Supporting award-winning Canadian and Indigenous storytelling since 2014.
Current Projects
TELUS originals is pleased to be supporting the following documentaries and docuseries. For festival programming and distribution inquiries, please contact production companies directly.
Deb's Return
Now in her 70's, Deb Mearns, BC's first Indigenous woman lawyer, revisits her activist roots in Vancouver after decades away.
Director: Kerriann Cardinal, Jules Koostachin
Producer: Kerriann Cardinal
Production Company: Sweetgrass Stories Inc.
Run Time: 30 mins
Producer: Kerriann Cardinal
Production Company: Sweetgrass Stories Inc.
Run Time: 30 mins
Gayblevision
In 1980, with no money, little experience, and countless obstacles, an unlikely crew creates one of the first TV shows “by gay people, for gay people.”
Director: Dave Rodden-Shortt
Producer: Jack Fox
Production Company:
Run Time: 90 mins
Producer: Jack Fox
Production Company:
Habitat Productions Inc.
and Jack Fox Media
Run Time: 90 mins
Havrda
Nicole Havrda, a young championship-winning Formula 3 racer, battles to become the fastest woman on the track and a true Formula 1 contender.
Director: Phillip Jarmain
Producer: Jules Bertuzzi & Phillip Jarmain
Production Company: Edwin Productions Inc.
Run Time: 90 mins
Producer: Jules Bertuzzi & Phillip Jarmain
Production Company: Edwin Productions Inc.
Run Time: 90 mins
Match Me If You Can
Between dating apps and marriage markets, four Chinese first-generation immigrants search for companionship on their own terms.
Director: Betty Xie
Producer: Tony Lau, Jay Wu, Alice Wang
Production Company: 1001434524 ONTARIO INC.
Run Time: 75 mins
Producer: Tony Lau, Jay Wu, Alice Wang
Production Company: 1001434524 ONTARIO INC.
Run Time: 75 mins
Parrot People
From living room aviaries and birds with trust funds, this film follows a flock of true believers who blur the lines between pet and partner, animal and equal.
Director: Rosvita Dransfeld
Producer: Bonnie Thompson, Rosvita Dransfeld
Production Company: Parrot People Inc.
Run Time: 90 mins
Producer: Bonnie Thompson, Rosvita Dransfeld
Production Company: Parrot People Inc.
Run Time: 90 mins
The Coast Salish Woolly Dog
A hybrid documentary uncovering the almost forgotten legacy of Sqwiqwmi, the Coast Salish Woolly Dog—a sacred, now considered extinct breed.
Director: Steven Davies
Producer: Steven Davies
Production Company: Sugarbear Productions Inc.
Run Time: 75 mins
Producer: Steven Davies
Production Company: Sugarbear Productions Inc.
Run Time: 75 mins
Subi + Tina
Torn between a family’s embrace and rejection, a queer South Asian couple builds their own version of family in the prairies.
Director: Salima Stanley-Bhanji
Producer: Dominique Keller
Production Company: Inallu Studios Inc.
Run Time: 80 mins
Producer: Dominique Keller
Production Company: Inallu Studios Inc.
Run Time: 80 mins
The Last Weekend at The Lake
An artist is determined to experience the last chapter of her life with dignity as her daughter faces challenges helping to make that possible.
Director: Ava Karvonen
Producer: Ava Karvonen
Production Company:
Run Time: 90 mins
Producer: Ava Karvonen
Production Company:
Reel Girls Media Inc.
Run Time: 90 mins
To Carry the Sky
A mesmerizing foray into the world of altruistic surrogates, examining the blurred line between selflessness and desire.
Director: Josephine Anderson
Producer: Jenni Baynham
Production Company:
Run Time: 85 mins
Producer: Jenni Baynham
Production Company:
Studio BRB Inc.
Run Time: 85 mins
Where the Heron Lands
As a conservationist builds a new home in Canada, an unexpected bond with the local heron population helps her embrace a new chapter of life.
