24 Davids by Céline Baril, produced at the National Film Board of Canada by Colette Loumède, will have its world premiere as the opening film of the Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM), taking place November 9 to 19, 2017. Written and directed as part of the NFB French Program’s filmmaker-in-residence initiative, the feature documentary takes us across three continents on a quest driven by a simple yet original idea: to shine a spotlight on the inimitable Davids of this world. The 24 Davids in the film are of varying ages and professions, ranging from cosmologist to recycler; together, they construct a playful “ecosystem” of ideas that touches on every sphere of knowledge, in a refreshingly freewheeling cinematic format. The documentary will start its theatrical run at the Cinémathèque québécoise on February 2, 2018.
Labrecque, une caméra pour la mémoire, a feature documentary by Michel La Veaux, will have its world premiere at the 36th Festival du cinéma international en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (FCIAT) in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, with the director—a friend and regular patron of the festival—in attendance. Chronicling a genuine encounter between renowned Quebec filmmaker/cinematographer Jean-Claude Labrecque and La Veaux, an acclaimed Quebec cinematographer (Le démantèlement) and director (Hôtel La Louisiane), the film captures Labrecque’s passionate, humanistic perspective on the films, culture and history of Quebec. Labrecque, une caméra pour la mémoire is produced by Nicole Hubert with executive producer Bernadette Payeur for the Association coopérative de productions audiovisuelles (ACPAV) and co-produced by the NFB, with Nathalie Cloutier as producer and Colette Loumède as executive producer. The film screens on Sunday, October 29, at 2:20 p.m. at the Théâtre du Cuivre and is in competition for two awards at the festival, which runs from October 28 to November 2, 2017. Labrecque begins a theatrical run at the Cinémathèque québécoise on January 12, 2018.
A dark tale of greed and spiritual reckoning by Kevin D.A. Kurytnik and Carol Beecher, the National Film Board of Canada animated short film Skin for Skin has picked up three awards at film festivals in Alberta, winning Best Overall Short (Live Action or Animated) and Audience Favourite, Alberta Short at the Calgary International Film Festival, followed by the Grand Jury Award for Best Short Film (Animation) at the Edmonton International Film Festival.
Starting today, The Enemy, the virtual-reality (VR) experience by internationally renowned photojournalist Karim Ben Khelifa, is available worldwide in French and English as an augmented-reality (AR) app on the App Store and Google Play, where it can be downloaded for free. Developed by the Montreal-based digital creation studio studio Dpt. and the National Film Board of Canada, it has a running time of approximately 50 minutes and uses ARKit for iPhone and iPad (and soon, ARCore features for Android), offering a totally new level of augmented reality that allows interaction with the real world like never before. The Enemy comprises two components: the AR app and the multiuser VR museum installation, which will have its Canadian premiere in winter 2018. This international documentary co-production uses unprecedented, powerful encounters with real combatants from opposing camps to show that both sides are, in fact, more alike than different. The Enemy is co-produced by Camera Lucida Productions, France Télévisions, the NFB, Dpt. and Emissive.
A world leader in film and digital production by women and committed to doing more, the National Film Board of Canada will be represented at the 2017 St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival (Oct. 18–22) with two new feature-length documentaries and two acclaimed animated shorts—showcasing the richness and diversity of NFB films by women.
Santiago Bertolino’s National Film Board of Canada feature documentary on Canadian freelance journalist Jesse Rosenfeld, Freelancer on the Front Lines, screens Thursday, October 12, 2017, at 7:30 p.m. at the Famous Players Canada Square Cinemas as part of Toronto’s Reelworld Film Festival, with the wide-roving Canadian journalist in attendance for a Q&A.
A world leader in digital archiving as well as pioneering documentary works that address vital issues, the National Film Board of Canada is in co-production with Loaded Pictures on The Forbidden Reel, an upcoming feature doc by Ariel Nasr that will explore the heroic efforts of Afghanis to build and preserve their country’s national cinema—while the NFB works directly with the Afghan Film Archives to help strengthen their efforts in film digitization, preservation, and distribution.
Canadians have a reputation for being a polite people. But that doesn’t mean that we back down from a fight. In What We Fight For—the final chapter in the National Film Board of Canada’s 1 Nation. 4 Lenses special programming for the 150th anniversary of Confederation (#Canada150)—the NFB is showcasing the Canadian spirit of protest from past to present.
Starting October 5, The Enemy, the virtual-reality (VR) experience by internationally renowned photojournalist Karim Ben Khelifa, will be available worldwide in French and English as an augmented-reality (AR) app on the Apple Store and Google Play, where it can be downloaded for free. Developed by the Montreal-based digital creation studio Dpt. and the National Film Board of Canada, it has a running time of approximately 50 minutes and is one of the very first apps to use ARKit features for iOS 11 and ARCore features for Android, offering a totally new level of augmented reality that allows interaction with the real world like never before. The creator, Karim Ben Khelifa, will be in Montreal on September 28 and 29 for the app’s official launch and to present the project to the media. The Enemy comprises two components: the AR app and the multiuser VR museum installation. This international documentary co-production uses unprecedented, powerful encounters with real combatants from opposing camps to show that both sides are, in fact, more alike than different. The Enemy is co-produced by Camera Lucida Productions, France Télévisions, the NFB, Dpt. and Emissive.
September 26, 2017 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB) The National Film Board of Canada returns to the Festival du...
Since its world premiere last Monday, Expo 67 Live by multidisciplinary artist Karine Lanoie-Brien has drawn more than 1,000 spectators to the Place des Arts Esplanade every night. Fifty years down the road, viewers can experience the Montreal World’s Fair as if they were actually there! Joining event ambassador Louise Latraverse to inaugurate the larger-than-life production were Denis Coderre, Gilbert Rozon, Oliver Jones, Michelle Sweeney and a host of other personalities.
On the heels of its new three-year plan to redefine its relationship with Indigenous peoples, the National Film Board of Canada will be at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival (October 18-22) with a stellar selection of 13 film and digital works by Indigenous creators, including both opening and closing night films.
Named Best Canadian Feature Documentary at Hot Docs 2017, Charles Officer’s powerful National Film Board of Canada production Unarmed Verses returns to the big screen in Toronto at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, 506 Bloor St. W., starting Friday, October 6. There will be a Q&A with producer Lea Marin and guests from the film on opening night, October 6; and with director Charles Officer and guests from the film following the 8:30 p.m. screening on Monday, October 9.
Tonight, dive into the heart of Expo 67 and experience it as if you were really there! The National Film Board of Canada is launching Expo 67 Live, a cinematic storytelling experience created entirely with archival treasures from around the world. This epic experience, which features 52-foot-high images and spatial audio, will be projected onto several surfaces, including the exterior walls of Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier and the Maison Symphonique. This journey through the greatest moments of Expo 67 is presented in collaboration with Radio-Canada and Place des Arts, and is part of the official programming lineup for the 375th anniversary of Montreal. The project was conceived and directed by Karine Lanoie-Brien and produced at the NFB by executive producer René Chénier to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Montreal World’s Fair. In addition to the director and producer, Expo 67 Live ambassador Louise Latraverse will be available to give interviews about her memories of Expo 67 and the vibrant era that produced it. Expo 67 Live will be presented free of charge starting tonight, September 18, until September 30, beginning at 7:30 p.m. There will be four screenings nightly.
The BC premiere of Haida filmmaker Christopher Auchter’s National Film Board of Canada animated short The Mountain of SGaana is part of a rich selection of NFB animation, long-form documentary and virtual reality works at the 2017 Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF), which runs September 28 to October 13.