February 24, 2022 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

For the 14th year, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is bringing together acclaimed filmmakers, NFB producers and creative teams from across the country to create short cinematic tributes to Canadian performing arts legends, as the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards (GGPAA) gets set to honour seven new laureates.

These films will premiere at the GGPAA Awards Gala, taking place May 28, 2022, at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, as well as online – giving everyone the opportunity to participate in this celebration of Canadian performing arts excellence.

“Since 2008, we’ve been thrilled to partner with the GGPAA to honour excellence in Canadian performing arts, creating film portraits that capture the talent and dedication of our laureates, in an inspired artistic collaboration. In 2022, our collection reaches a new milestone, with seven more works that will bring us to an amazing 105 films. Congratulations to all our laureates, directors and producers,” said Claude Joli-Coeur, Government Film Commissioner and NFB Chairperson.

All completed GGPAA films can be streamed free of charge at: nfb.ca/channels/governor_generals_awards.

Lifetime Artistic Achievement Awards

• Songwriter, composer, performer, producer and philanthropist David Foster, O.C., is the focus of a short film by Vancouver writer/director Teresa Alfeld, whose recent credits include the feature documentaries Doug and the Slugs and Me and The Rankin File: Legacy of a Radical. Produced by Shirley Vercruysse (BC and Yukon Studio).
• Author (plays, novels, non-fiction), pianist and songwriter Tomson Highway, O.C., is the subject of a portrait by Barry Bilinsky, an Indigenous artist from Amiskwaciywaskahikan of Métis, Cree and Ukrainian lineage, whose theatre and film work focusses on Indigenous stories, often linked to the cultural intersections he embodies. Produced by Chehala Leonard (North West Studio).
• Dancer, teacher, choreographer and somatic movement educator Linda Rabin, C.M., is celebrated in a film by Christine Chevarie-Lessard, a Quebec film, TV, radio and digital media creator whose documentary Les voleurs d’identité received two nominations at the 2021 Prix Gémeaux. Produced by Marc Bertrand (French Program Animation Studio).
• Film and television screenwriter, director and producer Fernand Dansereau, C.M., is honoured in this film written by the late Quebec documentarian Danic Champoux. The film is directed by documentary filmmaker Sylvie Lapointe, who is studying the “cinéma de relation”—an approach favoured by Mr. Dansereau—as part of her master’s degree in visual anthropology. Produced by Pierre-Mathieu Fortin (Quebec, Canadian Francophonie and Acadian Documentary Studio).
• Television broadcaster, theatre artist, scholar and activist Rita Shelton Deverell, C.M., is explored by Sara Elgamal, a Toronto-based director creating visually captivating and authentic stories from across the globe. Produced by Sherien Barsoum and Jon Montes (Ontario Studio).

Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts

• A dedicated and tireless supporter of Canadian performing arts, Michelle Smith is featured in a work by Pascal Boutroy, an independent director and scriptwriter based in Winnipeg whose recent credits include the 2019 arts documentary Joe Fafard: Selfie for Radio-Canada. Produced by Denis McCready (Francophonie Studio).

National Arts Centre Award

• Choreographer and director Crystal Pite, C.M., is celebrated by Vancouver filmmaker Joella Cabalu, whose recent credits include Koto: The Last Service and Ode to a Seafaring People. Produced by Nicholas Klassen (English Program Digital Studio).

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Associated Links

Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards
National Arts Centre
GGPAA NFB channel

French version here | Version française ici.