for the first time as adults.[28]
Centres on the families of former workers General Electric's operations in Peterborough, Ontario, who are seeking reparations for their loved ones' often premature deaths of cancer believed to have been caused by chemical contamination in the workplace.[36]
Profile of Olive Bryanton, an 82-year-old woman who is pursuing her Ph.D. at the University of Prince Edward Island, with her doctoral thesis focusing on the physical and mental health needs of other women in her age bracket.[38]
5
"The Mill"
David Craig
August 29, 2019 (2019-08-29)
History of environmental controversies associated with the Northern Pulp Mill in Pictou County, Nova Scotia.[39]
A single mother who came to Canada as a refugee from the Syrian Civil War enrols her son in ice hockey in an attempt to adapt to their new lives in Canada.
Profile of James Whetung, an indigenous activist who plants wild rice at Pigeon Lake, and his conflicts with local homeowners opposed to the project.[42]
Profile of Sam Picken, the pastor of a C3 Church Global congregation in Toronto.[44]
4
"The World's Biggest Family"
Barry Stevens
October 1, 2020 (2020-10-01)
After discovering that he is the biological son of Norman Barwin, an Ottawa fertility doctor who secretly used his own semen to impregnate women, the filmmaker tries to track down some of his 600+ biological half-siblings while examining the ethics of the larger practice of anonymous sperm donation.[45]
Explores the revival of the prison farm as a concept in the rehabilitation of prison inmates, through the story of several prisoners at the Collins Bay Institution.[51]
2
"Born Bad"
Marc de Guerre
September 25, 2021 (2021-09-25)
References
^ ab"CBC documentary delivers useful, timely primer on pot". Edmonton Journal, October 29, 2015.
