1. Media Space

  2. Press Releases

Daniel Léger’s The Artisans (NFB) wraps up tour of Atlantic Provinces at Monument-Lefebvre in Memramcook on September 19

PRESS RELEASE
09/09/2019

September 9, 2019 – Moncton – National Film Board of Canada

Acadian filmmaker Daniel Léger’s documentary Les artisans de l’atelier (The Artisans), a National Film Board of Canada (NFB) production, will end its one-year tour of the Atlantic Provinces with a bang on Thursday, September 19 at 7 p.m., with a special screening at Monument-Lefebvre in Memramcook, the town in which the film was shot. The screening will be attended by the film’s protagonists and their families, by the director and by Christine Aubé, a producer at the NFB’s Canadian Francophonie Studio – Acadie. A Q&A will follow the screening. The Artisans captures the daily lives of a colourful and courageous group of individuals who work at a unique organization. With this film, director Daniel Léger (A Sunday at 105, Inseparable) turns a compassionate lens onto a little-known humanist gem of a place.

The Artisans had its world premiere as the opening film of the 2018 Festival international du cinéma francophone en Acadie (FICFA), screening to a full house of deeply moved film goers. After its premiere, the film began an extensive one-year tour of numerous communities in the Atlantic Provinces, with many of the screenings attended by the director.

About the film

Produced at the NFB by Jac Gautreau and Dominic Desjardins

For more than 35 years, The Artisan Workshop in Memramcook, New Brunswick, 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), has received more than a million views on NFB.ca / ONF.ca 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.

–30–

Related Products

Electronic Press Kit | Images, trailers, synopses: The Artisans

Associated Links

Monument-Lefebvre in Memramcook

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.