Director: Gunjan Menon
Producer: Saiyam Wakchaure
Production Company: Where the Heron Lands Films Ltd.
Run Time: 22 mins
Producer: Saiyam Wakchaure
Production Company: Where the Heron Lands Films Ltd.
Run Time: 22 mins
Between the Bells
Between the Bells is a lyrical portrait of Somali-Canadian wrestler Mo Jabari’s rise from refugee camp to wrestling’s spotlight.
Director: Alex Eskandarkah & Warin Era
Producer: Alex Eskandarkah
Production Company: Gamble Ave Filmworks
Run Time: 20 mins
Producer: Alex Eskandarkah
Production Company: Gamble Ave Filmworks
Run Time: 20 mins
Johnny Tiger
Blind and partially deaf, Johnny Tai finds independence after an abusive upbringing. His quiet life is disrupted when family seeks amends.
Director: Ian Kenji Barbour
Producer: Hannah Donegan, Marc Franceour, Madelaine Russo
Production Company: Have Magic Media Inc.
Run Time: 90 mins
Producer: Hannah Donegan, Marc Franceour, Madelaine Russo
Production Company: Have Magic Media Inc.
Run Time: 90 mins
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Indigenous, 2-Spirit writer jaye Simpson, a foster care survivor, returns to people and memories as she prepares to write her most important book.
Director: Hayley Morin
Producer: Jeff Petry, Nathan Drillot
Production Company: Out There Productions
Run Time: 70 mins
Producer: Jeff Petry, Nathan Drillot
Production Company: Out There Productions
Run Time: 70 mins
Memories That Aren't Mine
Anna Chiyeko Shannon explores their family’s 8mm films, revealing grief and cultural disconnect across four generations of Japanese-Canadians.
Director: Anna Chiyeko Shannon
Producer: Maddy Chang
Production Company: Yonsei Films Ltd.
Run Time: 20 mins
Producer: Maddy Chang
Production Company: Yonsei Films Ltd.
Run Time: 20 mins
My Friend Harry
A young filmmaker, Liz, and her retiree friend Harry band together to make a movie as an act of hope after his cancer diagnosis.
Director: Liz Cairns
Producer: Liz Cairns, Erica Landrock
Production Company: Inis Duinn Films
Run Time: 80 mins
Producer: Liz Cairns, Erica Landrock
Production Company: Inis Duinn Films
Run Time: 80 mins
Northern Stars
Former Olympian and Indigenous trailblazer, Sharon Firth, embarks on a cross-country skiing challenge to honour the passing of her twin sister.
Director: Todd Forsbloom
Producer: Jim Shockey, Mike Wavrecan, Erik Virtanen
Production Company: NS Documentary Productions Inc.
Run Time: 90 mins
Producer: Jim Shockey, Mike Wavrecan, Erik Virtanen
Production Company: NS Documentary Productions Inc.
Run Time: 90 mins
Roots and Tides
The film follows the Pauquachin First Nation's journey to restore their ancestral territory for cultural reclamation.
Director: Tiffany Ayalik
Producer: Tiffany Ayalik, Caroline Cox
Production Company: Roots and Tides Productions Ltd.
Run Time: 88 mins
Producer: Tiffany Ayalik, Caroline Cox
Production Company: Roots and Tides Productions Ltd.
Run Time: 88 mins
Significant Others
In an age of growing isolation, particularly among seniors, Significant Others offers a view into the world of companion robotic pets.
Director: Milena Salazar
Producer: Milena Salazar
Production Company:
Run Time: 75 mins
Producer: Milena Salazar
Production Company:
Norita Films Inc.
Run Time: 75 mins
Starry Night
A remarkable troupe of performers breathe life into a play centred around schizophrenia, a condition they themselves grapple with.
Director: Bruce Thomas Miller
Producer: Kevin Dong
Production Company:
Run Time: 80 mins
Producer: Kevin Dong
Production Company:
Tall Hero Films Inc.
