DISTRIBUTION CATALOGUE

DISTRIBUTION
CATALOGUE
2014-2015
NFB/distribution
1
A
DEAR
CLIENTS
We are proud to introduce you to NFB
Distribution’s 2014-2015 lineup of groundbreaking
documentaries, animation and interactive
productions.
The NFB continues to be a leader in vital and
cutting-edge storytelling, with works that have
earned us a global reputation for quality and
innovation and over 5,000 awards.
Throughout this catalogue, you will find films that
engage, provoke and entertain, encompassing
a wide range of subject matter.
We offer a rich and varied selection of high-quality
documentaries, pioneering auteur animation and
industry-leading interactive projects, as well as
a few other surprises.
Our lineup has been grouped by several major
themes, and each title features helpful identifying
tags. Browse through our catalogue, or find what
you need online in our buyer-privileged B2B
section at nfb.ca/distribution. Consult with one of
our dedicated sales reps who’ll help you to find
exactly what you need for your audiences.
We invite you to explore and discover.
Sincerely,
MIA DESROCHES
Director, Distribution
LORNE PRICE
Head, Sales and Digital Distribution
3
6
Bad Coyote
7
Fort McMoney: The Film
7
The Fruit Hunters
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ENVIRONMENT
7Meltdown
8
Rainforest: The Limit of Splendour
8
The Wings of Johnny May
8
Two Inuit Lives
FEATURE
9
Imagined States of America
10 Stories We Tell
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
10 The Wanted 18
11Triptych
HISTORY
12 Atanasoff: The Father of the Computer
13 Exile: A Myth Unearthed
JUSTICE
14 The Coca-Cola Case
15Prosecutor
15 Silence Is Gold
16 Trick or Treaty?
16 Wiebo’s War
4
GO TO INDEX
SOCIETY
ANIMATION
17 Maria Chapdelaine
27 Alphée of the Stars
36 Big Trees
18 Norman McLaren: Animated Musician
28Ariel
37 Bus Story
18 My Prairie Home
28Chi
37 The End of Pinky
19 Seth’s Dominion
28 Everything Will Be
37Flocons
19 The Short Apology of Albert Batch
29Guidelines
38 The Fox and the Chickadee
19Wavemakers
29 Hue: A Matter of Colour
38 Gloria Victoria
SHORTS
20 54 Hours
29 Little Big Girls
38 Hollow Land
30 NCR: Not Criminally Responsible
39Impromptu
30 Out of Mind, Out of Sight
39 Mary & Myself
30 Where I’m From
39Minotaur
40 Monsieur Pug
21Anatomy
21CODA
40 Naughty to Nice
21ORA
SPORTS
22 The Devil’s Toy
31 The Boxing Girls of Kabul
22 Home-Cooked Music
32 Legend of a Warrior
22 Island Green
32 Mighty Jerome
23Jutra
32 Secretariat’s Jockey, Ron Turcotte
23 Letters from Pyongyang
25 A Short History of the Highrise:
Part One: Mud
Part Two: Concrete
Part Three: Glass
Part Four: Home
26 Stories from Our Land 2.0:
40 No Fish Where to Go
41 Pilots on the Way Home
41 Rainy Days
41 A Sea Turtle Story
42Soif
42 Soup of the Day
42 The Weatherman and the Shadowboxer
24 Science at the Top of the World
24 Song for Cuba
TABLE OF CONTENTS
MUSIC & ARTS
COMING SOON
43 Subconscious Password
43 Third Page from the Sun
33 Angry Inuk
34 The Danny Project
34 Grassroots in Dry Lands
34 Hadwin’s Judgement
35 Uyghurs: Prisoners of the Absurd
35 The Wall
INTERACTIVE
44 Bubble Dancers
45 The Devil’s Toy Redux
Strength, Flexibility and Endurance
Taking Shape
46 Fort McMoney
The Vending Machine
46Highrise
Finding Home
47 Making Movie History: A Portrait in 61 Parts
46 The Faith Project
47 Seven Digital Deadly Sins
5
47 Similkameen Crossroads
GO TO INDEX
ENVIRONMENT
ENVIRONMENT
BAD COYOTE
Rural, Wildlife
A hybrid type of coyote, thought to be part wolf,
has migrated to Eastern Canada. The deadly mauling
of a young woman, panicked media coverage and
alleged sightings prompt the government to issue a
controversial bounty for dead coyotes. Bad Coyote
offers a trenchant analysis of the politics – and the
price – of living and playing close to nature.
