May 2, 2022 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
This May, nfb.ca will be streaming more films than ever free of charge. To mark Asian and Jewish heritage months, the selection of productions from NFB studios across the country includes two channels that shine a spotlight on the rich heritage of these communities in Canada. The lineup also includes Richard Suicide’s Centre-Sud Chronicles and Samuel Cantin’s The Turtle Syndrome, both part of the second edition of the Comic Strip Chronicles; Kitra Cahana’s poignant documentary short Perfecting the Art of Longing; and films honouring the winners of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards. This wide-ranging offer joins the more than 5,500 titles already available on nfb.ca, along with our collection of some one hundred interactive works, almost all of which are available for free online viewing.
Starting May 2 – Marking Asian Heritage Month
Asian Communities in Canada channel: nfb.ca/channels/asian-heritage-month
This curated selection of nearly 30 short and feature-length documentaries and animated films from the NFB’s collection celebrates the culture, arts, history and countless social contributions of Canadians of Asian descent. Launching online on May 2, Julia Kwan’s feature-length documentary Everything Will Be captures a significant moment of time in Vancouver’s Chinatown, with the influx of condos and new, non-Chinese businesses. The film follows a year in the life of several Chinatown denizens, including a 90-year-old Chinese newspaper street vendor and a second-generation tea shop owner, as they navigate this community in flux. Other must-see films include Baljit Sangra’s Because We Are Girls and Karen Lam’s Sandra Oh, Inspiration.
Marking Canadian Jewish Heritage Month
Channel: nfb.ca/channels/canadian-jewish-heritage-month
Starting May 6
Comic Strip Chronicles: Centre-Sud Chronicles by Richard Suicide and The Turtle Syndrome by Samuel Cantin (2021, NFB’s French Program Animation Studio)
Two animated shorts (2 x 4 min)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/chronicles-2021
These two highly entertaining films are part of the second edition of the Comic Strip Chronicles collection, which celebrates the strong affinity between comic books and animation.
- In Montreal’s Centre-Sud borough, an author finds inspiration by observing his ingenious neighbour, Piton. Centre-Sud Chronicles offers a wildly funny portrait of a district in the midst of a full-blown transformation. The film received an award at the Fantasia festival.
- In The Turtle Syndrome, what could the illness afflicting Henri Castagnette be? Overwhelmed by anxiety, the young man puts his fate in the hands of the exuberant Dr. Von Strudel. Result: a frenzied and hilarious medical tale.
- Th two films will be screened on Saturday, May 7, at the Films et table ronde entourant l’univers de la BD event (in French) organized by the NFB and the Montreal Comic Arts Festival.
- On May 6, check out a blog post by the NFB’s French collection curator, Marc St-Pierre, who will shed light on the connection between animated filmmaking at the NFB and comic books and their creators (in French).
Starting May 16 – Marking the International Day of Families
Perfecting the Art of Longing by Kitra Cahana (2021, NFB’s Quebec and Atlantic Studio)
Short documentary (12 min 13 s)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/perfecting
Cut off from his loved ones due to the pandemic lockdown, a quadriplegic rabbi in a long-term-care facility in Montreal is filmed remotely by his daughter. Offering powerful meditations on love and hope, the film shows us what it means to be alive in a state of profound isolation. The film had its world premiere at Montreal’s Festival du nouveau cinéma (FNC) and was nominated for an Iris Award by Québec Cinéma.
Starting May 28 at 9 p.m. (EDT)
Seven shorts celebrate the 2022 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards (GGPAA) laureates
For the 14th year, the NFB is bringing together acclaimed filmmakers to create short cinematic tributes to Canadian performing arts legends, as the GGPAA gets set to honour laureates at their Awards Gala, taking place May 28 at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. The short films will also be available on nfb.ca starting on that date at 9 p.m. Here are the titles:
- David Foster’s EGGGPAA, directed by Teresa Alfeld;
- Tomson Highway: kipimâtisinaw tapâhpeyahk, directed by Barry Bilinsky;
- Linda Rabin: Everything Is Moving, directed by Christine Chevarie-Lessard;
- Fernand Dansereau: In a Lifetime, written by the late documentarian Danic Champoux and directed by Sylvie Lapointe;
- Rita Shelton Deverell: Queen Bee, directed by Sara Elgamal;
- Michelle Smith: Culture at Heart, directed by Pascal Boutroy;
- Crystal Pite: Wordless Language, directed by Joella Cabalu.
Learn more about the NFB’s filmmakers and its collection:
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French version here | Version française ici.