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Cogent/Benger Productions
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Dying to Get In

2 one-hour documentary. First aired on CBC in 2001.
A critical look at the Canadian immigration system, its faults, and how many fleeing a cause of the mass migration crises are shut out and die due to government lack of support.

Cogent/Benger Productions

In Security: The New Age of Policing

One hour documentary. First aired on CBC in 1998. Produced by Cogent/Benger personnel for CBC.
This documentary examines the decline of the police force and the rise of private security. The crew follow officers in the slums of Toronto, then officers in wealthy neighborhoods in Florida. The implications, both on employment and human rights are examined in this insightful look on private policing.

Cogent/Benger Productions

East Side Showdown

One hour documentary. First aired in 1998. Produced by Cogent/Benger personnel.
In downtown Toronto, the corners of Dundas and Sherbourne become the site where the wealthy middle class fight for poor and drug-addicted. The documentary follows a sex-worker, a bed and breakfast owner, community advocate, and a Reverend at the local drop-in center. Their stories and struggles against each other are told, examining the many facets to the issues each party faces.

Cogent/Benger Productions

Powergame

One hour documentary. First aired on CBC in 2000.
The first Canadian to win the World Squash Championship is athlete Jonathon Power. The documentary follows his journey to the top of the Squash world.

Cogent/Benger Productions

Wolverine: Devil of the North

One hour special. First aired on Discovery Canada and Animal Planet US in 2001.
The story of Yamoria and their fight against the terrible giant wolverine. Through use of magic and a few tricks, the hero helps the defenseless people fight back against the man-eating creature in this animated story.

Cogent/Benger Productions

Mandela & The Children

Two hour documentary. Produced by CBC TV.
The documentary “Mandela : Life And Times” or “Madiba: The Life and Times of Nelson Mandela” looks at the inner emotions and personal conflict the apartheid leader had. The film interviews Mandela and his wife Winnie and discusses their marriage, and how she survived torture and the long separations while Mandela was in prison.

Cogent/Benger Productions

Jan Wong's Forbidden China

One hour documentry. First aired on Discovery in 1999.
Following author Jan Wong, the documentary looks at China and the many aspects of the superpower. Filming was done at the same time as Wong was researching for her book Jan Wong's China, Reports from a Not-So-Foreign Correspondent. Wong disguises herself as a tourist and searches out many hidden aspects of life in China: revisiting Tiananmen, a regular location for her when she was a reporter for the Globe and Mail; Gay culture and Hooker Ally; the new levels of poverty juxtaposed with the new level of wealth; and China’s most famous American Maoists.

Cogent/Benger Productions

Asylum Part 1: Falling Through the Cracks / Asylum Part 2: Not Criminally Responsible

Two part documentary. First aired on CBC in 2000.
There are thousands of mentally ill people across Canada and their treatment, both medically and personally is just as varied. Looking at those who suffer from thoughts of suicide, rape, abandonment, schizophrenia, and survivors of Electro-Shock therapy, this two part documentary reveals the many people who have been excluded from the general population due to mental disorders. The second half of the documentary follows patients of one psychiatric who believes those who have committed a crime and suffer from mental deterioration can still live successfully in the larger community.

Cogent/Benger Productions

Paul Anka: Destiny

Documentary. First aired in 2003
Paul Anka is a singer with decades of success. From the age of 17 with his hit song ‘Diana’, he still entertains audiences today, five decades later. The documentary features clips of past interviews and concerts, as well as new interviews with the artist, showcasing his success as a musical talent and a businessman in the arts scene.

Cogent/Benger Productions

First Person Shooter

First aired in 2000.
This documentary looks into the video game culture around first person shooters. The documentary crew research and interview those frequenting cyber-cafes, games manufacturers‚ conventions, and mega gaming tournaments. They also go on to speak to a designer of one of the games discussed.

Cogent/Benger Productions

Money & The Maker: The Battle for St. Stephen's

Documentary. First aired in 2006
Saint Stephen-In-The-Fields on College Street in Toronto is the focus of this documentary. The Anglican church of Canada is rapidly losing members, and their churches are having difficulty financially supporting themselves. This comes to a crisis when the old church on College St finds itself in crippling debt. The churches struggle to stay afloat is told in this film, and is starkly contrasted to the gentrification happening around them, and the over growing religious following of other denominations and faiths around the globe.

Cogent/Benger Productions

Yamoria and The Giant Wolverine

6 minute animation. First aired in 2001.
The tale of a giant wolverine and the hero Yamoria. Wolverine terrorized the people until Yamoria came and used his magic to trick Wolverine into a bargain.

Cogent/Benger Productions

Nature Bites Back - The Case of the Sea Otter

One hour documentary. First aired in 2005. Produced by CBC TV, Nature of Things.
After almost reaching extinction due to over hunting in the fur trade, Sea Otters are coming back through reintroduction experiments. They have quickly become a new problem though, directly competing with humans for shellfish. This documentary looks at the line between ‘them’ and ‘us’, and the cost of human interference.

Cogent/Benger Productions

Call From Afghanistan

One hour documentary.
Officially titled “Daughters of Afghanistan”, this documentary looks at the lives of women in modern Afghanistan and the many obstacles they have to overcome to survive and flourish. The lives of four women and one girls are depicted, as they all struggle for freedom.