Run Time: 80 mins
Thieves of Ashes
Two mushroom hunters from Europe brave brutal conditions in BC, in search of morels in the aftermath of forest fires.
Director: Lumir Kosar
Producer: Marc Franceour, Wanda Kapralova, Klara Mamojkova
Production Company:
Run Time: 80 mins
Producer: Marc Franceour, Wanda Kapralova, Klara Mamojkova
Production Company:
Lost Time Media
Run Time: 80 mins
Untamed
The Rocky Mountain Wildies are at risk. Self-appointed guardian Darrel Glover takes us inside a mission to save the horses of the open range.
Director: Julia Ivanova
Producer: Rosie Dransfeld
Production Company:
Run Time: 80 mins
Producer: Rosie Dransfeld
Production Company:
ID Productions
Run Time: 80 mins
#skoden
From infamy to a viral phenomenon, #skoden tracks the story of how a photo became an iconic Indigenous meme and the man behind the image.
Director: Damien Eagle Bear
Producer: Damien Eagle Bear
Production Company: Dirty Jacket Productions
Run Time: 75 mins
Producer: Damien Eagle Bear
Production Company: Dirty Jacket Productions
Run Time: 75 mins
Concrete Turned to Sand
Concrete Turned to Sand traces the environment of oyster farming in B.C. through temporal, ecological and scientific modes of perception.
Director: Jessica Johnson, Ryan Ermacora
Producer: Jessica Johnson, Ryan Ermacora
Production Company:
Run Time: 90 mins
Producer: Jessica Johnson, Ryan Ermacora
Production Company:
Slag Pile Films Ltd.
Run Time: 90 mins
Constant Battles
Fighting familial expectations, fierce competition, and mental health issues, Nyousha trains to be the first Iranian-born female Olympic boxer.
Director: Mack Stannard
Producer: Mack Stannard, Sina Nazarian
Run Time: 80 mins
Producer: Mack Stannard, Sina Nazarian
Run Time: 80 mins
HEARD
Searching for a sense of belonging, a Hard of Hearing (HoH) filmmaker journeys to find community and distinguish HoH as a culture of its own.
Director: Brian Ceci
Producer: Jamila Pomeroy, Brian Ceci, Nigel Edwards
Production Company:
Run Time: 80 mins
Producer: Jamila Pomeroy, Brian Ceci, Nigel Edwards
Production Company:
Ruckus Machine Pictures
Run Time: 80 mins
Hearse Chasing
Follows singer-songwriter Cassidy Waring as she uses music to forge a path towards healing, nearly two decades after her mother’s death.
Director: Teresa Alfeld
Producer: Melissa James
Run Time: 20 mins
Producer: Melissa James
Run Time: 20 mins
In Tyee Country
As a fishing club celebrates its 100th year, members juxtapose tall tales with the reality of threatened fish stocks.
Director: Nate Slaco
Producer: Nate Slaco, Jevan Crittenden
Production Company:
Run Time: 52 mins
Producer: Nate Slaco, Jevan Crittenden
Production Company:
Perpetuum Films
Run Time: 52 mins
Light Through The Blindfold
The story of a visually impaired, Iranian Paralympic goalball player following her athletic dreams and the path to regaining her eyesight.
Director: Alireza Kazemipour
Producer: Sepehr Samimi, Sina Nazarian
Production Company:
Run Time: 20 mins
Producer: Sepehr Samimi, Sina Nazarian
Production Company:
Understory Media
Run Time: 20 mins
Menopause: Coming in Hot
Vancouver filmmaker Kate Green takes us on a wild ride through menopause. With experts and a sense of humour on board, she’s Coming in Hot.
Director: Kate Green
Producer: Kate Green, Amber Orchard
Production Company:
Run Time: 80 mins
Producer: Kate Green, Amber Orchard
Production Company:
Coming in Hot Productions
Run Time: 80 mins
Métis Scrip & The Otipemisiwak
Unveils dark history of the Métis Scrip system, exposing the fraud that ultimately lead to reunification and the formation of today's Métis Nation of Alberta.
