Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
Level of description
Extent and medium
Linear Meters 25.60 meters
Moving Image
35mm Colour Negative; 4 rolls; [3249ft]
16mm Colour Negative; 16 rolls; [13850ft]
S16mm Colour Negative; 3 rolls; [2975ft]
Video
15 video cassettes : VHS TRT: 9:45:20
26 video cassettes : Betacam TRT: 9:50:00
612 video cassettes ; BetacamSP TRT: 295:52:42
1 video cassette : BetacamSX TRT: 11:08
40 video cassettes : Digital Betacam TRT: 32:34:15
396 video cassettes : MiniDV TRT: 384:23:00
20 video cassettes : Digital MiniDV TRT: 20:39:00
46 video cassettes : DVCAM / MiniDV TRT: 47:45:00
91 video cassettes : DVCAM TRT: 89:17:02
18 video cassettes : DVCPRO TRT: 17:36:00
99 video cassettes : HDCAM: cassette TRT: 64:48:18
29 video cassettes : HDCAM SR TRT: 21:07:40
97 video cassette : HDV TRT: 98:13:34
143 video : XDCAM ; disc TRT: N/A
33 video : XDCAM HD: disc TRT: N/A
23 video : HDCAM: disc TRT: N/A
27 optical discs : CD ; video TRT: 6:12:13
39 optical discs : CD-R ; video TRT: 2:21:58
7 optical discs : CD-RW ; video TRT: N/A
195 optical discs : DVD ; video TRT: 111:27:17
111 optical discs : DVD-R ; video TRT: 25:08:57
10 optical discs : DVD+R ; video TRT: 3:27:45
1 video cassette : 8mm HG TRT: 2:00:00
2 video cassette : DV8 TRT: 2:00:00
1289 video files : .mov TRT: 33:06:58
1154 video files : .mp4 TRT: 30:14:11
371 video files : .mxf TRT: 9:39:40
Audio
22 audio cassettes : DAT TRT: 12:21:56
28 audio cassettes : DA8 TRT: 27:40:38
3 audio cassettes : DTRS TRT: 3:00:00
3 audio cassette TRT: 3:30:00
19 optical discs : CD ; audio TRT: 3:49:44
30 optical discs : CD-R ; audio TRT: 31:22:13
35 optical discs : DVD ; audio TRT: 253:59:06
4 optical discs : DVD-R ; audio TRT: 3:24:44
2 optical discs : DVD+R ; audio TRT: 3:29:03
81 audio files : .wav TRT: 25:50:58
104 audio files ; .mp3 TRT: 5:20:24
Photographs
637 prints : colour ; 4 x 6 in.
4 prints : colour ; 5 x 7 in.
3 prints : b&w ; 8 x 10
4 prints : colour ; 8 1/2 x 11 in.
505 photographic files : colour ; TIFF
7708 photographic files : colour : JPEG
38 photographic files : b&w ; JPEG
4 photographic files : colour ; GIF
1 photographic file : b&w ; GIF
284 photographic files : colour ; PNG
1 photographic file : b&w ; PNG
49 photographic files : colour ; PSD
6 photographic files : Bitmap
2 contact sheets : colour ; 8x10 in.
8 contact sheets : b&w ; 8x10 in.
30 transparencies : colour slides ; 35mm, mounted
457 negative frames : colour ; 35mm
140 negative frames : b&w ; 35mm
14 optical discs : CD ; photographic
9 optical discs : DVD ; photographic
Objects
2 computer disks : magnetic ; 3.5 in. floppy
Context area
Name of creator
Administrative history
Located in downtown Toronto, Cogent/Benger Productions was founded in 1998 and has produced a large variety of documentaries and specials. The focus on many of their documentaries are major social issues, thus creating a large appeal to their work. Robin Benger and Christopher Sumpton are the founding partners of the company. Benger had experience in Canadian journalism and documentary filmmaking, and Sumpton had worked at CBC editing and working on documentaries. Together they made In Security (Hot Docs 1998 nominee best political/social issue documentary) and Eastside Showdown (Gemini Awards 1999 nominee best social/political documentary) before finally teaming up to make Cogent/Benger Productions.
