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BOND/360 acquires U.S. rights to National Film Board of Canada feature docs Angry Inuk and Gun Runners

PRESS RELEASE
26/01/2017

January 26, 2017 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) announced on January 23, 2017, that BOND/360 has acquired U.S. distribution rights to two new NFB feature documentaries: Alethea Arnaquq-Baril’s Angry Inuk (NFB/Unikkaat Studios/EyeSteelFilm) and Anjali Nayar’s Gun Runners.

With the seal hunt criticized by anti-sealing activists, U.S. audiences will finally have a chance to hear from the Inuit side of the debate in the multi-award-winning Angry Inuk, which will have its U.S. premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (February 1–11, 2017).

The American Dream, Kenyan-style, Gun Runners follows two North Kenyan warriors looking to transform their lives by trading in their rifles for sneakers to become professional marathon runners. Nayar’s film had its U.S. premiere on Jan. 8 at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

Angry Inuk

Angry Inuk introduces audiences to a new generation of Inuit who are challenging anti-sealing groups and bringing their voices into the conversation. Arnaquq-Baril and her cameras travel through the Canadian Arctic to hear from the people that are often ignored—the hunters, the craftspeople, the families for whom the seal hunt is a critical part of their livelihood and survival―and follow a group of students to Europe where they plead the Inuit case before a European Union panel.

Seal meat is a staple food for Inuit, with many of the pelts sold to offset the extraordinary cost of hunting. Inuit are pushing for a sustainable way to take part in the global economy. Angry Inuk interweaves the reality of Inuit life with their challenge to the anti-sealing industry and to nations that mine resources on Inuit lands while simultaneously destroying the main sustainable economy available there.

Angry Inuk has garnered top honours in Canada, including the Audience Award at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival and a selection to the Toronto International Film Festival’s Top Ten Canadian films of 2016. An Unikkaat Studios Inc. production in co-production with the NFB, in association with EyeSteelFilm, Angry Inuk is produced by Alethea Arnaquq-Baril and Bonnie Thompson (NFB), and executive produced by Bob Moore, Daniel Cross, and David Christensen (NFB).

Gun Runners

Gun Runners is the story of Julius Arile and Robert Matanda, who for years thrived among the bands of warriors terrorizing the North Kenyan countryside: stealing cattle, raiding and running from the police. So when both suddenly disappear from the bush, many assume they’re dead or have been arrested. Instead, they’ve traded in their rifles for sneakers—in the hopes of making it big as professional marathon runners. Years of fleeing from the police have prepared the men for running marathon distances, but do they have what it takes to overcome the corruption, mistrust and jealousy that threaten to derail their careers?

Gun Runners is produced for the NFB by Annette Clarke and Kat Baulu.

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Associated Links

BOND/360
Unikkaat Studios
EyeSteelFilm

Media Relations

For BOND/360
Una Morera
E-mail: una@bondinfluence.com

For the NFB
Pat Dillon-Moore
Publicist
Cell: 514-206-1750
E-mail: p.dillon@nfb.ca
Twitter: @PatDoftheNFB

Lily Robert
Director, Communications and Public Affairs, NFB
Tel.: 514-283-3838
Cell: 514-296-8261
E-mail: l.robert@nfb.ca

  • 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.