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Mira Burt-Wintonick’s Wintopia, Michèle Stephenson’s Stateless and Ariel Nasr’s The Forbidden Reel featured as DOXA goes online across BC.

PRESS RELEASE
28/05/2020

May 28, 2020 – Vancouver – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

Three National Film Board of Canada (NFB) co-produced feature-length documentaries will be showcased as part of the DOXA Documentary Film Festival—presented online in British Columbia only, from June 18 to 26, 2020.

The festival will also be featuring Q&As with filmmakers, as Vancouver’s DOXA goes virtual during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Opening Night Film — In Competition:

Wintopia by Mira Burt-Wintonick

  • Wintopia is part Utopian odyssey, part mourning ritual, as a young filmmaker traces the enigmatic footsteps of her late father, renowned documentarian Peter Wintonick.
  • Peter’s credits include co-directing the landmark Necessary Illusions/NFB co-production, Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media with Mark Achbar, named Most Popular Canadian Film at the 1992 Vancouver International Film Festival.

Produced by Bob Moore (EyeSteelFilm) and Annette Clarke (NFB), with Daniel Cross and Mila Aung-Thwin as executive producers for EyeSteelFilm.
Synopsis, biographies, images: mediaspace.nfb.ca/wintopia

In Competition:

Stateless by Michèle Stephenson

Winner, Special Jury Prize, Canadian Feature Documentary, Hot Docs 2020

  • Haitian-Canadian director Michèle Stephenson’s Stateless uncovers the complex history and present-day politics of Haiti and the Dominican Republic through the grassroots electoral campaign of a young attorney named Rosa Iris.

Produced by Jennifer Holness and Michèle Stephenson (Hispaniola Productions), and Lea Marin (NFB), and executive produced by Anita Lee (NFB), Joe Brewster (Rada Film Group) and Sudz Sutherland (Hungry Eyes Media).
Synopsis, biographies, images: mediaspace.nfb.ca/stateless

Out of Competition:

The Forbidden Reel by Ariel Nasr

  • The story of Afghanistan’s fearless and visionary moviemakers—and the films we almost never got to see.

Produced by Sergeo Kirby (Loaded Pictures) and Kat Baulu (NFB), with executive producers Sergeo Kirby and Annette Clarke (NFB).
Synopsis, biographies, images: mediaspace.nfb.ca/the-forbidden-reel

For tickets and viewing information, visit doxafestival.ca

This selection of NFB titles for DOXA follows on the heels of the Hot Docs 2020 selection, also presented online, May 28 to June 6, in Ontario.

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French press release here | Communiqué en français 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, 7,000 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.