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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

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Associated Links

Edmonton International Film Festival
Beryl Productions International

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.