November 28, 2022 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
In December and January, more films than ever will be available free of charge on nfb.ca, with a captivating selection from various NFB studios across the country, just in time for the holidays—and for a while after. New additions include animated shorts using various techniques, including The Flying Sailor, from the Oscar-nominated duo of Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis, and the online world premiere of the Alambic animated shorts collection; the moving short documentary Heartbeat of a Nation, by Eric Janvier, which celebrates Dene cultural reclamation and revitalization; and the return of the beloved NFB Ho Ho Holidays channel.
These latest additions join the more than 5,500 titles already available on nfb.ca, along with our collection of some one hundred interactive works, almost all of which are available for free online viewing. Some works can also be viewed in person in Montreal—Worlds of Ice, by Philippe Baylaucq, at the Planétarium Rio Tinto Alcan and Plastisapiens, by Miri Chekhanovich and Édith Jorisch with Dpt., at the Biosphere.
New at nfb.ca
Starting November 28
The Flying Sailor by Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis (2022, NFB North West Studio)
Animated short (7 min 45 s)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/the-flying-sailor
The Flying Sailor is the latest work by the Oscar-nominated and Palme d’Or-winning duo of Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby. Inspired by the incredible true-life story of a man blown two kilometres through the air by the 1917 Halifax Explosion—the largest accidental non-nuclear explosion in history—the film is an exhilarating meditation on the wonder and fragility of being. With more than 20 festival selections to date, this short film has already won six awards, including Best Animation at the New York City Short Film Festival and the Canadian Film Institute Award for Best Canadian Animation at the Ottawa Festival.
Starting December 5
Alambic – Online World Premiere
A creative lab by the NFB French Program Animation Studio
Three animated shorts, each less than 3 minutes (2022)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/alambic
Alambic provides a space for creative ferment where ideas can gel and be distilled, drop by drop, and then shared with audiences, giving them the opportunity to get to know the work of new artists. This collection of very short films features early-career creators, drawing on their own interior worlds as well as the creative energy from the group to craft original visual stories in the space of a few months. The films produced by the 2022 Alambic cohort are Solid Ground (Beatriz Carvalho), Modern Alchemy (Bren López Zepeda) and By Winds and Tides (Bogdan Anifrani Fedach). This last film was selected to screen at the 2022 Festival du nouveau cinéma in Montreal and the LA Animation Festival.
Starting December 12
NFB Ho Ho Holidays Channel
A fine tradition is back! The NFB Ho Ho Holidays channel is once again offering seasonal classics, recent works and family favourites. It’s 53 films in all that you can watch for free! You’ll find comedy gems like Jeff Hale’s The Great Toy Robbery; Sheldon Cohen’s iconic The Sweater, adapted from Roch Carrier’s much-loved hockey story; Alanis Obomsawin’s classic Christmas at Moose Factory; and the stop-motion adventures of Ludovic the teddy bear in Co Hoedeman’s series for kids, among many others.
Holiday contests you won’t want to miss
Follow the NFB’s Instagram account and enter various contests for a chance to win NFB promotional items and free tickets. Stay tuned!
Facebook : @onf.ca | @nfb.ca
Instagram : @ONF_NFB
Twitter : @ONF | @theNFB
Starting January 16
Arctic Song by Germaine Arnattaujuq (Arnaktauyok), Neil Christopher and Louise Flaherty (2021, Taqqut Productions/NFB North West Studio)
Animated short (6 min 25 s)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/arctic-song
This short film expresses Inuit creation stories from the Iglulik region of Nunavut through song and animation, based on the original artwork of Inuit artist, storyteller and co-director Germaine Arnattaujuq (Arnaktauyok). The film has been selected by several Canadian festivals across the country, from north to south and east to west, and won awards such as the Best Canadian Short Film at the International First Peoples Festival in Montreal.
Starting January 23
Heartbeat of a Nation by Eric Janvier (2022, NFB North West Studio)
Short documentary (20 min 22 s)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/heartbeat-of-a-nation
In the Northern Alberta community of Chipewyan Prairie Dene First Nation, a father teaches his child how to create a caribou drum. In this short documentary, cultural reclamation and Traditional Knowledge are celebrated and passed down from one generation to the next, inspiring renewed hope for the future. The film had its world premiere at the 2022 Calgary International Film Festival and has screened at festivals in Canada and the US.
Works that can be viewed in person in Montreal
Starting December 14 at the Planétarium Rio Tinto Alcan
Worlds of Ice by Philippe Baylaucq (2022, NFB/Planétarium Rio Tinto Alcan)
360˚ film (34 min 10 s)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/worlds-of-ice
From the territories of the Arctic to the farthest reaches of the universe, Worlds of Ice shows us the astonishing omnipresence of ice in science, culture and art, while also revealing how melting polar ice caps are compromising our climate’s delicate balance. Ice: precious, and vital. The film has been screened at festivals around the world and won the award for Best Science Film at the 2022 Dome West Fest in Los Angeles.
Starting December 17 at the Biosphere
Plastisapiens by Miri Chekhanovich and Édith Jorisch with Dpt. (2022, Dpt./NFB Interactive Studio/Lalibela Productions)
Virtual reality work (15 min)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/plastisapiens
Plastisapiens is a virtual reality journey towards a speculative future where organic beings and plastic become one, presented at the Biosphere in an in situ multisensory installation. The project had its world premiere at the 2022 Tribeca Festival and received the DocLab Special Jury Award for Creative Technology at IDFA in Amsterdam. It was conceived as part of New Identities, a co-production partnership in digital creation between Canada and Israel.
Learn more about the NFB’s filmmakers and its collection:
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French version here | Version en français ici.