The NFB at the Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF)
2019
Powerful, groundbreaking films by Indigenous and Alberta creators join works from across Canada as part of a strong selection at the 2019 Calgary International Film Festival (September 18–29).
To read full press release, please click the link below:
PressRelease_NFB@CIFF2019.
nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up
2019 | 98 min
On August 9, 2016, a young Cree man named Colten Boushie died from a gunshot to the back of his head after entering Gerald Stanley’s rural property with his friends. The jury’s subsequent acquittal of Stanley captured international attention, raising questions about racism embedded within Canada’s legal system and propelling Colten’s family to national and international stages in their pursuit of justice. Sensitively directed by Tasha Hubbard, nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up weaves a profound narrative encompassing the filmmaker’s own adoption, the stark history of colonialism on the Prairies, and a vision of a future where Indigenous children can live safely on their homelands.
A film by Tasha Hubbard
Producers Tasha Hubbard and George Hupka (Downstream Documentary Productions), Jon Montes and Bonnie Thompson (NFB)
Associate Producer Trudy Stewart
Executive Producers David Christensen (NFB), Janice Dawe, Kathy Avrich-Johnson (Bizable Media)
ONLINE PRESS KIT
MEDIASPACE.NFB.CA/WE-WILL-STAND-UP
SCREENING TIMES (tickets here)
Friday 27 September 2019 | 8:00 PM | Eau Claire 4
Saturday 28 September 2019 | 1:15 PM | Eau Claire 5
Trailer
Standing on the Line
2019 | 80 min
In both amateur and professional sports, being gay remains taboo. For some athletes, the pressure to perform is compounded by the further strain of deciding whether or not to come out of the closet. They set out to overcome prejudice in the hopes of changing things for the athletes of tomorrow.
A film by Paul Émile d’Entremont
Producers Christine Aubé, Jac Gautreau and Maryse Chapdelaine
Executive Producers Michèle Bélanger and Dominic Desjardins
ONLINE PRESS KIT
MEDIASPACE.NFB.CA/EPK/STANDING-ON-THE-LINE
SCREENING TIMES (tickets here)
Saturday 21 September 2019 | 4:15 PM | Eau Claire 1
Monday 23 September 2019 | 4:00 PM | Eau Claire 5
Trailer
Jordan River Anderson, The Messenger
2019 | 66 min
Alanis Obomsawin’s 53rd film tells the story of how the life of Jordan River Anderson initiated a battle for the right of Indigenous children to receive the same standard of health care as the rest of the Canadian population.
A film by Alanis Obomsawin
Producer Alanis Obomsawin
Executive Producer Annette Clarke
ONLINE PRESS KIT
MEDIASPACE.NFB.CA/JORDAN
SCREENING TIMES (tickets here)
Wednesday 25 September 2019 | 4:30 PM | Eau Claire 5
Saturday 28 September 2019 | 8:15 PM | Eau Claire 3
Trailer
Assholes: A Theory
2019 | 81 min
Ever get the impression that assholes are taking over? Assholes: A Theory, a timely new doc from John Walker, investigates the breeding grounds of contemporary asshole culture and searches for signs of civility in a rude-’n-nasty universe.
A film by John Walker
Producers John Walker and Ann Bernier (John Walker Productions Ltd.), Annette Clarke (NFB)
ONLINE PRESS KIT
MEDIASPACE.NFB.CA/ASSHOLES-A-THEORY
SCREENING TIMES (tickets here)
Saturday 28 September 2019 | 6:30 PM | Eau Claire 1
Sunday 29 September 2019 | 2:45 PM | Eau Claire 3
Trailer
Lake
2019 | 5 min
Cree director Alexandra Lazarowich riffs off classic verité cinema to craft a contemporary portrait of Métis women net fishing in Northern Alberta.
