Firsthand - Season 1

Season 1

Episodes

The Woman Who Joined the Taliban
Beverley Giesbrecht was a successful Canadian publishing executive and devout Christian living near Vancouver, before the events of September 11th changed her life forever. Within seven months Beverley had converted to Islam and was on a path that would lead to her kidnapping and disappearance in the Taliban heartlands.

Reefer Riches
Tarbuds. Marijuana-infused candy. "Baked" clams for dinner. In the U.S., pot is going mainstream. Will Canada follow?

IF the Poet
Follow Ian French, a.k.a. "IF THE POET", on a wild ride into the heart of slam poetry as he battles to become the oldest World Champion of Slam Poetry.

The Oka Legacy
Mohawk filmmaker Sonia Bonspille Boileau takes us on a journey to discover how the Oka Crisis of 1990 sparked the resurgence of Indigenous identity and ultimately helped change the course of Canadian history.

Transforming Gender
The era of transgender enfranchisement is upon us. Through personal stories we pull back the curtain on what it means to be — fundamentally and in your deepest core — in conflict with the gender you were assigned at birth.

Omar Khadr: Out of the Shadows
Former Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr, out on bail after 13 years, speaks for the first time in an exclusive interview.

Forever Young
Death is the ultimate insult to the scientific mind. While science has advanced in leaps and bounds during the past century, humans have still not cracked the most elemental challenge of them all: how to conquer death and live for hundreds of years. We explore the age-old pursuit of our quest for immortality.

Cowboy Up
Take a wild ride through the lives of young cowboys and cowgirls as they compete in rodeos, balance on bucking horses and struggle to hold on tight to western tradition.

Hold Your Fire
Why do police end up killing our most vulnerable – people in mental crisis – and what can be done to change that?

Girls' Night Out
Girls' Night Out tackles the prevalent and often dangerous culture of binge drinking and young women, with the eye of a reporter, the curiosity of an anthropologist, and the sometimes-wounded heart of a teenage girl. A deeply personal point-of-view film embedded in the stories of young women engaged in, and in ‘recovery' from, this toxic epidemic, Girls' Night Out offers an intimate conversation around this very serious issue and explores the all-too-ubiquitous story of what's happening to 80% of the young women at university campuses across North America with often damaging consequences.

Looking for Mike
On April 3, 2002, the Toronto Police were called in to investigate a strange smell coming from the apartment of computer salesman Michael De Bourcier. They knocked on his door and called his phone, but received no response. They were issued a warrant to investigate and gained entry to the apartment. There they discovered Michael's body - dead from what appeared to be a heart attack. At 35 years old, Michael was not the typical profile of a heart attack victim. The police took note - more investigation might be needed.

I Pedophile

The War at Home
Battling domestic violence and seeking justice for it.

A Jihadi in the Family
Christianne Boudreau is labeled the ``mother of a terrorist'' after her son is killed fighting with ISIS.

Perfect
Perfect follows Canada's national synchronized swimming team as they strive to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Shot over the course of a year and benefiting from exclusive access to the team, it reveals a world of extraordinary sacrifice and determination. Combining the beauty of dance with the intensity of swimming, this sport not only demands a staggering level of athleticism and artistry, it also requires that a team be physically homogenous: virtual clones of the same ideal body. As these young athletes aim for the world's podiums, they must strive to maintain their health and self-esteem.
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