CBC Gem Indigenous Stories Collection This June

This June CBC Gem has added a number of new titles to their Indigenous Stories Collection including a familiar title.

Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising

(90min, Documentary, directed by Shane Belcourt, Canada) *a documentary Channel Original*

English and Anishinaabemowin versions begin streaming Monday, June 1

Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising explores a courageous stand taken in 1974 by a charismatic young revolutionary, Louis Cameron, and a group of Anishinabeg youth at Anicinabe Park in Kenora, Ontario. The 38-day land-back occupation included members of the American Indian Movement. They travelled with warriors from Cache Creek, B.C. as part of the Native Caravan, which ended on Parliament Hill after police violently moved to end their peaceful demonstration.

There is only eight minutes of footage from this occupation, June but Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising unearths this buried history. The documentary feature made its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2025. Award-winning Métis filmmakerShane Belcourt wrote and direct the film. Tanya Talaga acclaimned journalist and author produced and wrote the film. Her four part docuseries The Knowing debuted at TIFF in 2024.

Rematriate the Lens

(4×30, Factual, The Shine Network Institute, Canada) 

Begins streaming Monday, June 1

Rematriate the Lens is a groundbreaking four-episode roundtable series amplifying the voices of 16 Indigenous women in film and television. Through raw, inspiring, and candid conversations, these women share their journeys, challenges, and triumphs in the entertainment industry. This series is about more than visibility—it’s about sovereignty and taking back the narrative. By centering Indigenous women’s voices, Rematriate the Lens highlights the barriers they face and the transformative power of their stories in reshaping the industry.

Rising Through the Fray

(90min, Documentary, directed by Courtney Montour, Canada) *a documentary Channel original*

Begins streaming Monday, June 1

Indigenous Rising is the first team in roller derby history to break the barriers of representing a single country at the Roller Derby World Cup – igniting a movement that pulsates throughout the sport and within each other. Rising Through the Fray follows the team as it welcomes a new generation of players set on changing the face of roller derby – a sport that champions female empowerment and inclusivity but lacks diversity.

The Stand

(94min, Documentary, National Film Board of Canada, Canada) 

Begins streaming Monday, June 1

In the fall of 1985, a small group of Haida people stood on a muddy logging road on Lyell Island—and refused to move. What followed was a landmark act of peaceful resistance that helped spark a nationwide reckoning around land, sovereignty and environmental justice. Drawing from over a hundred hours of electrifying archival footage, The Stand immerses us in the tension, courage and quiet humanity of that moment. Directed by Christopher Auchter (Now Is the Time), the film honours the Elders, activists and supernatural spirits who helped shape a new future for the Haida Nation—and for all of Canada. 

Treaty Road

(6×60, Documentary Series, directed by Saxon de Cocq, Canada) 

Begins streaming Monday, June 1 

While exploring his Métis ancestry, writer/director Saxon de Cocq discovered that his great grandfather (x3) was the Honorable James McKay, a prominent Métis from the Red River area. McKay was involved in many of the Numbered Treaty negotiations, eventually becoming a Treaty Commissioner. With mixed feelings, Saxon is driven to learn more… what was McKay’s involvement, his motivations for playing a pivotal role in this part of history? Saxon enlists the help of his friend Erin Goodpipe, a community educator and researcher with knowledge in treaty rights and together they travel to the location of the treaty signings and meet with the people who hold the knowledge on Treaty. 

Seeds 

(82 min, Horror/Comedy, directed by Kaniehtiio Horn, Canada) 

Begins streaming  Friday, June 5 

Ziggy is offered her first gig as an online influencer, promoting for Nature’s Oath, a seed and fertilizer company. When her cousin summons her back to the rez, she is forced into a battle to save her people’s legacy, finding her power along the way.

Check out our interview with star and director Kaniehtiio Horn. Our review.

We Were Dangerous 

(82min, Period Drama, directed by Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu, New Zealand) 

Begins streaming  Friday, June 5 

In 1954 New Zealand, rebellious teens Nellie (Erana James) and Daisy (Manaia Hall) make a daring escape from an institution for delinquent girls. Only to be caught and sent to an even more remote facility on an isolated island. There, they are joined by Lou (Nathalie Morris), a well-to-do newcomer.

These three come together as they navigate a harsh new world under the strict rule of a devout and domineering Matron (Rima Te Wiata). Resistant to authority, the trio form an unbreakable bond, rejecting the institution’s rigid expectations and finding solace in their friendship. But as night falls, the island reveals its darker secrets—where reformation takes a sinister turn. When experimental punishments threaten to break their spirits, Nellie and Daisy plot rebellion, only to find themselves at odds with Lou, who fears the consequences of defiance. As tensions rise, the girls must choose between survival and resistance in a place designed to erase them.

Goolagong

(3×60, Period Drama/Biography, Werner Film Productions, part of BBC Studios,  Australia) 

Begins streaming Friday, June 12

*Exclusive Canadian Premiere*

Starring Lila McGuire (The Twelve) as Evonne Goolagong. The drama/bio follows the tennis ace who won seven single majors tournaments during the 1970s and early 1980s. It details her Aboriginal upbringing and the obstacles she overcame to achieve sporting stardom and national hero status Down Under.