October 23, 2025 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

In November, keep streaming Canadian on NFB platforms! This month, two new, award-winning films—one documentary and one animated short—are available for free online. They offer powerful and insightful explorations of personal and social issues:

• Andrea Dorfman’s animated short Hairy Legs shows the filmmaker in her teenage years, questioning why she “has to” shave her legs;

• Stellat’en First Nation filmmaker Lyana Patrick’s feature doc Nechako: It Will Be a Big River Again follows two Nations’ fight to restore their river and a way of life in the face of environmental destruction.

Remember, nfb.ca is home to more than 7,000 streaming films, accessible free of charge.

NEW RELEASES

Starting November 10

Hairy Legs by Andrea Dorfman (2024, NFB) – available in Canada and the U.S.
Animation (16 min 56 s) / Press kit

• Deciding not to shave her legs at 13 led a young Andrea Dorfman to question and ultimately defy society’s expectations.

• Directed by this Halifax-based filmmaker, Hairy Legs has been selected for many festivals in Canada, the U.S. and Europe, winning several awards along the way, including the Guy L. Coté Grand Prize for Best Canadian Animated Film at the 2025 Sommets du cinéma d’animation in Montreal. It was also part of the prestigious Best of Annecy program, in partnership with Women in Animation, at the Animation Is Film Festival in Los Angeles.

Starting November 17

Nechako: It Will Be a Big River Again by Lyana Patrick (2025, Lantern Films/Experimental Forest Films/NFB) – available in Canada
Documentary (90 min 43 s) / Press kit

• When the Kenney Dam was built in the 1950s in British Columbia, the Nechako River was forever changed. The Stellat’en and Saik’uz Nations embarked on a groundbreaking legal proceeding against the Canadian government and Rio Tinto Alcan that lasted over a decade—a battle that continues today.

• This feature-length doc is by Vancouver-based filmmaker Lyana Patrick, a member of Stellat’en First Nation. It had its world premiere at the DOXA Documentary Film Festival in that same city, picking up an Honourable Mention for the Colin Low Award for Best Canadian Director. It was also the opening night film at the Planet in Focus International Environmental Film Festival in Toronto.

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Version française ici.