“My Doukhobor Cousins”     National Film Board   2002

A look into the Doukhobors of western Canada, a mysterious spiritual community.

When Janice Benthin vacationed with her mother’s Doukhobor relatives in the Kootenays, she sensed that the community held many secrets: the adults spoke Russian in hushed tones, people kept disappearing, and RCMP officers kept constant watch. My Doukhobor Cousins is Benthin’s quest for answers to chlldhood questions.
This film provides a rare, personal look inside this mysterious spiritual community. In this moving portrait of a family in search of its past, we watch as Benthin and her cousins try to reconcile the turbulent history of the Doukhobors with the gentle, troubled people they encounter.