The NFB at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA)
2019
Four new works including three world premieres by documentary creators from the NFB will be featured at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), taking place November 20 to December 1.
Two feature docs will be making their world premieres: Ariel Nasr’s The Forbidden Reel (Loaded Pictures/NFB) and Mira Burt-Wintonick’s Wintopia (EyeSteelFilm/NFB).
IDFA is also presenting the European premiere of Yung Chang’s feature-length This Is Not a Movie (TINAM Inc./Sutor Kolonko/NFB), as well as a 30-minute Doc Talk with the director and the film’s subject, Robert Fisk, following the November 27 screening.
To read full press release, please click the link below:
The NFB at IDFA 2019
To take a look to the complete NFB screening schedule, please click the link below:
NFB@IDFA schedule
The Forbidden Reel
Ariel Nasr
2019 | 119 min
Driven to create amidst war and chaos, Afghan filmmakers gave birth to an extraordinary national cinema. Driven to destroy, Taliban extremists set out to torch that legacy. Marvelling in the beauty and fragile power of movies, Afghan-Canadian director Ariel Nasr crafts a thrilling and utterly original story of modern Afghanistan.
The Forbidden Reel is produced by Sergeo Kirby (Loaded Pictures) and Kat Baulu (NFB Quebec and Atlantic Studio), with executive producers Sergeo Kirby and Annette Clarke (NFB Quebec and Atlantic Studio).
ONLINE PRESS KIT
mediaspace.nfb.ca/the-forbidden-reel
SCREENING TIMES (tickets here)
Monday, Nov. 25 | 3:30 PM | Munt 12
Wednesday, Nov. 27 | 5:30 PM | De Balie – Grote Zaal
Friday, Nov. 29 | 7 PM | Eye Cinema 2
Sunday, Dec. 1 | 3 PM | Tuschinski 5
Wintopia
Mira Burt-Wintonick
2019 | 75 min
A box of tapes uncovered. A lifelong Utopian obsession. A daughter’s attempt to complete her father’s final film. Wintopia traces the enigmatic footsteps of renowned documentary filmmaker Peter Wintonick through the lens of his daughter, Mira, as she tries to decipher the map he has left behind. Reverberating with emotion and whimsy, the film guides us on a journey through possible worlds in pursuit of reconciliation, both between artist and family and between dreams and reality.
Wintopia is produced by Bob Moore (EyeSteelFilm) and Annette Clarke (NFB Quebec and Atlantic Studio), with Daniel Cross and Mila Aung-Thwin as executive producers for EyeSteelFilm.
ONLINE PRESS KIT
mediaspace.nfb.ca/wintopia
SCREENING TIMES (tickets here)
Thursday, Nov. 21 | 6:15 PM | Tuschinski 5
Saturday, Nov. 23 | 12:45 PM | Kriterion 3
Sunday, Nov. 24 | 10:45 AM | Tuschinski 2
Thursday, Nov. 28 | 10:15 AM | Munt 10
Saturday, Nov. 30 | 9:30 PM | Brakke Grond Rode Zaal
This Is Not a Movie
Yung Chang
2019 | 106 min
For more than 40 years, journalist Robert Fisk has reported on some of the most violent and divisive conflicts in the world. Director Yung Chang captures Fisk in relentless action—feet on the ground, notebook in hand, as he travels into landscapes devastated by war, ferreting out the facts and firing reports back home to reach an audience of millions.
This Is Not a Movie is produced by Anita Lee (NFB Ontario Studio), Allyson Luchak and Nelofer Pazira (TINAM), and Ingmar Trost (Sutor Kolonko).
Presented by Telefilm Canada and the Rogers Group of Funds, through the Theatrical Documentary Program, produced with the participation of Ontario Creates, in co-production with ZDF/Arte and VPRO, supported by Film- und Medienstiftung NRW and with the participation of Doc Society Circle, RTS Radio Télévision Suisse, the Canadian Film or Video Tax Credit, with the assistance of the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Fund.
ONLINE PRESS KIT
mediaspace.nfb.ca/this-is-not-a-movie
SCREENING TIMES (tickets here)
Monday, Nov. 25 | 7:15 PM | Tuschinski 5
Wednesday, Nov. 27 | 1 PM | Tuschinski 1
Thursday, Nov. 28 | 6:45 PM | Rialto Bovenzaal
Friday, Nov. 29 | 10 AM | Munt 12
Saturday, Nov. 30 | 11 AM | De Balie – Grote Zaal
Trailer
Far Away from Far Away
Bruce Alcock and Jeremy Mendes
2019 | 25 min.
Far Away from Far Away is a 25-minute mobile experience that blends elements of interactive storytelling and audio podcasts, offering users a contemporary interpretation of the transformation of Fogo Island. Based on the story of Zita Cobb and featuring the signature lyrical prose of Newfoundland writer Michael Crummey, this work designed exclusively for touch screens and smartphones uses simple, intuitive navigation to delve deep into rich storytelling.
Far Away from Far Away is the NFB’s latest project with Fogo Island in a long engagement that goes back more than a half-century to the pioneering participatory film project Challenge for Change. Led by creative directors Bruce Alcock and Jeremy Mendes, Far Away from Far Away is produced and executive produced by Annette Clarke (NFB Quebec and Atlantic Studio) and Robert McLaughlin (NFB Digital Studio).
ONLINE PRESS KIT
mediaspace.nfb.ca/faraway
SCREENING TIMES (tickets here)
Pop-up Exhibition at Lil’ Amsterdam Central Station from Nov. 21-30 (11 AM-7 PM) and Dec. 1 (11 AM-6 PM)
DocLab: Exhibition at Tolhuistuin from Nov. 22-30 (11 AM-9 PM) and Dec. 1 (11 AM-6 PM)
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.