Santa Barbara International Film Festival showcases three acclaimed NFB films by women directors—including two U.S. premieres. In the Room director and Afghan women activists in attendance.
PRESS RELEASE
14/01/2026
January 14, 2026 – Vancouver – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival will present three award-winning works from the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) celebrating stories of resilience.
This powerful lineup of films by women includes two NFB feature documentaries making their U.S. premieres and a debut animated short fresh from its acclaimed NYC premiere.
The 41st Santa Barbara International Film Festival will run February 4–14.
About the films
In the Room by Brishkay Ahmed (75 min) | U.S. premiere
Director and film subjects in attendance
- In the face of exile, five Afghan women’s commitment to freedom and equality empowers them to take the world stage and reclaim their homeland in award-winning filmmaker Brishkay Ahmed’s documentary In the Room. Through a series of honest conversations, these extraordinary rebels reveal the deeply personal history of Afghanistan in all its complexity, beauty and struggle.
- In the Room received the Audience Award at its world premiere in the Vancouver International Film Festival’s Showcase program.
- Afghan-Canadian director Brishkay Ahmed will be in attendance with film subjects:
- Nelofer Pazira-Fisk, award-winning Afghan-Canadian author, journalist and filmmaker;
- Mozhdah Jamalzadah, Vancouver-based performer and women’s rights advocate;
- Sahar Parniyan, actor and former athlete now living in the U.K.;
- Vida Samadzai, Afghan-American actor, model and Miss Afghanistan, Ms. America, Miss California and Miss International title holder.
There Are No Words by Min Sook Lee (98 min) | U.S. premiere
- Acclaimed Toronto director Min Sook Lee searches for memories of her mother, Song Ji Lee, who died by suicide when Lee was 12 years old. A looming figure in this search is Lee’s now 90-year-old father, who met her mother while serving in a national intelligence agency under dictator Park Chung Hee in 1960s South Korea. Through a fabric of real and imagined histories, Lee reveals that some stories must still be told, even when the words are forgotten.
- Winner of the DOC Institute Best Documentary Award at the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival and an Honourable Mention for Best Canadian Feature Film at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The Sounds of Things Ablaze by Hayat Najm (6 min 35 s)
- A woman walks down the sidewalk, avoiding the cracks in the pavement like a child. Her body remains on high alert, remembering the horrors of a war that continues to haunt her. The Sounds of Things Ablaze is a charcoal-drawn animated short film about the resilience of women. It’s the first animated short by Hayat Najm, a visual artist who came to Canada with her family at age five, fleeing war in Lebanon.
- Winner of the award for Best Animation at the New York City Short Film Festival.
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Version française ici.
Media Relations
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About the NFB
For more than 80 years, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) has produced, distributed and preserved those stories, which now form a vast audiovisual collection—an important part of our cultural heritage that represents all Canadians.
To tell these stories, the NFB works with filmmakers of all ages and backgrounds, from across the country. It harnesses their creativity to produce relevant and groundbreaking content for curious, engaged and diverse audiences. The NFB also collaborates with industry experts to foster innovation in every aspect of storytelling, from formats to distribution models.
Every year, another 50 or so powerful new animated and documentary films are added to the NFB’s extensive collection of more than 14,000 titles, half of which are available to watch for free on nfb.ca.
Through its mandate, its stature and its productions, the NFB contributes to Canada’s cultural identity and is helping to build the Canada of tomorrow.