Frozen Justice: Canadian Crime Films, Culture, and Society
Video Series
Frozen Justice is a video series that explores Canadian crime films, culture and society. The series was created in collaboration between UWinnipeg professors Dr. Steven Kohm and Dr. Pauline Greenhill, University of Manitoba associate professor Dr. Sonia Bookman, and Ontario Tech University associate teaching professor Dr. Andrea Braithwaite.
The launch was held in conjunction with the 2019 Digitizing Justice Conference, welcomed scholars, students, practitioners, and community members from across North America. View a slideshow of the launch.
Season 1
Season 1. Episode 1: The Case of the Exciting Introduction
Meet Dr. Steven Kohm, Dr. Pauline Greenhill, Dr. Sonia Bookman, and Dr. Andrea Braithwaite as they introduce their interdisciplinary research on how crime is depicted in Canadian film, and what makes a film Canadian.
Films discussed: Citizen Gangster, Clear Cut, I Love a Man in Uniform, Rhymes for Young Ghouls, Poor Boy's Game, Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner, The Sweet Hereafter, True Blood, and Chasing Cain.
Season 1. Episode 2: The Case of the Dark Fairy-Tale and Just Folklore
Women's and Gender Studies Professor Pauline Greenhill (UWinnipeg) explores the ways Canadian fairy-tale and traditional culture crime films have implications for reality.
Films discussed: Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner, H & G, Le piège d'Issoudun, The Red Hood, The Snow Queen, and The Singing Bones.
Season 1. Episode 3: The Case of the Made-for-TV Mystery Movie
Communications and Digital Media Studies Associate Teaching Professor Andrea Braithwaite (Ontario Tech University) explores the roles that women play in crime films, and the kinds of crime films made for women.
Films discussed: Wedding Planner Mystery Series, Garage Sale Mystery Series, Aurora Teagarden Mystery Series, Fixer-Upper Mystery Series.
Season 2:
Season 2. Episode 1: The Case of the Canuck Cop
Criminal Justice Professor Steven Kohm (UWinnipeg), and Communications and Digital Media Studies Associate Teaching Professor Andrea Braithwaite (Ontario Tech University) examine the representation of police in Canadian crime films.
Films discussed: Alien Thunder, Black Cop, Bon Cop Bad Cop, Death Hunt, Dirty Harry, I love a Man in Uniform, The Captive, The Mountie, RCMP File 1365, Undercover Men.
Season 2. Episode 2: The Case of the Urban Imaginary in Canadian Crime Films
Sociology and Criminology Associate Professor Sonia Bookman (University of Manitoba) analyzes how crime films represent Canadian cities and produce specific urban imaginaries, especially how certain cities, or spaces within them, are mythologized as dangerous, criminal spaces.
Films discussed: Bon Cop Bad Cop, Chasing Cain, Foolproof, Midnight in Paris, Owning Mahowny, Picture Claire, The Con Artist.
Season 2. Episode 3: The Case of the Indigenous Canadian Crime Film
Criminal Justice Professor Steven Kohm (UWinnipeg) explores films made about the causes and consequences of crime in Indigenous communities in Canada.
Films discussed: Alien Thunder, Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner, Clearcut, Eskimo, Nanook of the North, Rhymes for Young Ghouls, Unnatural and Accidental.
Season 2. Episode 4: The Case of the Wrap
Criminal Justice Professor Steven Kohm (UWinnipeg), Women's and Gender Studies Professor Pauline Greenhill (UWinnipeg), Sociology and Criminology Associate Professor Sonia Bookman (University of Manitoba), and Communications and Digital Media Studies Associate Teaching Professor Andrea Braithwaite (Ontario Tech University) talk about their favourite Canadian crime films and suggest areas for further research.
Films discussed: Bon Cop Bad Cop, Mob Story, Picture Claire, Poor Boys Game, The Changeling, The Moth Diaries.
TV shows discusssed: Beauty and the Beast, Blood Ties, Burden of Truth, Corner Gas, Flashpoint, Frankie Drake Mysteries, Grimm, Lost Girl, Rookie Blue, The Beachcombers, The Fairy Tale Police Department, 19-2.
This research is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (Grant 435-2016-1078).