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Une fille tranquille, Adrian Wills (86 min) – espacemedia.onf.ca/epk/une-fille-tranquille

Stolen Time, Helene Klodawsky (85 min) – mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/stolentime (en anglais seulement)

Mlle Campbell : enseignante inuk, Heather Campbell (15 min) – espacemedia.onf.ca/epk/mmecampbell-enseignanteinuk

Misérable miracle, Ryo Orikasa (8 min) – espacemedia.onf.ca/epk/miserable-miracle

Aphasie, Marielle Dalpé (3 min 45 s) – espacemedia.onf.ca/epk/aphasie

Le déplacement de Hebron, Holly Andersen (15 min) – espacemedia.onf.ca/epk/le-deplacement-de-hebron

Oie urbaine, Karsten Wall (23 min) – espacemedia.onf.ca/epk/oie-urbaine

Un gage d’amour, Bahram Javahery (9 min 21 s) – espacemedia.onf.ca/epk/un-gage-damour

The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) will bring eight heart-felt, profound and eye-opening documentaries and animated films to festival goers at the 2023 Atlantic International Film Festival (AIFF) in Halifax—including three deeply personal stories from Newfoundland and Labrador.

From honouring a legendary trailblazer, to fighting for justice that puts seniors first, to tracing a life back to one’s birth mother, the eight films screening at AIFF (September 14 to 21) are packed with stories that will move you, show you something new, validate our innate desire to connect with those we love, and much more.

The selection includes four world premieres, three of them from the Quebec & Atlantic Studio:

• Adrian Wills’ transformative feature-length documentary A Quiet Girl;
• Helene Klodawsky’s riveting NFB/Intuitive Pictures feature documentary Stolen Time;
• Heather Campbell’s short doc Miss Campbell: Inuk Teacher, the latest from the Labrador Documentary Project, which works with first-time Labrador Inuit filmmakers to create and distribute Inuit stories from Inuit perspectives.

AIFF is also presenting the world premiere of Ryo Orikasa’s Miyu Productions/NFB/New Deer co-produced animated short Miserable Miracle.

All screenings will take place at the Cineplex Cinemas Park Lane in downtown Halifax.

Complete press release.

DOCUMENTARY PROGRAM | WORLD PREMIERE

2023 | 86 min 15 s

In A Quiet Girl, adopted Montreal filmmaker Adrian Wills discovers, on camera and in real time, the startling truths of his complex beginnings in Newfoundland. Shocking details drive Wills to the core of his birth mother’s resilience, and ultimately his own. In this moving feature documentary that combines 16mm footage and contemporary images with deeply personal conversations, Wills’ voyage transforms from an urgent search for identity into a quest to give a quiet girl her voice.

A film by Adrian Wills
Produced by Annette Clarke and Rohan Fernando for the Quebec & Atlantic Studio

Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/a-quiet-girl

Screening schedule

Tuesday, September 19 | 7 p.m. | Cineplex Park Lane Halifax Theatre 3
*Followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker
September 20 – 24 | Online screenings | Geo-blocked to Atlantic Canada

DOCUMENTARY PROGRAM | WORLD PREMIERE

2023 | 1 h 25 min

A compelling call for justice, Stolen Time follows charismatic elder rights lawyer Melissa Miller as she takes on the corporate for-profit nursing-home industry—an industry notorious for its lack of transparency and accountability. As the legal battle unfolds, families, frontline caregivers and change-makers chronicle an urgent crisis with ramifications—and inspiration—for us all.

A film by Helene Klodawsky
Produced by Ina Fichman for Intuitive Pictures inc.; Ariel Nasr for the NFB

Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/stolentime

Screening schedule

Monday, September 18 | 8:30 p.m. | Cineplex Park Lane Halifax Theatre 5
*Followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker and Oscar-nominated producer Ina Fichman (Fire of Love) in attendance

SHORTS PROGRAM 3 | WORLD PREMIERE

2023 | 15 min

Part oral history and part visual poem, Miss Campbell: Inuk Teacher is the story of Evelyn Campbell, a trailblazer for an Inuit-led educational system in the small community of Rigolet, Labrador.

A film by Heather Campbell
Produced by Rohan Fernando, Kat Baulu and Latonia Hartery. An initiative of the Quebec & Atlantic Studio’s Labrador Documentary Project to amplify first-time Labrador Inuit filmmakers.

Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/misscampbell-inukteacher

Screening schedule

Sunday, September 17 | 4 p.m. | Cineplex Park Lane Halifax Theatre 7
*Followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker
September 18 – 24 | Online screenings | Geo-blocked to Atlantic Canada

SHORTS PROGRAM 3 | WORLD PREMIERE

2023 | 8 min

Inspired by Henri Michaux’s poems and drawings about his experiences with mescaline, Miserable Miracle explores the limits of language and perception, creating connections between sound, meaning, shapes and movement.

A film by Ryo Orikasa
Produced by Emmanuel-Alain Raynal and Pierre Baussaron for Miyu Productions; Jelena Popović, Robert McLaughlin and Michael Fukushima for the NFB; Nobuaki Doi for New Deer; with the support of CNC & the Ciclic Animation Residency.

Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/miserable-miracle

Screening schedule

Sunday, September 17 | 4 p.m. | Cineplex Park Lane Halifax Theatre 7

SHORTS PROGRAM 1

2023 | 3 min 45 s

Aphasia is an unsettling sensory experience that immerses us in the world of people with Alzheimer’s disease who are facing the loss of their language capabilities.

A film by Marielle Dalpé
Produced by Marc Bertrand for the NFB French Program Animation Studio.

Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/aphasia

Screening schedule

Friday, September 15 | 5 p.m. | Cineplex Park Lane Halifax Theatre 7

REEL EAST COAST SHORTS GALA

2023 | 15 min

In Hebron Relocation, Holly Andersen explores what makes a place a home as she learns more about her community’s connection to generations of displaced northern Labrador Inuit.

A film by Holly Andersen
Produced by Latonia Hartery, Kat Baulu and Rohan Fernando. An initiative of the Quebec & Atlantic Studio’s Labrador Documentary Project to amplify first-time Labrador Inuit filmmakers.

Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/hebronrelocation

Screening schedule

Sunday, September 17 | 7 p.m. | Cineplex Park Lane Halifax Theatre 8
September 18 – 24 | Online screenings | Geo-blocked to Atlantic Canada

SHORTS PROGRAM 2

2023 | 22 min 41 sec

Able to navigate by reading the Earth’s magnetic field, at home on land, air and water, geese straddle the territory between ancient instincts and the contemporary world. Combining beauty, humour and profound empathy, director Karsten Wall’s exquisitely observed film essay embeds in the daily life of these iconic animals to reveal a deeper message of continuity and connection.

A film by Karsten Wall
Produced by Alicia Smith and executive produced by David Christensen for the North West Studio.

Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/moderngoose

Screening schedule

Saturday, September 16 | 3:15 p.m. | Cineplex Park Lane Halifax Theatre 5

SHORTS PROGRAM 7

2023 | 9 min 21 s

When a young woman leaves her homeland in search of a better future, she brings with her a single memento from her past: a ripe apple studded with fragrant cloves. A true labour of love, Bahram Javahery’s animated film is infused with longing and the tender perfume of hope.

A film by Bahram Javahery
Produced by Teri Snelgrove and Shirley Vercruysse for the BC & Yukon Studio.

Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/twoapples

Screening schedule

Wednesday, September 20 | 8:15 p.m. | Cineplex Park Lane Halifax Theatre 5