60 min | Jason Young
6
NFB
GO TO INDEX
ENVIRONMENT
FORT MCMONEY:
THE FILM
THE FRUIT HUNTERS
MELTDOWN
Economics
Food, History, Society
Disaster, Science
This film introduces Jim Rogers: trapper,
The Fruit Hunters tells a story of adventure, desire
March 11, 2011. Japan is hit with the fifth-strongest
Fort McMurray native and unsuccessful candidate
and obsession, accompanying fruit fanatics as they
earthquake ever recorded. But the real legacy of this
in the last municipal elections, which saw his home
hunt for mangos in Bali or elusive rare durian in
disaster is the ensuing nuclear accident – power plant
become a modern gold rush town. Much more
Borneo, scour Renaissance paintings for ancient,
engineers try, and fail, to avert catastrophe. This is
than the linear version of the Fort McMoney web
lost figs, and uncover the secrets of the taste-bud-
the story of a chain of errors that led to the nightmare
experience, this doc is its actual result and mirror,
altering Miracle Fruit.
of nuclear meltdown.
offering a reflection on democracy in ruins.
Related: see INTERACTIVE section.
GRAND PRIZE
INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL
FILM FESTIVAL
PARIS, 2013
52 min | David Dufresne
95 min • 2 x 45 min | Yung Chang
45 min | Wally Longul; Akihiko Nakai; Akio Suzuki
EyeSteelFilm Inc. | NFB
NHK | NFB
7
GO TO INDEX
ENVIRONMENT
RAINFOREST:
THE LIMIT OF
SPLENDOUR
Aboriginal
THE WINGS OF
JOHNNY MAY
3D, Aboriginal, Biography
TWO INUIT LIVES
Aboriginal
Inspired by his relationship with a Kwaxkwaka’wakw
Johnny May, the first Inuit bush pilot, is a legend
This companion film to The Wings of Johnny May
elder, filmmaker Richard Boyce embarks on a
among his people. While famous for his aerial exploits,
looks at the language and culture of the Inuit.
cinematic journey to an ancient Canadian rainforest.
he has also witnessed the twin upheavals of the Inuit’s
Travelling to the most remote corner of Vancouver
adoption of sedentary life and the effects of climate
Island, through some of the most intensive logging
change on the North. This airborne documentary
areas on the planet, Boyce leads us into a wilderness
sweeps into the northern skies to discover a unique
that is on the brink of extinction.
culture through the eyes of an exceptional man.
65min | Richard Boyce
90 min | 2D, 3D | Marc Fafard
52 min | Yves Maillard; Marc Fafard
Island Bound Media | EyeSteelFilm Inc.
Productions Thalie | K’IEN Productions | NFB
ARTE France | K’IEN Productions | NFB
8
GO TO INDEX
FEATURE
FEATURE
IMAGINED STATES
OF AMERICA
Arts, Photography
Imagined States of America takes on the nation’s
myths to get to the heart of a country that continues
to fascinate the world. Inspired by Pierre Guimond’s
photo collages, and incorporating an intricately built
soundscape, the film resembles a dream on the
verge of a nightmare, revealing an America that is
rich in paradoxes.
