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Daniel Léger’s NFB doc The Artisans to make its world premiere as opening film of FICFA 2018, followed by screenings in the Atlantic provinces.

PRESS RELEASE
10/10/2018

October 10, 2018 – Moncton – National Film Board of Canada

Acadian filmmaker Daniel Léger’s latest film, The Artisans, produced by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), is having its world premiere as the opening film of the 32nd Festival international du cinéma francophone en Acadie (FICFA) on Thursday, November 15, at 8 p.m. The screening is taking place at Moncton’s Théâtre Capitol and will be attended by protagonists from the film, along with the director and Christine Aubé, a producer at the NFB’s Canadian Franophonie Studio – Acadie. Visit www.ficfa.com for more information. The festival takes place November 15 to 23, 2018.

The Artisans chronicles the daily lives of a colourful and courageous group of individuals who work in the small New Brunswick community of Memramcook. Produced at the NFB by Jac Gautreau and Dominic Desjardins, the most recent film by Daniel Léger (A Sunday at 105, Inseparable) turns a compassionate lens onto a little-known humanist gem of a place.

Coming soon to a screen near you!

The Artisans will tour the Atlantic provinces following its world premiere in Moncton. Screenings with the director in attendance are scheduled for a number of communities (dates and venues to be announced in fall 2018). The one-year tour will end in Memramcook—the place where it all began!—with a screening at Monument Lefebvre in September 2019.

About The Artisans

For more than 35 years, The Artisan Workshop in Memramcook has provided employment for people with intellectual disabilities. Staff are hired on a full-time basis to perform a range of tasks, including creating decorative objects, woodworking, preparing light meals, shredding paper, and sorting bottles, cans and other materials for recycling. More importantly, the centre serves a vital function, providing these adults with a valuable social setting where they can thrive and find personal fulfillment. “We’re beautiful, the whole gang,” says Jean, the self-described “handyman and best-looking” member of the group, who also narrates the film. “We are special.

About the filmmaker

Daniel Léger describes himself as “a poet of the everyday.” This multidisciplinary artist has been making a living doing what he loves (making music, writing or filmmaking) since 2002. His first NFB film, A Sunday at 105 (2007), received more than a million views on the institution’s website and won awards on the festival circuit, including Best Canadian Short at the 2007 Festival international du cinéma francophone en Acadie (FICFA). Inseparable (2011) also screened to wide acclaim, including at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. In 2014, Léger received the “media artist of the year” award at the Prix Éloizes and was a Gémeaux finalist in the Social Documentary category. The Artisans (2018) is his third NFB film.

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Related Products

Electronic Press Kit | Images, trailers, synopsis: The Artisans | Trailer available in French here.

Associated Links

Festival international du cinéma francophone en Acadie
Théâtre Capitol

Media Relations

  • Madeleine Blanchard
    Publicist for the NFB
    506-871-3638
    madonews@gmail.com

  • Lily Robert
    Director, Communications and Public Affairs, NFB
    C.: 514-296-8261
    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.