April 5, 2018 – Vancouver – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

The National Film Board of Canada’s commitment to exploring vital global issues, and producing groundbreaking works by Indigenous and culturally diverse filmmakers, will be on display at the 2018 DOXA Documentary Film Festival (May 3–13) with Velcrow Ripper and Nova Ami’s feature documentary Metamorphosis  (Clique Pictures/Transparent Film/NFB), the short films To Wake Up the Nakota Language by Louise BigEagle and Three Thousand  by Asinnajaq, as well as a special screening of Vancouver filmmaker and producer Selwyn Jacob’s The Road Taken.

Making its Canadian premiere on May 10 at 6 p.m. at SFU’s Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, Velcrow Ripper and Nova Ami’s Metamorphosis takes the pulse of our Earth and bears witness to a moment of profound change: the loss of one world, and the birth of another. Metamorphosis captures the true scale of the global environmental crisis—but this crisis is also an opportunity for transformation. Through a tidal flow of stunning images, Metamorphosis carves a path from the present to the future, and offers a bold new vision for humanity and the world. Metamorphosis is produced by Lauren Grant (Clique Pictures), Nova Ami and Velcrow Ripper (Transparent Film) and Bonnie Thompson and David Christensen (NFB). The executive producers are David Christensen (NFB North West Studio) and John Bain. The film will also screen on May 11 at noon at the Vancity Theatre.

DOXA is hosting the BC premiere of Louise BigEagle’s six-minute To Wake Up the Nakota Language on May 12 at 4:30 p.m. at the Vancity Theatre. Across North America, Indigenous languages are at risk of disappearing. With an eye to the future, 69-year-old Armand McArthur—one of the last fluent Nakota speakers in Pheasant Rump First Nation, Treaty 4 territory, in southern Saskatchewan—is committed to revitalizing his language for his community and future generations. Reflecting upon the land his ancestors have called home for centuries, he brings that connection to people of all ages, who gather to share knowledge, laughter and a way of life. To Wake Up the Nakota Language is produced by Jon Montes from the NFB North West Studio’s Saskatchewan office, and executive produced by David Christensen.

Three Thousand is an acclaimed 14-minute work by Inuit artist Asinnajaq, also known as Isabella-Rose Weetaluktuk, that immerses audiences into a sublime imaginary universe. Debuting in Vancouver on May 9 at noon at Vancity, then playing again on May 11 at 6 p.m. at SFU, this luminescent, archive-inspired work recasts the past, present and future of Inuit in a radiant new light. Embedding historic footage into original animation, Asinnajaq dives into the NFB archives to parse the complicated cinematic representation of Inuit, conjuring up a vision of hope and beautiful possibility. Named Best Experimental Work at imagineNATIVE, Three Thousand is produced by Kat Baulu and executive produced by Annette Clarke for the Quebec and Atlantic Studio.

As part of the celebration for the 35th anniversary of DOC BC, Selwyn Jacob’s Canada Award-winning 1996 52-minute documentary The Road Taken will be screened along with a contemporary mid-length documentary work on May 5 at 9 p.m. at the Orpheum Annex as well as on May 8 at 2:45 p.m. at the Vancity. Directed and co-produced by Jacob shortly before he joined the NFB as a producer at the BC and Yukon Studio, The Road Taken documents the struggle for justice by Black sleeping-car porters who worked on Canada’s railways from the early 1900s through the 1960s—combining interviews, archival footage as well as the music of jazz musician Joe Sealy, whose father was a porter. In April of last year, Jacob received the Outstanding Achievement Award, recognizing outstanding accomplishment, contribution to media art, and body of work, from the Film and Video Arts Society of Alberta.

 

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Related Products

Electronic Press Kit | Images, trailers, synopsis: Metamorphosis | Three Thousand | To Wake Up the Nakota Language

Associated Links

DOXA Documentary Film Festival

Clique Pictures