A film by Alexandra Lazarowich
Associate Producer Coty Savard
Executive Producer David Christensen
ONLINE PRESS KIT
MEDIASPACE.NFB.CA/EPK/FIVE-FEMINIST-MINUTES
Lake was inspired by the following short from 1990 Edition:
Minqon Minqon: Wosqotomn Elsonwagon (Shirley Bear: Reclaiming the Balance of Power)
Decades before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Shirley Bear was defying repressive colonial narratives with inspiring imagery of Indigenous womanhood. Catherine Martin profiles the Wolastoqiyik/Malecite artist known as Minqon Minqon (Rainbow Rainbow).
Director: Catherine Martin
SCREENING TIMES (tickets here)
Sunday September 22 | 6:30 PM | Globe Cinema
Sunday September 29 | 4:15 PM | Eau Claire 5
Trailer
Gun Killers
2019 | 10 min
Written and directed by Jason Young (Animals, Inside Time), Gun Killers takes us into the rural, secluded paradise that retired blacksmiths John and Nancy Little call home. As the tranquil light of a typical day of harvesting vegetables descends into night, we experience the secret work that John and Nancy are sometimes called upon to undertake for the RCMP.
A film by Jason Young
Producer Rohan Fernando
Executive Producer Annette Clarke
ONLINE PRESS KIT
MEDIASPACE.NFB.CA/EPK/GUN-KILLERS
SCREENING TIMES (tickets here)
Sunday September 22 | 2:45 PM | Eau Claire 3
Wednesday September 25 | 6:45 PM | Eau Claire 3
Trailer
The Procession
Pascal Blanchet and Rodolphe Saint-Gelais
2019 | 11 min
After Catherine’s fatal car accident, she speaks from the beyond to her grieving husband, Philip, who must endure the family ritual of the funeral. The Procession is an elegant poem in black, white, and pink that shows us how, despite the pressure to keep up appearances, love finds a way.
A film by Pascal Blanchet and Rodolphe Saint-Gelais
Producer and Executive Producer Julie Roy
ONLINE PRESS KIT
MEDIASPACE.NFB.CA/EPK/THEPROCESSION
SCREENING TIMES (tickets here)
Sunday September 22 | 5:30 PM | Eau Claire 3
Saturday September 28 | 2:45 PM | Eau Claire 3
Trailer
Shannon Amen
2019 | 15 min
Based on the art of Shannon Jamieson, Shannon Amen unearths the frantic, passionate, and pained expressions of a young woman overwhelmed by guilt and anxiety as she struggles to reconcile her sexual identity with her religious faith.
Written and directed by Jamieson’s friend, Chris Dainty, the film is a multi-layered memoir that fuses archival footage and an array of animation techniques (including icemation) to reconstruct the complexity, instability, and sorrow that Shannon struggled with—issues that continue to torment so many LGBTQIA+ youth like her.
Shannon Amen is both elegy and therapy, as Dainty, like Jamieson, uses his art to come to terms with his own grief and confusion over the loss of his friend. What emerges is not a tale of sorrow or a critique of a rigid faith, but an empowering story of great love, compassion, friendship, and the importance of unharnessed self-expression.
A film by Chris Dainty
Producer Maral Mohammadian
Executive Producer Michael Fukushima
ONLINE PRESS KIT
MEDIASPACE.NFB.CA/EPK/SHANNON-AMEN
SCREENING TIMES (tickets here)
Sunday September 22 | 5:30 PM | Eau Claire 3
Saturday September 28 | 2:45 PM | Eau Claire 3
Trailer
Media Relations
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About the NFB
For more than 80 years, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) has produced, distributed and preserved those stories, which now form a vast audiovisual collection—an important part of our cultural heritage that represents all Canadians.
To tell these stories, the NFB works with filmmakers of all ages and backgrounds, from across the country. It harnesses their creativity to produce relevant and groundbreaking content for curious, engaged and diverse audiences. The NFB also collaborates with industry experts to foster innovation in every aspect of storytelling, from formats to distribution models.
Every year, another 50 or so powerful new animated and documentary films are added to the NFB’s extensive collection of more than 14,000 titles, half of which are available to watch for free on nfb.ca.
Through its mandate, its stature and its productions, the NFB contributes to Canada’s cultural identity and is helping to build the Canada of tomorrow.