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Seven new National Film Board of Canada short films celebrate Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards laureates. NFB’s GGPAA film portraits now total 70 inspired works―discover them at NFB.ca!

PRESS RELEASE
14/04/2016

April 14, 2016 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is bringing together acclaimed Canadian filmmakers to celebrate the achievements of Canadian performing arts legends on film, as the 2016 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards (GGPAA) prepares to honour seven new laureates at its annual gala, taking place June 11, 2016, at the National Arts Centre.

“Each year the National Film Board’s brilliant directors rise to the challenge of capturing and celebrating the creative spirit of our Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards laureates―and each year the NFB’s films are the highlight of the Gala at the National Arts Centre,” said Douglas Knight, Chair of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation.

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.

Unique film portraits of Canadian performing arts excellence

Lifetime Artistic Achievement laureates:

Nyla Innuksuk weaves together stories of artistry and family in her film portrait of singer-songwriter and humanitarian Susan Aglukark, produced by David Christensen and Jon Montes. The co-founder of Pinnguaq Productions, Nyla produced the short drama Kajutaijuq (2014), which premiered at TIFF and was selected as one of Canada’s Top Ten short films.

Filmmaker and media artist Oana Suteu Khintirian explores the sources of inspiration for artist, choreographer, writer and teacher Marie Chouinard, in a film produced by Denis McCready.  Oana is currently at work on the NFB-co-produced Adieu papier!, a highly personal feature documentary on the disappearance of paper and its impact on our collective memory.

TIFF award winner Randall Okita (The Weatherman and the Shadowboxer) takes us inside the architectural and sonic spaces inhabited by the remarkable voice of dramatic tenor and radio host Ben Heppner, one of our country’s pre-eminent musical ambassadors, in a work produced by David Oppenheim.

Jill Sharpe, whose NFB documentary Bone Wind Fire was named Best Canadian Film at Montreal’s International Festival of Films on Art, is directing a collage-like celebration that playfully explores the motivations behind film and television producer Robert Lantos’s legendary career. This short portrait is produced by Shirley Vercruysse.

Emerging Val-d’Or-born filmmaker Sophie Dupuis (L’hiver et la violence) explores the passion of children’s playwright and artistic director Suzanne Lebeau to create works that speak truthfully to children, in a dramatic dialogue between actor Isabelle Miquelon and young performer Milya Corbeil-Gauvreau. Produced by Marc Bertrand.

Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts:

Genie Award-winning Newfoundland filmmaker Mary Lewis (When Ponds Freeze Over) is directing a tribute to Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism recipient John D McKellar, who has worked tirelessly as a volunteer, generous donor and pro bono legal advisor in the arts. Produced by René Chénier.

National Arts Centre Award:

Janice Zolf is celebrating singer and entertainer Michael Bublé, in a work produced by Kat Baulu. Janice just completed her documentary Revealing Marie Saint Pierre, a film about the Canadian fashion and furniture designer that had its world premiere in March at the International Festival of Films on Art.

Quick Facts

  • The NFB has produced 70 films to date that serve as unique portraits of great Canadians―and inspired works of cinema in their own right.
  • These films are a key part of the GGPAA Gala and are available to everyone, on the NFB’s online Screening Room NFB.ca and via its family of apps, so that all can share in this celebration of Canadian performing arts excellence.

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Associated Links

2016 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards
National Arts Centre

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  • 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.