1. Media Space

  2. Press Releases

In February, warm up your days and nights with NFB films, streaming free. Watch two brand-new films—one animated and one documentary—and mark Black History Month.

PRESS RELEASE
26/01/2026

January 26, 2026 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

This February, keep on streaming Canadian on the NFB’s platforms! To bring a little emotion and warmth to these coldest weeks of the year, we’re making two new short films—one animated and one documentary—available for free streaming all across the country. You won’t want to miss these films that explore the value of sensitivity and human relationships:

  • Martine Frossard’s animated short Hypersensitive, which screened at Cannes, recounts the turbulent, surrealistic journey of a young woman struggling to rebuild her self;
  • and Alexandra Knowles’ short doc My Knitting Circle shows how the filmmaker finds warmth in a knitting store during a Yukon winter.

February is also Black History Month, an opportunity to watch classic and recent films on the NFB’s newly expanded Black Communities in Canada channel. The all-new Democracy Under Pressure channel, meanwhile, offers a valuable starting point for conversations about democracy in these uncertain times.

And remember: on our online platform (nfb.ca and NFB Apps for mobile devices and TV) and YouTube, you’ll find more than 7,000 films available to stream free of charge. They include The Girl Who Cried Pearls by Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, nominated for this year’s Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. 

New online releases

Starting February 9

Hypersensitive by Martine Frossard (2025, NFB)
Animation (6 min 44 s)/Press kit 

  • Hypersensitive recounts the turbulent, surrealistic journey of a young woman struggling to rebuild her self, in defiance of social norms that tell us to repress our emotions. The film is a heartfelt plea for us all to take greater heed of our emotions, even the most painful ones.
  • It was the only Canadian short in Official Competition at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in 2025, and has been selected for 30 festivals in Canada, the U.S., Asia and Europe.

Starting February 19 

My Knitting Circle by Alexandra Knowles (2026, NFB)
Documentary (12 min 40 s)/Press kit

  • Winters in the sparsely populated Yukon are long, cold and dark—a natural recipe for isolation. For newcomers like Alexandra Knowles, it can be hard to find friends. But anywhere there is a yarn store, there are knitters. And where there are knitters, there is a knitting circle, weaving together a circle of care, one stitch at a time.
  • My Knitting Circle will have its world premiere at the Available Light Film Festival in Whitehorse, taking place from February 6 to 15, 2026. 

To mark Black History Month 

Black Communities in Canada channel

Explore our collection of over 45 films by award-winning Black filmmakers, creators and allies of the Black community, detailing a rich history to help us better understand the present. It was recently expanded with new additions that explore themes ranging from systemic violence (the subject of Night Watches Us, directed by Stefan Verna, and reXistence, by Will Prosper) to the joys of music (as seen in Jireh Gospel: Hearts in Chorus, by Wylem Decaille).

Conversation-starters around democracy

Democracy Under Pressure channel

This newly launched channel explores democracy and its challenges, both in Canada and internationally. Don’t miss the documentaries In the Room (2025) by Brishkay Ahmed, What Is Democracy? (2018) by Astra Taylor, This Is Not a Movie (2019) by Yung Chang, Prosecutor (2010) by Barry Stevens and Grassroots in Dry Lands (2015) by Helene Klodawsky.

– 30 –

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 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, 7,000 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.