86 min • 60 min | Alberta Nokes
9
Les Films de l’Isle | NFB
GO TO INDEX
FEATURE
STORIES WE TELL
THE WANTED 18
Cinema, Society
Human Rights, Middle East
In this genre-twisting film, Oscar®-nominated writer/director Sarah Polley discovers that the truth depends upon
Soon after the dawn of the 1987 Palestinian uprising,
who is telling it. This deeply personal work considers how narratives shape us as individuals and families while
residents of the town of Beit Sahour secretly bought
also exploring the elusive nature of memory. The result is a funny and poignant picture of the larger human story.
18 cows from an Israeli kibbutz. Documenting
this seemingly small act of resistance – one that
allowed Palestinians to provide milk for their children
– The Wanted 18 encompasses comedy, drama
and absurd tragedy.
FOCUS GRAND PRIZE
BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
FESTIVAL DU
NOUVEAU CINÉMA
INTERNATIONAL FILM
FESTIVAL BRATISLAVA
INTERNATIONAL
CINEPHILE SOCIETY
MONTRÉAL, 2012
BRATISLAVA, 2013
NEW YORK, 2014
108 min | Sarah Polley
75 min | Paul Cowan; Amer Shomali
NFB
Intuitive Pictures Inc. | NFB
10
GO TO INDEX
FEATURE
TRIPTYCH
Cinema, Fiction
Inspired by Robert Lepage’s play Lipsynch, Triptych
RELATED CONTENT:
(Lise Castonguay), a schizophrenic bookseller, Marie
Marie
(Frédérike Bédard), a singer and actress, and Thomas
Marie is a spirited jazz singer living with
(Hans Piesbergen), a German neurologist. Depicting
a brain tumour.
three destinies that cross and resonate, Triptych is a
Michelle
and identity.
Michelle is a schizophrenic who returns to work
SPECIAL MENTION
to conceal his existential torment.
BEST DRAMA
YORKTON FILM
FESTIVAL
YORKTON, 2014
sensitive and deeply moving contemplation of memory
BERLIN INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL
Thomas
Thomas is a prominent neurosurgeon struggling
is a contemporary urban saga following Michelle
in a bookstore after being discharged from a
psychiatric institution.
BERLIN, 2014
3 x 30 min | Robert Lepage; Pedro Pires
11
NFB
GO TO INDEX
HISTORY
HISTORY
ATANASOFF:
THE FATHER OF
THE COMPUTER
Biography, Science
Significant inventions tend to make their creators
famous. Most people know who invented the
telephone, the light bulb and the airplane. But what
about the digital computer? Who invented one of
the most important devices in human history?
52 min | Mila Aung-Thwin; Daniel Cross
12
EyeSteelFilm Inc.
GO TO INDEX
HISTORY
EXILE:
A MYTH UNEARTHED
Archaeology, Middle East, Society
The exile of the Jewish people from their homeland following the destruction of the Second Temple has long played a central role in Christian and Jewish theology,
and has been a critical factor in the struggle over land in the Middle East. This provocative documentary asks what it would mean if that exile never actually happened.
90 min • 2 x 52 min • 59 min | Ilan Ziv
13
Amythos Media | Alegria Productions | NFB
GO TO INDEX
JUSTICE
JUSTICE
THE COCA-COLA CASE
Human Rights, Investigative
In Colombia, an estimated 470 workers’ leaders have
been brutally killed, many by paramilitaries hired by
private companies intent on crushing the unions.
Accompanying American activists David Kovalik,
Terry Collingsworth and Ray Rogers as they embark
on an ambitious legal crusade against a major
corporation, The Coca-Cola Case depicts a battle
that reaches all the way from Colombia to Washington.
