R31 UPDATE: Busy spring of screenings and a new series.
- ndwol0
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
It was a cold and brutal winter in Winnipeg but there has been little time to hibernate at R31. Since the delivery of our 24 episode series Nazis: Threads of Evil this past fall, we've been hustling.
First and foremost, R31 is excited to announce a new broadcast project:
Brutal Battles That Broke the World.
This 13-episode series examines some of history’s most consequential conflicts—not for their brilliant tactics or grand victories, but for their human cost. It’s where people are pushed to their limits, and in the process, things turn brutal. In these battles the timeline of history shifts, forever altering the world. Filming begins this April across North America, the UK, and Italy, featuring interviews with leading academics who have dedicated their careers to examining these pivotal battles, ranging from the ancient clash at Cannae to the Second World War’s most infamous battle, Stalingrad.
A passion project feature documentary, Russlaender: From Revolution to Reflection , was completed in the new year and is now screening across Canada. Audiences in Abbotsford, Montreal, Winnipeg—and more recently Calgary and Lethbridge—have engaged deeply with the film’s examination of the 20,000 Mennonites who left Russia in the 1920s in search of a new home in Canada. An upcoming screening will take place in Steinbach, Manitoba,
Another upcoming screening features the 2018 documentary Suspended and the Art of Forgiveness at the University of Winnipeg, presented by the Centre for Transnational Mennonite Studies. The film explores the aftermath of tragedy through the eyes of artist Cliff Derksen, whose daughter was murdered in 1983.
The story follows an extraordinary individual, Cliff Derksen, who recently passed away. Cliff left a lasting impact on me during the making of the film. It’s a rollercoaster journey through a police investigation, a decades-old cold case, trials, grief—and ultimately, the search for hope and solace through forgiveness and art. It’s also a film that continues to find renewed relevance in light of recent events - Director Andrew Wall
Finally, The Devil’s Handshake has been officially selected and nominated for the 2026 Houston-Worldfest Film Festival. Directed by Andrew Wall, the feature offers an unflinching reflection on family history and its connection to one of the darkest chapters of the 20th century. It is a great honour to screen at one of the world’s longest-running and most prestigious film festivals.
