What to watch on CBC Gem in July 2021

Including the Future Of Film Showcase, programming tied to the Tokyo Olympics, and the Michaela Coel–starring dramedy The Aliens

by Norman Wilner on July 2nd, 2021 at 4:00 PM

1 of 5 2 of 5

Here’s everything new coming to CBC Gem in July 2021, including these shows highlighted by our critics.

Get Ready For Tokyo 2020! Collection

Prepare for the Olympics with a slew of sports-related programming, from Tom Ratcliffe’s new documentary The Stand: How One Gesture Shook The World, which tells the story behind the photograph of African-American medalists Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising their fists on the podium at the Mexico City games in 1968, to the six-part Sports On Fire series that spotlights “the world’s greatest athletes caught in the pivotal moments of modern history,” like Jesse Owens’s triumph at the 1936 Berlin games or the story of André Spitzer, the Israeli fencing coach killed in the terrorist attack on the 1972 Munich games. There’s also a selection of Japanese television and cinema, including the Fuji TV remake of the Toronto-shot legal drama Suits starring Yûji Oda and Yuto Nakajima in the roles originated by Gabriel Macht and Patrick J. Adams. Seriously! July 9

The Future Of Film Showcase

The 2021 edition of the annual festival—dedicated to showcasing short works from emerging Canadian filmmakers—will be available to stream on Gem for two weeks. Highlights include Kourtney Jackson’s "Wash Day", Ella Morton’s "Kajanaqtuq", and Bruna Arbex’s "This Is A Period Piece" (pictured above). July 9 to 22

The Aliens

Produced for the U.K.’s Channel 4 in 2016, this speculative dramedy from Fintan Ryan is set in an alternate Britain, where humanoid aliens arrived 40 years ago and set up their own little society within the country. Being Human’s Michael Socha plays Lewis, a border guard drawn into their world after he meets an alien called Lilyhot (Michaela Coel). The show aired on Space in Canada at the time, though no one paid much attention to it; now that Coel’s broken out with I May Destroy You, it might be time to take another look. July 16

Maiden

A later arrival to the Tokyo 2020 collection, Alex Holmes’s documentary mixes archival footage and contemporary interviews to tell the remarkable story of Tracy Edwards—who at 24, became the skipper of the first all-female crew to participate in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race in 1989. (She didn’t just captain the team; she bought the damn boat.) If you missed its at film festivals, here’s your chance to catch up. July 16

The Day

This 12-episode Belgian series tracks a bank robbery that turns into a hostage crisis, moving back and forth between the perspective of the negotiators and assembled police forces on the outside (in the odd-numbered episodes) and the robbers and their hostages on the inside (in the even-numbered episodes). And it’s in Flemish, so even the panicked insults will sound cultured. July 23

Here's the full list of new titles available on CBC Gem in July 2021 by date:

July 9

Ackley Bridge (s4)

Head High

The Future Of Film Showcase

Get Ready For Tokyo 2020! Collection

The Departure

Joanna Lumley’s Japan

Miracles

Paige

Sports On Fire

The Stand: How One Gesture Shook The World