July 6, 2023 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

The National Film Board of Canada returns to Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival with a documentary short and an animated short by two talented, award-winning women filmmakers: Audrey Nantel-Gagnon’s Fire-Jo-Ball, which will have its Montreal premiere, and Janice Nadeau’s HARVEY. The films will be screened in competition, in the Fantastiques Week-ends du Cinéma Québécois program. HARVEY will also be presented in competition in the My First Fantasia youth program. The festival runs from July 20 to August 9, 2023.

Quick Facts

Fire-Jo-Ball by Audrey Nantel-Gagnon (16 min 54 s) – MONTREAL PREMIERE
Produced by Nathalie Cloutier for the NFB’s Quebec, Canadian Francophonie & Acadian Documentary Studio
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/fire-jo-ball

• Jo-Ann, a 57-year-old bartender, dreams of becoming a singer and actress. Oscillating between spectacular and intimate, between extra and ordinary, Jo-Ann infuses her daily life (and the film) with true main-character energy. At the crossroads of genres, Fire-Jo-Ball paints a portrait of a woman who loves all things rosy, even if her life isn’t always so. This short doc had its world premiere at the REGARD festival.
• Audrey Nantel-Gagnon’s first film, Shirley Temple (UQAM, 2018), was screened around the world and won several significant awards. Moving between documentary and fiction, the filmmaker places her characters at the centre of her work. Her approach revolves around intimate moments and human relationships, resulting in a filmmaking style that’s both accessible and dynamic. Fire-Jo-Ball is the product of a close collaboration between the director and the protagonist, who allowed themselves to dream together.

HARVEY by Janice Nadeau (9 min)
Co-produced by Marc Bertrand (NFB’s French Program Animation Studio) and Reginald de Guillebon (Folimage), with the support of the Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée. Head of Development: Corinne Destombes (Folimage).
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/harvey

• A luminous look at loss and bereavement, seen through the eyes of a child with an overflowing imagination. Adapted from the graphic novel of the same name by Hervé Bouchard, illustrated by Montreal filmmaker Janice Nadeau (La Pastèque).
• Janice Nadeau, who’s illustrated a number of books and is a three-time recipient of Canada’s prestigious Governor General’s Literary Award, has had her film selected to screen at several acclaimed festivals in Canada and Europe, including Clermont-Ferrand, REGARD, Stuttgart, Annecy, Animafest Zagreb and the Sommets du cinéma d’animation. This short had a standout creative team that included Claude Cloutier and Marc Robinet (lead animators), Olivier Calvert (sound design) and Martin Léon (original music). With the voice of Ryan S. Hill.

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French version here | Version française ici.