The NFB at RVQC 2023: 13 productions and co-productions, including three Quebec premieres. Works by seasoned and emerging filmmakers exploring social issues and questions of identity.
PRESS RELEASE
06/02/2023
February 6, 2023 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
The National Film Board of Canada will be taking part in the 41st Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma (RVQC), with 13 NFB productions and co-productions appearing at the festival. Three of these films are Quebec premieres screening in competition: the feature documentary L’Ordre secret (The Secret Order) by Phil Comeau, the medium-length documentary Croque-Mort: C’est beau la vie! (Undertaker for Life!) by Georges Hannan, and the short documentary Assez French (French Enough) by Alexis Normand.
The full selection of NFB films at RVQC consists of: two feature documentaries; one medium-length documentary; three short documentaries; and seven animated shorts in competition. The films—some made by highly experienced filmmakers and others by emerging directors—take very diverse approaches to social issues and questions of identity. An annual celebration of the best of Quebec filmmaking, the RVQC runs from February 22 to March 4, 2023, in Montreal.
Quick Facts
Competition – Best Franco-Canadian Film
- L’Ordre secret (The Secret Order) by Phil Comeau (NFB, in collaboration with Unis TV, 85 min) – QUEBEC PREMIERE
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/the-secret-order
Acadian filmmaker Phil Comeau shines a spotlight on the Ordre de Jacques-Cartier, a powerful secret society that operated from 1926 to 1965, infiltrating every sector of Canadian society. The Secret Order paints a gripping portrait of the social and political struggles of Canadian francophone-minority communities. It was a battle that continues to resonate today. The film had its world premiere at the Festival international du cinéma francophone en Acadie (FICFA), where it earned a special mention from the jury and won the audience choice award. The doc also had a successful theatrical release in the Atlantic region.
- Croque-mort. C’est beau la vie ! (Undertaker for Life!) by Georges Hannan (NFB, 52 min) – QUEBEC PREMIERE
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/undertaker-for-life
Undertakers are anything but gloomy; they’re funny, generous and dedicated. We would gladly go on vacation with them—but sadly, they never seem to have any dead time. Undertaker for Life! had its world premiere at FICFA, where it won the La Vague Léonard Forest Award for best medium or feature-length Acadian film.
- Assez French (French Enough) by Alexis Normand (NFB, 18 min) – QUEBEC PREMIERE
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/french-enough
At her family’s summer cabin, singer-songwriter Alexis Normand weaves old home movies with current conversations to illuminate the struggle and triumph of reclaiming francophone Canadian identity on the Prairies. French Enough was selected to screen at Cinéfest Sudbury and the Cinema on the Bayou Festival in Louisiana. It will also be presented in March at the Rendez-vous de la Francophonie, where the filmmaker is one of the spokespersons this year. This short film is also in competition in the Best Documentary Short category at the RVQC.
Feature-length documentary
- En attendant Raif (Waiting for Raif) by Patricio Henriquez and Luc Côté (Macumba Média/NFB, in collaboration with Radio-Canada, 150 min)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/waiting-for-raif
Filmed over a period of eight years, Waiting for Raif tells the tragic tale of a family torn apart by the intransigence of an absolute monarchy, bringing us the inside story of Ensaf Haidar’s inspiring battle to free her husband, renowned prisoner of conscience Raif Badawi. The film had its world premiere at the Festival du cinéma international en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, followed by a theatrical run in Montreal, Quebec City and Sherbrooke. Some of the film’s protagonists will participate in an RVQC roundtable entitled “Quand le privé devient public: la parole aux personnes filmées en documentaire” (“When the private becomes public: Giving the floor to people filmed in documentaries”), on Monday, February 27, at 6 p.m.
Short documentaries
Competition – Best Animated Short
- What Rhymes with Toxic (Ce qui rime avec toxique) by Lynn Smith (NFB, 4 min 59 s)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/what-rhymes-with-toxic
Directed by veteran animation filmmaker Lynn Smith, this film had its world premiere at the 2022 Sommets du cinéma d’animation in Montreal. It will be presented at the RVQC for the first time in its French version, featuring the voice of Alanis Obomsawin.
- The following six films were created by emerging filmmakers through the 13th edition of Hothouse and the first edition of Alambic. These are initiatives from the NFB’s English and French Programs, respectively, aimed at emerging animation filmmakers. Several of the films have screened at festivals.
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French version here | Version française ici.
Media Relations
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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.