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NFB short films about Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards laureates showcase some of Canada’s most celebrated talents. Online at NFB.ca, NFB’s GGPAA film portraits now total 76 inspired works.

PRESS RELEASE
29/06/2017

(Photos of the 2017 Recipients taken from the GGPAA website; photos of filmmakers provided by the NFB)

June 29, 2017 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

Starting June 29, NFB.ca will feature seven new short films by the National Film Board of Canada celebrating the achievements of Canadian performing arts legends, as this year’s laureates are honoured at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards in Ottawa.

Since 2008, the NFB has sought out accomplished Canadian directors and found just the right combination of filmmaker, concept, and award recipient to craft highly original portraits of Canadian performing arts legends―and a lasting tribute to Canadian creative excellence.

The NFB has produced 76 films to date through its partnership with the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards. Portraits of talented and passionate Canadian artists and performing-arts champions, these inspired works of short filmmaking can all be enjoyed free of charge at NFB.ca.

Films

Michael Bublé reveals the source of his creative courage in Montreal documentarian Janice Zolf’s captivating short film Audacious. By the age of five, Bublé knew that music was his destiny. While other performers sang pop tunes, Bublé was swinging the standards on the club scene, becoming an indie artist long before it was cool. Supported by a devoted family who always believed in his dreams, Bublé remains a rebel. With 50 million albums sold, this inimitable Canadian artist is beloved by audiences around the globe, and continues to defy all expectations.

He’s a legend, a comic genius, and a national treasure… but Who Is the Real Martin Short? This short film by Toronto-based comedy director Aleysa Young goes straight to the source in an attempt to get to know the person behind the persona. It looks at the inspiration for some of Short’s favourite roles and uncovers the depth of his talent for observing, absorbing and developing idiosyncratic characters.

In Michael J. Fox, Vancouver director John Bolton explores Michael J. Fox’s dedication to the craft of acting over the course of an illustrious career. A candid and charming interview features stories about some of his best-loved characters and the process of bringing them to life, shedding light on what drives him as a performer, writer and pop-culture icon.

In Te’skennongweronne: Greetings, Montreal filmmaker Carlos Ferrand works with laureate Yves Sioui Durand as he encounters the masks that have been created for his plays over a period of more than 30 years. Inhabited by the spirit of the Elders, these faces influence the actors’ every move as they bring to life the memory of the First Peoples of the Americas.

Born in Calgary, raised in Vancouver and now based in Montreal, Tara Johns pays tribute to Jean Beaudin in For the Love of the Fight. The legendary Quebec filmmaker talks about his life and his love of cinema as he fights an invisible opponent in a boxing ring—while veteran actor Marcel Sabourin, a loyal friend and long-time collaborator, proffers advice and reminds us of key moments in Beaudin’s career.

In An Overwhelming Passion, writer, creator, set designer and theatre and film director Claude Guilmain offers a portrait of director and art director Brigitte Haentjens, who talks about what inspires her work in theatrical creation. Known for being outspoken and for her unconventional artistic approaches, she’s left an indelible mark.

William H. Loewen’s dynamic support of the arts has translated into a blossoming of imaginative work in Manitoba and across the country. Bolstered by an all-Manitoba creative team, director Mike Maryniuk sets documentary against experimental animation and a unique musical score to explore what it means to nurture creativity and see it grow, in the short film Bill Loewen: Music in the Prairie Night.

The NFB’s GGPAA film collection is produced by the NFB in co-operation with the National Arts Centre and the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation. The NFB has been a partner of the GGPAA since 2008.

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Related Products

Electronic Press Kit | Images: GGPAA2017

NFB GGPAA’s trailer

Associated Links

2017 Recipients
Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards
National Arts Centre

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 distinctive, 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, 6,500 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.