1. Media Space

  2. Press Releases

NFB documentary and animation on display at the Edmonton International Film Festival. Courtney Montour’s Mary Two-Axe Earley: I Am Indian Again, Sheona McDonald’s Into Light and Joanna Quinn and Les Mills’ Affairs of the Art showcased at EIFF.

PRESS RELEASE
09/09/2021

September 9, 2021 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

Three National Film Board of Canada produced and co-produced short films are being featured at the Edmonton International Film Festival (EIFF), with in-person screenings October 1 through 10, and virtual screenings available across Alberta from October 4 at 9 a.m. to October 31 at 9 p.m.

Mary Two-Axe Earley: I Am Indian Again by Courtney Montour (34 min)

Mary Two-Axe Earley: I Am Indian Again shares the powerful story of Mary Two-Axe Earley, who fought for more than two decades to challenge sex discrimination against First Nations women embedded in Canada’s Indian Act, and became a key figure in Canada’s women’s rights movement. Using never-before-seen archival footage and audio recordings, Mohawk filmmaker Courtney Montour engages in a deeply personal conversation with the late Mohawk woman, who challenged sexist and genocidal government policies that stripped First Nations women and children of their Indian status when they married non-Indian men.

Montour speaks with the late Cree activist Nellie Carlson, Mary’s lifelong friend and co-founder of Indian Rights for Indian Women, and meets with Edmonton’s Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse and her daughter Isabella in Mary’s kitchen in Kahnawà:ke to honour the legacy of a woman who galvanized a national network of allies to help restore Indian status to thousands of First Nations women and children.

Award: Best Director, 2021 Weengushk International Film Festival

Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/mary-two-axe-earley-i-am-indian-again

Into Light by Sheona McDonald (19 min)

When a child reveals who they truly are on the inside, how does a parent set aside their own expectations to help them become their most authentic self? Set against the northern landscape of Yellowknife, Sheona McDonald’s new documentary captures a season of change as a mother and child navigate the complexities of gender identity together.

Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/into-light-short-film

Affairs of the Art by Joanna Quinn and Les Mills (16 min)
Co-produced by Beryl Productions International and NFB

The first co-production between Beryl Productions International and the NFB, Affairs of the Art features Quinn’s signature hand-drawn animation with attitude and Mills’ raucously humorous scenarios, in an endearing romp through one family’s eccentric addictions.

The film comes to Edmonton after a tour of some of the world’s major festivals, garnering distinguished honours: Special Jury Distinction for Direction – Short Film, 2021 Annecy International Animation Film Festival; Award for Best Animation – International Competition, 2021 Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival; Jury Award in the Comedy category, 2021 Aspen Shortsfest; Award for Best Short Film, 2021 Kaboom Animation Festival, Amsterdam.

Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/affairs-of-the-art

– 30 –

Associated Links

Edmonton International Film Festival
Beryl Productions International

French version here | Version française ici.

Media Relations

  • 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.