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Eight National Film Board of Canada-produced and co-produced films at VFF, with four works by BC directors. British Columbia filmmakers lead the way as NFB documentary and animation showcased in Victoria.

PRESS RELEASE
09/01/2025

January 9, 2025 – Vancouver – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

The rich and diverse talents of British Columbia filmmakers will be on vivid display in the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) selection at the 2025 Victoria Film Festival (VFF), which takes place February 7 to 16.

Eight NFB-produced or co-produced features and shorts have been selected by VFF, with four works by BC-based directors Nova Ami and Velcrow Ripper, Christopher Auchter, Yuqi Kang and Amanda Strong.

Films by BC directors

Incandescence by Nova Ami and Velcrow Ripper (105 min)
Produced by Shirley Vercruysse for the NFB’s Western Documentary Unit in Vancouver
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/incandescence

  • Wildfires are burning with increasing intensity around the world. Following the rhythms of the seasons, Incandescence is an immersive cinematic experience, weaving on-the-ground footage with extraordinary stories of survival and adaptation that transform our understanding of wildfire. The film takes shape from the ancient patterns embodied in fire: destruction, aftermath and rebirth.
  • Based in Gibsons, Nova Ami and Velcrow Ripper are award-winning documentary filmmakers who have collaborated for over a decade on projects exploring our relationship to the climate emergency.

The Stand by Christopher Auchter (94 min 33 s)
Produced by Shirley Vercruysse for the NFB’s Western Documentary Unit in Vancouver
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/the-stand

  • On a misty morning in the fall of 1985, a small group of Haida people blockaded a muddy dirt road on Lyell Island, demanding the government work with Indigenous people to find a way to protect the land and the future. Drawn from more than a hundred hours of archival footage and audio, The Stand recreates the critical moment when the Haida Nation’s resolute act of vision and conscience changed the world.
  • Burnaby-based filmmaker Christopher Auchter (Waat’sdaa) grew up roaming the beaches and forests of the Haida Gwaii archipelago off Canada’s West Coast, and his art is rooted in the land and stories of the Haida people.

7 Beats Per Minute by Yuqi Kang (Intuitive Pictures/NFB, 100 min)
Producers: Ina Fichman (Intuitive Pictures); Sherien Barsoum (NFB)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/7beatsperminute

  • In the world of competitive freediving, Jessea Lu (Lu Wenjie) is a legendary figure. During a world-record attempt in 2018, Lu blacked out and was lifeless for four minutes. 7 Beats Per Minute captures the descent of a lifetime, when Jessea returns to the site of her near-death experience to face the traumas of her past and find a way back to connection.
  • Yuqi Kang is a Mongol Chinese Canadian filmmaker based in Vancouver, driven by a passion for crafting psychological profiles set in extreme circumstances.

Inkwo for When the Starving Return by Amanda Strong (Spotted Fawn Productions/NFB, 18 min 27 s)
Producers: Amanda Strong (Spotted Fawn Productions), Maral Mohammadian (NFB), Nina Werewka (Spotted Fawn Productions)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/inkwo-for-when-the-starving-return

  • Two lifetimes from now the world hangs in the balance. Dove, a young warrior, receives and begins to understand the gifts and burdens of their Inkwo(medicine) in a call to action to fight and protect against the forces of greed and consumption. A stop-motion animated adaptation of award-winning Tlicho Dene storyteller Richard Van Camp’s short story “Wheetago War,” which was inspired by Art Napoleon’s interview with his late grandmother Suzette Napoleon.
  • Amanda Strong is a Michif/Red River Métis artist, writer, producer, director, filmmaker and mother based in Sechelt.

Documentary and animation from across Canada

Ghosts of the Sea by Virginia Tangvald (97 min) | Western Canadian premiere
A Canada-France co-production produced by micro_scope (Isabelle Couture and Élaine Hébert) with the NFB (Nathalie Cloutier) and Urban Factory (Frédéric Corvez and Maéva Savinien)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/ghosts-of-the-sea

  • While searching for clues about the death of her brother, who was lost at sea, Virginia Tangvald embarks on a fascinating stranger-than-fiction investigation into her family’s dark secrets. Calling into question the idyllic life of her father, legendary sailor Peter Tangvald, her quest dismantles the myth of absolute freedom and offers the hope that a toxic cycle has been broken.

Living Together by Halima Elkhatabi (75 min)
Produced by Nathalie Cloutier for the NFB’s French Documentary Unit in Montreal
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/living-together

  • The debut feature-length documentaryby a filmmaker with a compassionate eye, Living Together maps a contemporary mosaic of cultures and ideas, with explorations of community, individualism and the housing crisis in constant interplay.

Hairy Legs by Andrea Dorfman (17 min) | Western Canadian premiere
Produced by Liz Cowie and Rohan Fernando for the NFB’s Eastern Documentary Unit
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/hairy-legs

  • At the age of 13, deciding not to shave her legs led Andrea Dorfman to question and ultimately defy society’s expectations. With charm, warmth and humour, Dorfman’s film Hairy Legs captures the universality of girls exploring gender, curiosity and freedom as they evolve from spending exuberant, carefree days on their bicycles to facing and challenging stereotypes.

LOCA by Véronique Paquette (5 min 19 s)
Produced by Christine Noël and Marc Bertrand for the NFB Animation Studio
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/loca

  • A female silhouette, sketched with fine white lines, disintegrates. A few bars ring out from “Loca”—a classic tune from the golden age of Argentinean tango. The spellbinding music sweeps the woman into a dance. As she whirls, a duo forms, their bodies intertwined in black and white. Their complete abandonment to the music is expressed in abundant waves of ink, creating a mesmerizing visual spectacle.

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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.