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Six National Film Board of Canada works featured on Atlantic International Film Festival’s “FIN Stream”. World premiere of Ann Marie Fleming’s new short, Old Dog, along with acclaimed documentary and animation.

PRESS RELEASE
14/09/2020

September 14, 2020 – Halifax – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

Audiences across Atlantic Canada will be able to experience powerful feature documentaries and deeply personal animated works by National Film Board of Canada (NFB) creators on FIN AIFF Stream (September 17–24), as the 2020 Atlantic International Film Festival goes online.

Three award-winning NFB feature docs are being presented:

In animation, the world premiere of Old Dog by award-winning BC filmmaker Ann Marie Fleming (Window Horses) joins 4 North A, the first collaboration between Newfoundland native Jordan Canning and Saskatoon-born filmmaker Howie Shia, as well as The Great Malaise by Quebec animator and illustrator Catherine Lepage.

Feature length-documentaries:

Wintopia by Mira Burt-Wintonick

  • Wintopia is part Utopian odyssey, part mourning ritual, as a young filmmaker traces the enigmatic footsteps of her late father, renowned documentarian Peter Wintonick.
  • Wintopia received the Colin Low Award for Canadian Documentary at DOXA 2020.

Synopsis, biographies, images: mediaspace.nfb.ca/wintopia

Stateless by Michèle Stephenson

  • Through the grassroots campaign of electoral hopeful Rosa Iris, director Michèle Stephenson’s new documentary reveals the depths of racial hatred and institutionalized oppression that divide Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
  • Winner of the Special Jury Prize for Canadian Feature Documentary at Hot Docs 2020 and the Best Feature Documentary Award at the 2020 BlackStar Film Festival in Philadelphia.

Synopsis, biographies, images: mediaspace.nfb.ca/stateless

The Forbidden Reel by Ariel Nasr

  • The story of Afghanistan’s fearless and visionary moviemakers—who gave birth to an extraordinary national cinema amidst war and chaos—and the films we almost never got to see.
  • Winner of a Rogers Audience Award at Hot Docs 2020.

Synopsis, biographies, images: mediaspace.nfb.ca/the-forbidden-reel

Animated shorts:

WORLD PREMIERE: Old Dog by Ann Marie Fleming

  • After losing his best friend, an elderly pug named Henry must depend on his owner for help in Ann Marie Fleming’s tender ode to aging, inspired by the experience of caregivers everywhere.

Synopsis, biographies, images: mediaspace.nfb.ca/old-dog

4 North A by Jordan Canning and Howie Shia

  • A woman sits in a hospital room, alone with her dying father. As the constant din of antiseptic hospital noises pushes her to confront her inevitable loss, she escapes into a series of lush childhood memories.

Synopsis, biographies, images: mediaspace.nfb.ca/4-north-a

The Great Malaise by Catherine Lepage

  • A young woman describes herself and her life in glowing terms, but the visual narrative tells a different story: with heart-rending power it illustrates the heavy burden of anxiety carried by this worried overachiever.
  • Winner of the People’s Choice Award and Jury’s Special Mention/Canadian Competition at the Sommets du cinéma d’animation in Montreal.

Synopsis, biographies, images: mediaspace.nfb.ca/malaise

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Associated Links

FIN AIFF Stream
EyeSteelFilm
Loaded Pictures

Media Relations

Jordan Parker
Parker PR
Publicist for the NFB
C. : 902-240-7384
jordanparker339@gmail.com

Lily Robert
Director, Communications and Public Affairs, NFB
C.: 514-296-8261
l.robert@nfb.ca

French version here | Version française ici.

  • 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.