August 15, 2023 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

The documentary series North Star by Patrick Bossé, an inspiring portrait of Quebec-born Innu astrophysicist Laurie Rousseau-Nepton, will have its world premiere on nfb.ca on August 21 and screen free of charge thereafter, accompanied by an NFB channel highlighting women in STEM. The NFB will also be celebrating Public Service Pride Week with an online short film festival, among other activities. To date, nfb.ca offers more than 6,000 titles, not to mention a collection of some 100 interactive works, most of which are available for free online viewing.

Starting August 21

• North Star by Patrick Bossé (NFB’s Quebec, Canadian Francophonie & Acadian Documentary Studio) – WORLD PREMIERE
  Documentary series (5 × 15 min)
  Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/north-star

  The series immerses viewers in the remarkable daily life of Laurie Rousseau-Nepton, a young, Quebec-born Innu astrophysicist who’s leading a massive research project at the prestigious Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. In this inspiring and positive portrait, the astrophysicist openly discusses her life, demystifying for young audiences what it means to aspire to a career in astronomy and in the sciences in general. With equal parts honesty and optimism, she speaks out on the place of women and people of diverse backgrounds in STEM professions, deconstructing stereotypes about these fields. In introducing young people to Laurie’s amazing success, North Star preaches by example.

• Channel: Women in STEM
  Along with the new series North Star, discover this selection of films highlighting women’s important contributions to science and the women who are breaking down barriers. Don’t miss If You Love This Planet by Terre Nash, As the Crow Flies by Tess Girard and Inhale Exhale by Danielle Sturk, among others.

Celebrating Public Service Pride Week, August 21 to 25

• The NFB presents the Public Service Pride Week (PSPW) Short Film Festival, a five-film lineup celebrating 2SLGBTQI+ lives, dreams and challenges: I Am Skylar by Rachel Bower, Woman Dress by Thirza (Theo Jean) Cuthand, A Short Film About Tegan & Sarah by Ann Marie Fleming, Into Light by Sheona McDonald and Sometimes I Wish I Was On a Desert Island by Eli Jean Tahchi.
• 2SLGBTQI+ Channel
  This selection of more than 40 short and feature-length docs and animated films continues to grow, with recent additions like Someone Like Me by Sean Horlor and Steve J. Adams and Standing on the Line by Paul Émile d’Entremont, as well as important films dating back to the 1990s, including Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives by Aerlyn Weissman and Lynne Fernie—illustrating the various challenges and realities of members of the 2SLGBTQI+ communities over the years, and chronicling the evolution of our society.

Learn more about the NFB’s filmmakers and its collection:

• nfb.ca/blog/category/directors-notes/
• nfb.ca/blog/category/curators-perspective/

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French version here | Version française ici.