Cogent/Benger Productions

The In-Between World of M. G. Vassanji

Documentary. First aired in 2006.
The award winning Canadian writer M.G. Vassanji is often forgotten by the Canadian public, despite his large and well regarded contribution to the literary landscape. The documentary looks at Vassanji’s work, the author, and how his ideas where brought to print.

Cogent/Benger Productions

Porndemic

The porn industry is booming with the continued growth of the internet. The documentary talks to those in the Canadian industry, including porn stars, those who choose to work via web-cam, pimps, and those leading the industry in virtual porn.

Cogent/Benger Productions

Pharma Sutra

One hour documentary. First aired on CTV in 2008.
A look into female sexual dysfunction and the drugs available. On the market and discussed are nasal spray, a skin patch, and a daily pill. Each is covered in this documentary, as well as the divided nature of whether women should be, or need to be increasing their sexual libido.

Cogent/Benger Productions

How To Stop A Hurricane

One hour documentary. First aired on CBC in 2007.
After visiting the world’s top hurricane trackers in Miami, the documentary interviews and follows seven scientists/inventors who believe they can fight hurricanes and stop them from occurring. Each theory is ‘tested’ using computer-generated animation. Using both 3D and stylized 2D animation, the many ideas on how to stop a hurricane are explored.

Cogent/Benger Productions

Bowling for Canada

One hour documentary. First aired on CBC Sports in 2002
The documentary follows the rag-tag members of team Canada as they compete in the 2003 Cricket World Cup. Faced with many unusual challenges, like losing their coach last minute, the film sees the team pull throw to achieve Canadian Cricket history.

Cogent/Benger Productions

China's Leap of Faith

2 one-hour documentaries. First aired in 2008.
China has recently entered a new era for its religious tolerance. This documentary is told in two parts. The first focuses on the resurgence and rebirth of Indigenous faiths like Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. The second part focuses on the quick expansion of Christianity in China, and how many are forces to make the decision to worship either openly or behind closed doors. Many people are interviewed and documented in this two part series. Their ideas, beliefs, and methods of practice are recorded and set in one of the largest countries in the world.

Cogent/Benger Productions

Pedal Power

The invention of the bicycle has revolutionized how many people travel. Riding a bicycle has many impacts on our lives, but so too does that theft of the beloved vehicle. After having his bicycle stolen in downtown Toronto, Robin Benger decides he wants to investigate and make a documentary about bicycle theft, and most notably, the thief who stole his bicycle, Igor. Teaming up with Chris Sumpton, the idea was pitched to CBC, who agreed to the documentary as long as it had a slant on the culture of bicycling as well. The documentary Pedal Power looks at the notorious bike thief in Toronto and the urban cycling culture around the world.

Cogent/Benger Productions

Five Roads to Freedom: From Apartheid to the World Cup

The year 2010 brings the World Cup of Soccer to South Africa for the first time. With all eyes on this nation, the documentary looks back at the racial struggles it has endured coming up to this world event. Following the lives of a former white racist police officer, a soccer star, a former Zulu warlord, a family member of a murdered African National Congress leader, and a white lawyer who lost everything a cause to the social unacceptance of his interracial love affair.

Cogent/Benger Productions

The Autism Enigma: Are Bacteria to Blame?

One hour documentary. First aired in 2011.
As the fasting rising developmental disorder in the developed world, many are eager to know what causes autism. Though research remains mostly inconclusive, this documentary looks at new research coming out of the University of Western Ontario and internationally stating that what’s in our gut may be the answer to this growing disorder.

Cogent/Benger Productions

Africa On the Move: Ep. 1, A Dream of Millions

One hour documentary. Episode one of a series.
South Africa is now the most powerful commercial center on the African continent. It has also a long history of apartheid. This episode looks at the growing number of black business ownership and the Black Economic Empowerment policy.

Cogent/Benger Productions

Sex Scandals In Religion

This documentary takes a look into four different scandals within four different religious faiths. The documentary begins with the Mullahs of Ian, and how state agencies have begun to use the Holy Koran to justify authority of Clerics, even in the face of rape and sodomy. Following this, the documentary turns to North America, visiting Orthodox Jewish communities in Winnipeg and Brooklyn where allegations of pedophilia have dived the communities. The high authority of a Buddhist Master is then examined, as a young woman accuses him of sexual servitude. Lastly, a preacher in the deep south is visited, who has been preaching anti-homosexuality, yet has made questionable advances to young men. The focus on four international stories drives home the common threads of sexual misconduct emerging in religion around the world.

Cogent/Benger Productions

The Great Canadian Tax Dodge

One hour documentary. First aired in 2014 on TVO.
A three year investigation comes together in this documentary. Many large Canadian corporations use the banking system in the Cayman Islands to avoid paying large billions of tax dollars, depriving Canadians of the huge revenue it should be receiving. The investigation reveals though, that these actions are all legal, and that Canadian tax lawyers are some of the best in the world. The documentary follows a fair-tax campaigner, and many others who play a part in both advocating in off-shore tax heavens, and those who wish for this practice to become illegal.

Cogent/Benger Productions

2016 acquisition

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

Cogent/Benger Productions