Archival history
Donated to the archive by Cogent/Benger partners Christopher Sumpter and Robin Benger.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
The accession includes extensive textual material such as production contracts, historical research, and production notes. There are also audio-visual production elements, and master copies. This acquisition is divided into 64 series based on the productions created by Cogent/Benger, subject matter, and material related to the production company itself. The series include:
Series 1: Dying to Get In
Series 2: Wolverine: Devil of the North
Series 3: In Security: The New Age of Policing
Series 4: East Side Showdown
Series 5: Jan Wong's Forbidden China
Series 6: Asylum Part 1: Falling Through the Cracks / Asylum Part 2: Not Criminally Responsible
Series 7: Somebody Stop Me: The Life and Times of Jim Carrey
Series 8: Powergame
Series 9: First Person Shooter
Series 10: Paul Anka: Destiny
Series 11: The In-Between World of M. G. Vassanji
Series 12: Money & the Maker: The Battle for St. Stephen's
Series 13: CO2 Man
Series 14: How to Stop a Hurricane
Series 15: Pharma Sutra
Series 16: China's Leap of Faith
Series 17: Pedal Power
Series 18: Porndemic
Series 19: Passion of Christ
Series 20: Five Roads to Freedom: From Apartheid to the World Cup
Series 21: Sex Scandals in Religion
Series 22: The Autism Enigma: Are Bacteria to Blame
Series 23: The Great Canadian Tax Dodge
Series 24: Quat
Series 25: Canadian Cricketers
Series 26: Ainsworth 5
Series 27: Crash City
Series 28: Stories from the Dice
Series 29: Rugby
Series 30: Christopher Houghton-Budd
Series 31: AHWS 20th Anniversary Celebration
Series 32: Amma
Series 33: Pod-Cast
Series 34: Rant (Jess's and Robin's)
Series 35: Trouble at Eden
Series 36: Pharma
Series 37: El Mocambo
Series 38: Brian Plummer
Series 39: Project "W"
Series 40: Carol Ann Davidson
Series 41: TTC
Series 42: Loney
Series 43: The Kremlins: Russian Hockey
Series 44: TDSB: Black Schools
Series 45: Pacifists
Series 46: Horse Racing: The Bear
Series 47: My Father The Terrorist
Series 48: Tobacco
Series 49: Call From Afghanistan
Series 50: A Day in the Century of the West End YMCA
Series 51: Bowling for Canada
Series 52: Africa on the Move: Ep. 1, A Dream of Millions
Series 53: James Pacelli Project
Series 54: Mandela & The Children
Series 55: Yamoria and the Great Wolverine
Series 56: Nature Bites Back: The Case of the Sea Otter
Series 57: Love Interrupted
Series 58: A Bear for the Roses
Series 59: Kids
Series 60: Slouching to Sarajevo
Series 61: Fish Tank / Fish Farms
Series 62: The Truth Shows Up
Series 63: I, Neanderthal
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Series are based on the productions created or proposed by Cogent/Benger, subject matter, with the final series being material related to the production company itself.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Preservation concerns may limit access, consult archivist.
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Contact archivist for further finding aid information.
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Dates of creation revision deletion
Created July 25, 2019 by Elizabeth Carroll.
Language(s)
- English
Script(s)
Sources
CBC/Radio-Canada. “In Security: The New Age of Policing.” Curio.ca. Last updated June 14, 2013. https://curio.ca/en/video/in-security-the-new-age-of-policing-601/
CBC/Radio-Canada. “Madiba: The Life and Times of Nelson Mandela.” Curio.ca. Last updated August 27, 2014. https://curio.ca/en/video/madiba-the-life-and-times-of-nelson-mandela-3290/
CBC/Radio-Canada. “Nature Bites Back: The Case of the Sea Otter.” Curio.ca Last updated June 14, 2013. https://curio.ca/en/video/nature-bites-back-the-case-of-the-sea-otter-867/
Cinema Politica. “THE GREAT CANADIAN TAX DODGE.” Films. Accessed July 24, 2019. https://www.cinemapolitica.org/film/great-canadian-tax-dodge
Cogent/Benger. “Documentaries.” Accessed July 25, 2019. http://cogentbenger.com/documentaries/
CTV. “PHARMA SUTRA.” TV Highlights. Accessed July 23, 2019. http://www.throng.ca/2008/11/pharma-sutra/
DeMara, Bruce. “Doc looks at the race for a women's Viagra.” Toronto Star, December 3, 2008. https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2008/12/03/doc_looks_at_the_race_for_a_womens_viagra.html
Films Media Group. “A Dream of Millions: Africa On the Move.” Accessed July 24, 2019. https://www.films.com/ecTitleDetail.aspx?TitleID=34185
Myer, Shelley A. “Daughters of Afghanistan.” Educational Media Reviews Online. Last updated February 18, 2005. http://emro.lib.buffalo.edu/emro/emroDetail.asp?Number=1890
National Film Board. “East Side Showdown.” Accessed July 23, 2019. https://www.nfb.ca/film/east_side_showdown/
National Film Board of Canada. “Paul Anka: Yesterday and Today.” Our Collection. Last updated August 15, 2017. http://onf-nfb.gc.ca/en/our-collection/?idfilm=51314
Natural Care Clinic. “CBC Documentary Recap: The Nature of Things – The Autism Enigma.” Treat Autism. Last updated December 8, 2011. http://treatautism.ca/2011/12/08/the-nature-of-things-autism-enigma/#smooth-scroll-top
Reinhart, Anthony. “Planet Igor: Confessions of a bicycle hoarder.” The Globe and Mail Toronto September 7, 2009. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/confessions-of-a-bicycle-hoarder/article4290969/
TVO. “The Great Canadian Tax Dodge.” Documentaries. Last updated June 17, 2019. https://m.tvokids.com/video/documentaries/the-great-canadian-tax-dodge
Wong, Jan. “Jan Wong's China, Reports from a Not-So-Foreign Correspondent.” Last modified 2017. http://janwong.ca/janwongschina.html