February 3, 2026 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
For the 23rd Nuit blanche in Montreal, on Saturday, February 28, join us in the NFB’s public spaces for a memorable evening of free activities, including an event in collaboration with Concordia University’s Film and Moving Image Studies and Curatorial Studies and Practices programs and the Université de Montréal Faculty of Music.
At the NFB Space, come create new stories with our archives and watch them come to life on our walls. There will also be live music performances onsite, and animated films from the Hothouse* program will be screening on a loop in the Alanis Obomsawin Theatre. Share your night with the NFB!
New this year at the NFB Space is the participatory experience Re:Archive, co-created with the two universities. Students from Concordia’s Faculty of Fine Arts collaborated on the project by revisiting the NFB’s archives, while students from Université de Montréal’s Faculty of Music, under the supervision of their professors, will be giving live music performances. Expect a festive, creative night!
Details: nfb.ca/nuitblanche2026
*Hothouse is the NFB’s mentorship program for emerging animators, now in its 15th edition.
Quotes
“We were thrilled to collaborate with Concordia University on Nuit Blanche at the NFB, working closely with Fine Arts students to co-create this playful and inventive activity that allows the images in the National Film Board’s archives to be used in an innovative new way. The fresh perspectives of these young art and film lovers complemented our expertise and knowledge. The evening will be further energized and enriched with music performed live by Université de Montréal students. This will be a meeting of art forms as well as generations—a participatory experience that we can’t wait to share with audiences of all ages!”
— Anne-Claire Lefaivre, Director General, Programming and Audience Engagement, National Film Board of Canada
“As emerging curators, film researchers and film enthusiasts, we are beyond grateful for the opportunity to collaborate alongside a key institution such as the NFB. The collaborative process we have all entered—gathering around the table to co-create this experience with different backgrounds and perspectives—mirrors what we are inviting the public to do this Nuit blanche. It has been meaningful to have the liberty to experiment and offer the audience a creative playground where they can build new stories together, much like we have been doing as a team. Working collectively with the archives has been a way to engage with the NFB’s legacy, as well as a chance to re-imagine the past and suggest possible future alternatives.”
— Charlie Galea-McClure and Sarah Bastien, Curatorial Studies and Practices students; Marco Meneghin and Marie Martraire, Film and Moving Image Studies PhD students, Concordia University’s Faculty of Fine Arts
“This collaboration showcases the key strengths of the Faculty of Music: technical innovation and musical virtuosity. It fits naturally into the celebrations around our 75th anniversary, offering students a concrete experience of creation and performance in front of an audience. With audiovisual media playing a growing role in our training programs, this event with the NFB, a flagship institution on Canada’s cultural landscape, marks the beginning of a promising partnership.”
— Pierre Michaud, Associate Dean for Program Quality and Development, Associate Professor of Composition, Université de Montréal Faculty of Music
Nuit blanche at the NFB, Saturday, February 28, from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. – Free admission. No reservations required.
At the NFB Space
- Activity – Re:Archive
Step into a creative playground and explore NFB history at our Re:Archive interactive installation.
- Remix archival footage and experiment with images.
- Drop in and manipulate images in real time with visual effects.
- Collaborate with others to assemble and rearrange a shared storyboard on our massive digital wall.
- Hands-on sessions last about five minutes—no experience needed, team onsite to guide you.
- Each session becomes a short film, screened live on nearby projection walls.
- Plus: enjoy live performances by Université de Montréal music students.
Did you know?
At the Alanis Obomsawin Theatre
- You’ll never be late for this screening! Two programs of animated short films will be shown on the big screen on a loop, all night long. See the films created by the Hothouse 15 cohort, along with the documentary series Inside Hothouse 15, a behind-the-scenes look at the creations of six emerging animators.
Did you know?
Over its 15 editions, Hothouse has been the launchpad for an entire generation of animation filmmakers from across the country, enabling them to make their first professional short film with the NFB’s support and expertise. The mentorship program has opened to door to productive careers for these artists.
Last but not least, at the top of the stairway leading from the NFB Space to the Alanis Obomsawin Theatre, you can admire a display of sets and props from The Girl Who Cried Pearls by Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski. The film is in the running for this year’s Best Animated Short Film Oscar, the 79th Academy Award nomination for an NFB film.
Surprises will also be available throughout the evening.
Getting to the NFB’s Alanis Obomsawin Theatre and the NFB Space
Îlot Balmoral, on Place des Festivals
1500 Balmoral St.
Montreal
Place-des-Arts Metro
Accessible to persons with reduced mobility.
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Version française ici.