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BC festival premieres for animated shorts Altötting by Andreas Hykade and I, Barnabé by Jean-François Lévesque. Six acclaimed NFB animated and documentary works featured at the Victoria Film Festival.

PRESS RELEASE
11/01/2021

January 11, 2021 – Vancouver – National Film Board of Canada

Six National Film Board of Canada (NFB) produced and co-produced feature-length documentaries and animated shorts are being showcased at this year’s Victoria Film Festival (February 5–14, 2021).

Festival screenings will take place online, available across British Columbia, and can be streamed at any time over the 10-day festival. For the full lineup and more information, visit victoriafilmfestival.com.

Three award-winning feature docs:

  • The Forbidden Reel (Loaded Pictures/NFB) by Afghan-Canadian director and Oscar-nominated producer Ariel Nasr
  • Stateless (Hispaniola Productions/NFB) by distinguished Haitian-Canadian director Michèle Stephenson
  • Wintopia (EyeSteelFilm/NFB), Montreal filmmaker Mira Burt-Wintonick’s portrait of her late father, renowned documentarian Peter Wintonick

Three acclaimed animated shorts, presented in the program Animate Me

Features

The Forbidden Reel by Ariel Nasr (119 min.)
Synopsis, biographies, images: mediaspace.nfb.ca/the-forbidden-reel

The story of Afghanistan’s fearless and visionary moviemakers—who gave birth to an extraordinary national cinema amidst war and chaos—and the films we almost never got to see. Winner of the Rogers Audience Award at Hot Docs 2020.

Stateless by Michèle Stephenson (95 min.)
Synopsis, biographies, images: mediaspace.nfb.ca/stateless

Through the grassroots campaign of electoral hopeful Rosa Iris, director Michèle Stephenson’s new documentary reveals the depths of racial hatred and institutionalized oppression that divide Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Awards include a Special Jury Prize for Canadian Feature at Hot Docs and the Best Feature Documentary Award at the BlackStar Film Festival in Philadelphia.

Wintopia by Mira Burt-Wintonick (88 min.)
Synopsis, biographies, images: mediaspace.nfb.ca/wintopia

Winner of the Colin Low Award for Canadian Documentary at DOXA, Wintopia is part Utopian odyssey, part mourning ritual, as a young filmmaker traces the enigmatic footsteps of her late father, renowned documentarian Peter Wintonick.

Shorts

Altötting by Andreas Hykade (11 min)
Synopsis, biographies, images: mediaspace.nfb.ca/altotting

“You know, when I was a boy, I fell in love with the Virgin Mary. It happened in a little Bavarian town called Altötting.” Winner of the Grand Prize at the Cinanima International Animated Film Festival in Portugal and the Craft Award for Best Script at the Ottawa International Animation Festival.

The Great Malaise by Catherine Lepage (5 min)
Synopsis, biographies, images: mediaspace.nfb.ca/malaise

A young woman describes herself and her life in glowing terms, but the visual narrative tells a different story, illustrating the heavy burden of anxiety carried by this worried overachiever. Winner of the People’s Choice Award and Jury’s Special Mention/Canadian Competition at the Sommets du cinéma d’animation in Montreal.

I, Barnabé by Jean-François Lévesque (15 min)
Synopsis, biographies, images: mediaspace.nfb.ca/i-barnabe

During a night of stormy drunkenness, a man receives a visit from a mysterious bird and is forced to reconsider his life. Winner of the Craft Award for Best Technique from the Ottawa International Animation Festival and the Silver Spike for Best Short Film, Valladolid International Film Festival, Spain.

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Associated Links

Victoria Film Festival
Loaded Pictures
EyeSteelFilm
Studio Film Bilder
Ciclope Filmes

French version here | Version française ici.

Media Relations

  • About the NFB

    Founded in 1939, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is a one-of-a-kind producer, co-producer and distributor of distinctive, engaging, relevant and innovative documentary and animated films. As a talent incubator, it is one of the world’s leading creative centres. The NFB has enabled Canadians to tell and hear each other’s stories for over eight decades, and its films are a reliable and accessible educational resource. The NFB is also recognized around the world for its expertise in preservation and conservation, and for its rich and vibrant collection of works, which form a pillar of Canada’s cultural heritage. To date, the NFB has produced more than 14,000 works, 6,500 of which can be streamed free of charge at nfb.ca. The NFB and its productions and co-productions have earned over 7,000 awards, including 11 Oscars and an Honorary Academy Award for overall excellence in cinema.