Filmography

THE INVESTIGATION OF SWISSAIR 111”, 2003. An exclusive, behind-the-scenes chronicle of the painstaking four and a half year probe into why a jetliner caught fire and crashed into the ocean at high speed off the coast of Nova Scotia. The plane, enroute from New York to Geneva, had 229 people on board. It shattered into two million pieces and everyone on board died. Because the wreckage was strewn over the ocean floor and the flight recorders froze six minutes before impact, this was one of the most complex crash investigations in aviation history. The film has been seen around the world. It won the Gemini award in Canada, was nominated for two Emmys in the U.S. and was a finalist for the prestigious Japan Prize. Directed, written by Howard Green. Produced by Howard Green and Kurt Schaad. 90 minutes. See review.

“DECADE ON FIRE”, a 90-minute chronicle of the 1990's produced for the tenth anniversary of CBC Newsworld. Comprised of some 35 major interviews with CBC correspondents and producers and a mountain of archival material, the film aired as a special in the spring of 1999. Written and Co-produced and by Howard Green and Desmond Smith.

“SINKING SHIPS AND SAVING MEN”, a half hour documentary for History Television about the heroic men of HMCS Haida, the most heralded Canadian warship ever. The spine of the film is the last and most comprehensive interview given by the ship's Captain, who at age 95, was Canada's most decorated naval officer. Harry DeWolf gives a gripping and emotional account of the sinking of enemy vessels, of rescuing men from the English Channel at night and of having to make the heart-wrenching decision of leaving men behind in the freezing water. 1998. Directed and Written by Howard Green.

“FOUR BLOODY DAYS IN MAY”, a half hour documentary for History Television about the Battle of Batoche, which many historians have called Canada's civil war. Batoche, Saskatchewan was last stand of Louis Riel. A hero to French Canadians, arch-villain to the English Canadian establishment led by the country's first Prime Minister, Sir John A. MacDonald. Ultimately, MacDonald prevails. Riel is hanged, and remains a ghost in the long-running divide between the French and English in Canada. 1997. Directed and Written by Howard Green.

“PHOENIX OF THE EAST”, a half hour documentary for History Television on Fortress Louisburg, the reconstructed bastion on the edge of Cape Breton Island. In the mid-1700's, this was one of the key Fortress' in the French Empire, and one of the key ports in North America. The story of how the French lost it, reclaimed it, and lost it again. Louisburg is now one of the world's great historical reconstructions, rebuilt in the early 1960's, rivaling Williamsburg in Virginia. 1997. Directed and Written by Howard Green.

“THE MISSION OF ALAIN TRUDEL”, broadcast internationally, a half hour portrait of one of the world's great trombonists. The charming French Canadian musician pushes the boundaries of what many view as an ungainly instrument. Pursuing a career as a classical and jazz soloist, he tries to get audiences to forget the instrument and concentrate on the music and the musician. 1997. Directed and Produced by Howard Green.  See review.

“YEAR OF FEAR”, a one-hour, cinema verite look inside the welfare offices of Ontario after a massive funding cut by a new provincial government. The film takes you into the rough world of the caseworker, the recipient and those who have fallen off the rails. Critically acclaimed by reviewers, and winner of the Gold Award at WorldFest Houston. Howard Green wrote and co-produced with Desmond Smith. 1996.  See review.

“OPERATION CUTBACK”, a half hour documentary on the restructuring of Canada's largest hospital, Toronto General.   The film follows the CEO of the hospital, a renowned neurosurgeon, as he tries to remake an institution that is operating in a new and tightfisted financial world.  Written and Reported by Howard Green. Produced by Desmond Smith.

“THE SHORELINE DOESN'T' STOP HERE ANYMORE”, a one hour, elegantly filmed documentary on the crushing burden of development along North America's beachfronts. Naturally eroding beaches, heavily developed, then armored from surf, wind and storm. The film shows how it's not working, and ultimately destroying what we treasure, the beaches themselves. Brimming with wildlife photography and stark examples, the film culminates in one of the worst storms of the century, a freak Nor'easter in March of 1993, which left 200 dead. A beach being reconstituted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers disappears overnight. The film has been broadcast internationally. Directed and Produced by Howard Green in 1993.

“AIR CRASH”, a one-hour look at the science behind air crash investigations. How black boxes work, how pilots behave, how to tell metal fatigue from any old crack. Written, Directed and Produced by Howard Green in 1991, the film has been seen all over the world and been used in courses to train pilots and investigators.