Director: Sean Smith
Producer: Sean Smith, Scott Lepp
Production Company:
Run Time: 90 mins
Producer: Sean Smith, Scott Lepp
Production Company:
Stingray Pictures
Run Time: 90 mins
Our Kind of Chaos
Follows the original group of self-destructive teens who, thirty years ago, championed snowboarding to change mountain culture, and now seek to change themselves.
Director: Clayton Larsen
Producer: Ryan Stutt
Production Company:
Run Time: 90 mins
Producer: Ryan Stutt
Production Company:
King Network
Run Time: 90 mins
Our Ocean Table
On a journey inspired by iconic Korean seafood dishes, ocean filmmaker Sonya Lee and journalist Hannah Sung dive into our ocean to explore how culture inspires conservation.
Director: Sonya Lee, Jon Chiang
Producer: Joanna Wong, Sonya Lee, Priyanka Desai
Production Company:
Run Time: 3 x 22 mins
Producer: Joanna Wong, Sonya Lee, Priyanka Desai
Production Company:
JUGAAD Sisters
Run Time: 3 x 22 mins
Salvaged
Follows a groundbreaking cooperation between a Nuu-chah-nulth master carver and forest industry professionals to create an ethical supply of cedar for First Nations artists.
Director: Michael Bourquin
Producer: Carey Newman, Mike Wavrecan, Cody Graham
Production Company:
Run Time: 80 mins
Producer: Carey Newman, Mike Wavrecan, Cody Graham
Production Company:
Taxam Films
Run Time: 80 mins
təm kʷaθ nan Namesake
The Tla’amin Nation's name change request sparks the City of Powell River to explore Indigenous history, putting reconciliation into action.
Director: t̓agəm Eileen Francis, Dr. Evan Adams
Producer: t̓agəm Eileen Francis, Dr. Evan Adams, Peg Campbell, Angela Kendall, Claudia Medina, Davis McKenzie, Emily White
Production Company:
Run Time: 90 mins
Producer: t̓agəm Eileen Francis, Dr. Evan Adams, Peg Campbell, Angela Kendall, Claudia Medina, Davis McKenzie, Emily White
Production Company:
Tla'amin Nation
Run Time: 90 mins
The Flower and the Flood
After a destructive climate event wipes out their newly established saffron crop, a B.C. family rebuilds their livelihood and community.
Director: Elisa Gonzalez
Producer: Elisa Gonzalez
Run Time: 27 mins
Producer: Elisa Gonzalez
Run Time: 27 mins
The Golden Village
Shifting Horizons is the story of the changing face of Richmond told through the people and history of its Asian-themed plaza malls.
Director: Karen Cho
Producer: Bob Moore
Production Company:
Run Time: 35 mins
Producer: Bob Moore
Production Company:
EyeSteelFilm
Run Time: 35 mins
The Lady Architect
Follows a groundbreaking female architect in the 1930s and her daughter, a cinematographer, as they navigate male-dominated professions.
Director: Moira Simpson
Producer: Moira Simpson, Christine McDowell
Run Time: 18 mins
Producer: Moira Simpson, Christine McDowell
Run Time: 18 mins
The Perfect Match
A grieving father in Edmonton advocates for stem cell donation, facing resistance due to medical system mistrust in Black communities.
Director: Sandro Silva
Producer: Sheena Rossiter, Sandro Silva
Production Company:
Run Time: 75 mins
Producer: Sheena Rossiter, Sandro Silva
Production Company:
Dona Ana Films
Run Time: 75 mins
A selection of TELUS original films and series are available to watch:
- on TELUS Optik TV Video on Demand channel 8
- on the TELUS TV+ app
- Select films, series and trailers are available online on theTELUS originals YouTube channel
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