One Last River to Cross
One Last River to Cross offers a complicated portrait of History Teller Kevin Cottrell, who dedicated his life to telling the history of Freedom Seekers and the Underground Railroad in Niagara Falls. But for those seeking to erase this history, Cottrell’s dedication put him directly in their line of fire, with smear campaigns aimed at him. Making an impossible task crystal clear – for keepers of difficult histories across America, your every perceived flaw will be weaponized to belittle and even erase these histories. But despite this, Cottrell changed the historical landscape of Niagara Falls forever.
Year of Production: 2025
Country: Canada/United States
Duration: 13
Today, in the American South, there are as many historic plantation sites open to the public as there are Krispy Kreme locations across the United States. These sites indulging tourists’ fantasies, rather than the horrific realities of the past. Vacation Plantation grants unparalleled access to the modern American plantation tourism industry – from the priorities of today’s plantation owners, to the political balancing act of State representatives, to the descendants of the enslaved fighting for change. Archaeologist, Lauren Cudmore, goes on a journey to understand why millions of tourists continue to vacation at these sites of historic trauma.
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Jacques Cartier's Doctrine of Discovery
On the most easterly tip of Gaspé, Quebec, famous French explorer Jacques Cartier planted his very first cross of conquest, a practice of the well-established Doctrine of Discovery. This 30 ft wooden cross, emblazoned with fleur de lis and a sign reading, ‘Vive le Roy de France,’ was a physical and symbolic representation of French sovereignty of the land, resources, and people it now lorded over…Despite Cartier’s claim to the legendary Chief Donnacona of the St. Lawrence Iroquois, that this was simply a navigational marker. This act sealing his fate amongst the ranks of other famous explorers like Christopher Columbus, John Cabot, and Samuel de Champlain. So, what were the consequences of this act? And why do we care about a cross erected almost 500 years ago? Let’s find out…
Year of Production: 2023
Country: Canada
Duration: 6
Citadel Hill & Halifax's Many Forgotten Forts
Halifax is known as the capital of Canada’s ocean playground, but beneath the surface, this city is so much more. Today, Citadel Hill stands as a symbol of British control in the region. But the history of Halifax’s early settlement was far more tumultuous. The 18th century brought territorial claims from the French and English, with the City’s official British settlement beginning in 1749. What began as a colonial town with five stockade blockhouses would, in 50 years, transform into a British defensive powerhouse. One that demonstrated strength and determination, but also revealed the reality, that Britain was not in total control of what would happen next. That they were worried… Let’s explore this evolution and what it tells us about this city’s colonial history…
A very special – Thank you! – to the Halifax Military Heritage Preservation Society, whose phenomenal compilation of resources enabled our research on this subject.
Year of Production: 2022/2023
Country: Canada
Duration: 12
Acadia | Peace, War, and Expulsion on the Chignecto Isthmus
The Chignecto Isthmus – heart of the Acadian homeland – was a critical crossroads in the history of Colonial North America, connecting people, cultures, goods, ideas and technology. Where the spark of the Seven Years’ War would ignite, where the Acadian Deportation would begin, and where France would lose a key region in their fight to hold what remained of their possessions in New France. But who would make the first move?
Year of Production: 2022/2023
Country: Canada
Duration: 21
The Fortress of Louisbourg's Best Kept Secret
The Fortress of Louisbourg in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia is a staple of any guide to 18th Century, Colonial North America. Here we saw the French and British fight for control of this site. Louisbourg the key to control over North America. The Fortress eventually succumbing to this power struggle, destroyed during the Seven Years’ War. And, while it is known for a lot of things (its impressive reconstruction, its environment, its destruction, among others), we are going to talk about its often overlooked, but critical attribute – Louisbourg’s harbour! Because this is where the real seat of power lay; a small protected harbour in the North Atlantic, which could make or break the struggle for control of North America.
Year of Production: 2022
Country: Canada
Duration: 4
Mont Tremblant and Its Hidden Algonquin Origins
Mont Tremblant, a part of the Laurentian Mountains of Quebec, Canada is more than a nature lover’s paradise. It’s a reminder to us all of the hidden stories and histories found all around us. How cultural appropriation and erasure can so impact our knowledge of Indigenous histories. The real significance a place can hold. That there might be more than meets the eye. Let’s find out more about this mountain’s history and the truth behind the name – Mont Tremblant…
Year of Production: 2022
Country: Canada
Duration: 2