July 25, 2024 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

Vibrant new NFB productions will be launched in August: Audrey Nantel-Gagnon’s short Fire-Jo-Ball will be online as of August 2 and the documentary series Sounds & Pressure: Reggae in a Foreign Land, by Graeme Mathieson and Chris Flanagan, will have its premiere on nfb.ca on August 23, the day after a special launch event in Toronto.

The month of August is also packed with cultural and social happenings, and nfb.ca is a great place to explore current events, like the Pride celebrations, with themed channels and blog posts prepared by our collection experts.

The summer is a great time to travel and explore different parts of Canada, and themed channels have been created especially for the occasion. Experience a range of films highlighting the distinctive and diverse nature of different regions of the country

In total, nfb.ca now features more than 6,500 films and a collection of more than 100 interactive works.

NEW ONLINE RELEASES

Starting August 2

Fire-Jo-Ball by Audrey Nantel-Gagnon (2023, NFB) – ONLINE LAUNCH
Short documentary (16 min 54 s)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/fire-jo-ball

• Walking the line between fact and fiction, Fire-Jo-Ball shines the spotlight on Jo-Ann, a 57-year-old bartender who dreams of being a singer and actress. The film will be launched online on August 2, the birthday of Marjo, an inspirational singer for both Quebecers and Jo-Ann, the film’s main character, who dazzles when she’s under the spell of her spirited music. The first professional film by Lévis-born filmmaker Audrey Nantel-Gagnon, this documentary short was screened at numerous festivals in Canada and Europe and was a winner at Montreal’s Fantasia festival.

Starting August 23

Sounds & Pressure: Reggae in a Foreign Land by Graeme Mathieson and Chris Flanagan (2024, NFB) – PREMIERE
Documentary series (5 x 15 min)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/sounds-pressure

At the height of the golden age of reggae, some of Jamaica’s brightest stars left their homeland behind to shine their light in an unlikely hub of Caribbean creativity: Toronto. Through rare archives and infectious beats, this captivating five-part anthology series takes you from Kingston to Kensington Market to see and hear how reggae made roots in Canada against all odds. Toronto’s Paradise Theatre will also host a special screening and launch event on August 22. Details

SPECIAL PROGRAMMING – CULTURAL AND SOCIAL EVENTS
THEMED CHANNELS AND BLOG POSTS

To mark Pride celebrations across the country, including Public Service Pride Week, August 19–23

• Blog post by collection curator Camilo Martín-Flórez:
  • “Three Landmark 2SLGBTQIA+ Films from the NFB’s Vault”
    This post looks back at a trio of acclaimed films that pushed the boundaries of 2SLGBTQIA+ cinema in Canada: Albert Nerenberg’s Escape to Canada (2005), about same-sex marriage; David Adkin’s Out: Stories of Lesbian and Gay Youth (1993); and Fernand Bélanger and Dagmar Teufel’s Passiflora (1985), an experimental portrait of Montreal’s “otherness.”

• Films for Pride Channel

FILMS FROM ACROSS CANADA

Collection curator Camilo Martín-Flórez highlights films from every province and territory in two blog posts introducing various themed channels:

• Canada as Seen by NFB Filmmakers: Films from Across the Country (Part 1)
  • Yukon
  • Saskatchewan
  • Prince Edward Island
  • Nunavut
  • Francophones Across Canada
  • Quebec
  • Ontario
• Canada as Seen by NFB Filmmakers: Films from Across the Country (Part 2)
  • Northwest Territories
  • Newfoundland and Labrador
  • Manitoba
  • New Brunswick
  • Nova Scotia
  • British Columbia
  • Alberta

Learn more about the NFB’s filmmakers and their works:

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

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French version here | Version française ici.