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New films by Sean Horlor and Steve J. Adams, Jennifer Abbott, Ariel Nasr and Michèle Stephenson. Four NFB feature-length docs screening online at NorthwestFest.

PRESS RELEASE
31/03/2021

March 31, 2021 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

Powerful non-fiction stories will be showcased online across Alberta from May 6 to 16 during Edmonton’s NorthwestFest 2021, where four feature-length National Film Board of Canada (NFB) documentaries have been selected to screen.

  • Someone Like Me, by Edmonton-born Sean Horlor and former Edmontonian Steve J. Adams, a directing duo from Vancouver who created work that shines a spotlight on misunderstandings—queer and otherwise.
  • The Magnitude of All Things (Cedar Island Films/Flying Eye Productions/NFB) by Sundance award-winning director Jennifer Abbott, based in Vancouver.
  • The Forbidden Reel(Loaded Pictures/NFB) by Afghan-Canadian director and Oscar-nominated producer Ariel Nasr, the NFB’s interim Quebec and Atlantic Studio producer in Montreal.
  • Stateless (Hispaniola Productions/NFB) by distinguished Haitian-Canadian director Michèle Stephenson, now based in New York City.

About the films

Someone Like Me by Sean Horlor and Steve J. Adams (80 min.) – Alberta premiere

Someone Like Me follows the parallel journeys of Drake, a gay asylum seeker from Uganda, and a group of strangers from Vancouver’s queer community who are tasked with supporting his resettlement in Canada. Together, they embark on a year-long quest for personal freedom, revealing how in a world where one must constantly fight for the right to exist, survival itself becomes a victory.

Produced by Teri Snelgrove and Shirley Vercruysse, and executive-produced by Shirley Vercruysse for the BC & Yukon Studio.

The Magnitude of All Things by Jennifer Abbott (85 min.)
Synopsis, biographies, images: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/the-magnitude-of-all-things

When Jennifer Abbott lost her sister to cancer, her sorrow opened her up to the profound gravity of climate breakdown. Named Best Canadian Feature at the Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival, The Magnitude of All Things draws intimate parallels between the experiences of grief—both personal and planetary. Stories from the frontlines of climate change merge with recollections from the filmmaker’s childhood on Ontario’s Georgian Bay. What do these stories have in common? The answer, surprisingly, is everything.

Produced by Andrew Williamson and Henrik Meyer for Cedar Island Films, Jennifer Abbott for Flying Eye Productions, and produced and executive produced for the NFB’s BC & Yukon Studio by Shirley Vercruysse. With the participation of the TELUS Fund and Telefilm Canada and the Rogers Group of Funds, through the Theatrical Documentary Program.

The Forbidden Reel  by Ariel Nasr (119 min.)
Synopsis, biographies, images: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/the-forbidden-reel

Driven to create amidst war and chaos, Afghan filmmakers gave birth to an extraordinary national cinema. Driven to destroy, Taliban extremists set out to torch that legacy. Marvelling in the beauty and fragile power of movies, Afghan-Canadian director Ariel Nasr crafts a thrilling and utterly original story of modern Afghanistan. Winner of the Rogers Audience Award at Hot Docs.

Produced by Sergeo Kirby (Loaded Pictures) and Kat Baulu (NFB), with executive producers Sergeo Kirby and Annette Clarke (NFB).

Stateless by Michèle Stephenson (95 min.)
Synopsis, biographies, images: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/stateless

Through the grassroots campaign of electoral hopeful Rosa Iris, director Michèle Stephenson’s new documentary reveals the depths of racial hatred and institutionalized oppression that divide Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Awards include a Special Jury Prize for Canadian Feature at Hot Docs and the Best Feature Documentary Award at the BlackStar Film Festival in Philadelphia.

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).

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 Associated Links

NorthwestFest 2021
Cedar Island Films
Flying Eye Productions
Loaded Pictures
TELUS Fund
Telefilm Canada
Rogers Group of Funds

French version here | Version française 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, 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.