May 30, 2024 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

This June, more films than ever will be streaming for free at nfb.ca. The lineup of works from different regions of the country includes special programming to mark National Indigenous History Month. Among the new offerings: the online launch of Our Maternal Home, directed by Janine Windolph, and the Haida-language version of Now Is the Time (Waaydanaa) by Christopher Auchter. In addition, two rich themed channels curated around Indigenous subjects will feature more than 40 films. Lastly, the seven short films produced by the NFB in tribute to the 2024 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards (GGPAA) laureates will also be launched online.

In total, nfb.ca now features more than 6,500 films and a collection of more than 100 interactive works.

MARKING NATIONAL INDIGENOUS HISTORY MONTH

To date, the NFB has produced or co-produced more than 460 works by First Nations, Inuit and Métis filmmakers, one of the largest online collections of Indigenous-made films, exploring stories beyond those of the historically dominant culture. It includes versions of films in several Indigenous languages, including Cree (nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up), Inuktitut (Nalujuk Unnunga), Nakota (To Wake Up the Nakota Language), Kanien’kéha/Mohawk (Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance), Salish (Basket/Lhk’wál’us) and soon, Haida (Waaydanaa).

Starting June 10

Our Maternal Home by Janine Windolph (2023, NFB) – Online launch
Short documentary (27 min)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/our-maternal-home

Filmmaker and educator Janine Windolph ventures from Saskatchewan to Quebec with her two teens and younger sister, tracing their familial origins to the Cree First Nation of Waswanipi. The family confronts the impacts of generational and cultural disconnection, discovering a potent form of medicine: the bonds of kinship. Windolph has explored similar themes in the other films she made at the NFB, Stories Are in Our Bones and First Stories – Life Givers: Honouring Our Elders and Children.

Starting June 18

Now Is the Time (Waaydanaa) by Christopher Auchter (2019, NFB) – Version re-recorded in the Skidegate (Xaayda Kil) and Old Masset (Xaad Kil) Haida dialects
Short documentary (16 min)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/now-is-the-time

On the 50th anniversary of the first new totem-pole raising on British Columbia’s Haida Gwaii in almost a century, Haida filmmaker Christopher Auchter steps through history to revisit the day that would signal the rebirth of the Haida spirit. The film won multiple awards and was selected to screen at some 15 international festivals.

Marking National Indigenous Peoples Day, June 21

• Transmission of Indigenous Knowledge Channel

This selection of 19 documentary and animated films explores different facets of the transmission of Indigenous knowledge, practices and traditions. Watch Eric Janvier’s Heartbeat of a Nation, celebrating Dene cultural reclamation and revitalization, and Thérèse Ottawa’s Red Path, about the richness of Atikamekw heritage.

• Indigenous-made Animation Films Channel

A selection of over 20 animated films made by First Nations, Inuit and Métis filmmakers. Watch Terril Calder’s Meneath: The Hidden Island of Ethics and Christopher Auchter’s The Mountain of SGaana.

• Read Collection Curator Camilo Martín-Flórez’s article, “Duke Redbird: A Look Back at the Film Career of an Indigenous Living Legend,” about this unique Indigenous artist.

CELEBRATING THE 2024 GOVERNOR GENERAL’S PERFORMING ARTS AWARDS (GGPAA) LAUREATES

Starting June 8 at 9 p.m. (ET)

For the 16th year, the NFB is bringing together acclaimed filmmakers to create seven short cinematic tributes to Canadian performing arts legends, as the GGPAA gets set to honour laureates at their Awards Gala, taking place June 8 at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. The short films will also be available on nfb.ca, CBC Gem and ICI TOU.TV starting on that date at 9 p.m. The seven shorts were produced by the NFB; here is the list of filmmakers along with the laureates featured in each of their films:

• Acadian filmmaker Gilles Doiron directed three short films, on:
  • songwriter, composer, performer, pianist and arts advocate Diane Juster,M.;
  • recording artist, actor, author and motivational speaker Wes “Maestro” Williams;
  • multidisciplinary artist, choreographer, stage director and performer Mélanie Demers.
• Toronto-based documentarian Michelle Mama directed two shorts, on:
  • actor Andrea Martin;
  • puppeteer, playwright, designer and performer Ronnie Burkett, O.C.
• Montreal filmmaker Will Prosper directed two short films, on:
  • soprano and faith advocate Measha Brueggergosman-Lee;
  • performing arts advocate and volunteer Jenny Belzberg, C.M.
  • A detailed press release will be issued soon. The GGPAA short films from previous years are available here.

Learn more about the NFB’s filmmakers and their works:

• nfb.ca/blog/category/directors-notes

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French version here | Version française ici.