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This February at nfb.ca, celebrate Black History Month and watch Mira Burt-Wintonick’s award-winning feature-length documentary Wintopia

PRESS RELEASE
31/01/2023

January 31, 2023 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

More productions and co-productions from NFB studios across the country will be available for free streaming on nfb.ca in February. To celebrate Black History Month, we’re presenting a variety of activities and a selection of films by Black creators from across the country; and this month also brings the highly anticipated online launch of Mira Burt-Wintonick’s feature-length documentary Wintopia.

More than 5,500 titles are 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. Also noteworthy is the Canadian theatrical release of Nisha Pahuja’s award-winning documentary feature To Kill a Tiger.

To celebrate Black History Month

  • On February 2: “Creating to Express Yourself: A Spotlight on the Process of Creating a Work at the NFB” is a hybrid panel session highlighting the creative process of five Black filmmakers. Moderated by Carla Beauvais, the event will take place at 1 p.m. EST in the Alanis Obomsawin Theatre at NFB headquarters in Montreal, and will be live streamed on the NFB’s YouTube channel.

Click here to learn more about the many other NFB activities celebrating Black History Month.

  • Starting February 9, read the blog post by NFB English-language collection curator Camilo Martín-Flórez, “Black Cinema at the NFB: Before and After 1983.” Although the NFB has produced stories about Black communities and characters since 1943, it wasn’t until the 1980s that Black people, characters and issues were finally depicted by Black filmmakers themselves in NFB films. This instalment of Curator’s Perspective offers a brief look at the history of Black cinema at the National Film Board.
  • Two specially curated and updated playlists are also available:
    • Focus on Black Filmmakers is a collection of titles from Black filmmakers across Canada.
    • NFB Abroad: Africa on Screen is a selection of NFB films made across Africa that illuminate the continent and its people, arts and culture, in addition to Canadian intersections with Africa over the years.

Starting February 7

Wintopia by Mira Burt-Wintonick (2019, EyeSteelFilm/NFB’s Quebec & Atlantic Studio)
Feature-length documentary (88 min)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/wintopia

A box of tapes uncovered. A lifelong Utopian obsession. A daughter’s attempt to complete her father’s final film. Wintopia traces the enigmatic footsteps of renowned documentary filmmaker Peter Wintonick through the lens of his daughter, Mira, as she tries to decipher the map he has left behind. Reverberating with emotion and whimsy, the film guides us on a journey through possible worlds in pursuit of reconciliation, both between artist and family and between dreams and reality. Even for audiences unfamiliar with Peter’s work, the film is a touching story of grief, love and hope. The film enjoyed a stellar festival tour, winning an award at the 2020 DOXA Documentary Film Festival in Vancouver and receiving its world premiere at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).

Theatrical release as of February 9 in Canada

To Kill a Tiger by Nisha Pahuja (Notice Pictures/NFB’s Ontario Studio)
Feature-length documentary (125 min)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/to-kill-a-tiger

In this film, Ranjit, a farmer in Jharkhand, India, takes on the fight of his life when he demands justice for his 13-year-old daughter, the victim of a brutal gang rape. In India, where a rape is reported every 20 minutes and conviction rates are less than 30 percent, Ranjit’s decision to support his daughter is virtually unheard of, and his journey unprecedented. The film has already won three awards, including Best Canadian Feature Film at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and Best Documentary at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

To Kill a Tiger in theatres

  • Opens February 9 at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinemain Toronto

    Kicking off with a special post-screening Q&A on February 9, moderated by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Deepa Mehta, with director Nisha Pahuja and editor Mike Munn (Co-presented with the DOC Institute).

  • Opens February 10 at The Westdalein Hamilton

    In-person Q&A with director Nisha Pahuja on February 11

  • Opens February 10 at Cinéma du Parc in Montreal (in Englishand French)
  • Opens February 10 at the VIFF Centrein Vancouver

    Virtual Q&A with director Nisha Pahuja Sat February 11 at 2:20 pm PST

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

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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.