SPECIAL MENTION
INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL
FILM FESTIVAL
PARIS, 2010
86 min • 52 min | Carmen Garcia; German Gutierrez
14
Argus Films Inc. | NFB
GO TO INDEX
JUSTICE
PROSECUTOR
SILENCE IS GOLD
Human Rights, Politics
Human Rights, Investigative
A fascinating film boasting extraordinary access
This documentary thriller charts the proceedings when mining companies Barrick Gold and Banro launch
to its subject, Prosecutor follows the controversial
defamation lawsuits against writer Alain Deneault, his co-authors and publisher Les Éditions Écosociété following
Luis Moreno Ocampo through the International
the 2008 publication of the book Noir Canada.
Criminal Court’s first trials – trials that will determine
whether the ICC is a historic new weapon for global
justice or just an idealistic dream.
SPECIAL MENTION
MONTREAL INTERNATIONAL
DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL
MONTRÉAL, 2012
92 min • 57 min | Barry Stevens
74 min | Julien Fréchette
White Pine Pictures | NFB
MC2 Communication Média | NFB
15
GO TO INDEX
JUSTICE
TRICK OR TREATY?
WIEBO’S WAR
Aboriginal, Human Rights
Environment, Human Rights, Investigative
The new work from acclaimed filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin examines the legacy of Treaty #9 (which covers
In the 1990s, Wiebo Ludwig and his extended family
First Nations communities in the area of James Bay, Ontario) in light of recent activism, including the journey
discovered that their Alberta farm sat atop one of
of the Nishiyuu walkers and the Idle No More marches.
the largest undeveloped fields of natural gas on the
continent. As wells were drilled around them, the
isolationist Christian community began to suffer health
problems. This fascinating documentary explores one
man’s controversial battle with the oil and gas industry.
SPECIAL MENTION
MONTREAL INTERNATIONAL
DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL
MONTREAL, 2011
84 min | Alanis Obomsawin
93 min • 52 min | David York
NFB
52 Media Inc. | NFB
16
GO TO INDEX
MUSIC & ARTS
MUSIC
& ARTS
MARIA CHAPDELAINE
Cinema, History
In 1934, French director Julien Duvivier shot the feature
Maria Chapdelaine in Péribonka, Quebec. Starring
French cinema icon Jean Gabin and Madeleine
Renaud, the film went on to win the Grand Prix
du cinéma français. Now, celebrated Quebecois
filmmaker Jean-Claude Labrecque is revisiting
Duvivier’s classic in a documentary essay that will
not only shed light on the making of the film but also
reflect on broader themes such as the art of cinema
and Quebecois culture.
52 min | Jean-Claude Labrecque
17
NFB
GO TO INDEX
MUSIC & ARTS
NORMAN MCLAREN:
ANIMATED MUSICIAN
MY PRAIRIE HOME
Experimental, Shorts
Diversity
This short documentary explores legendary NFB
This intimate portrait of transgender singer Rae Spoon is as personal and reflective as the acclaimed musician’s
filmmaker Norman McLaren’s discovery of synthetic
songs. Set against a backdrop of stunning images, the film leads viewers on a poetic journey through landscapes
music and his subsequent creation of compositions
both real and emotional as it captures the unique spirit of this unforgettable artist.
via three methods: hand-drawn sound, hand-etched
sound and photographed sound. Using texts,
photographs, audio recordings and demo work
by McLaren himself, the film reveals his unusual
film-scoring methods as well as his musical work
outside the sphere of filmmaking.
BEST CANADIAN DOCUMENTARY
VANCOUVER FILM CRITICS
CIRCLE AWARDS
VANCOUVER, 2014
30 min | Donald McWilliams
77 min | Chelsea McMullan
NFB
NFB
18
GO TO INDEX
MUSIC & ARTS
SETH’S DOMINION
THE SHORT APOLOGY
OF ALBERT BATCH
Biography, Humour
WAVEMAKERS
History
Cartoonist Seth, acclaimed for comic books including
This short documentary adapts Seth’s puppet
A modern-day journey set against its historical
Palookaville, is one of the art form’s great storytellers.
play, The Apology of Albert Batch, for the screen.
background, this documentary pursues the legacy
He is highly prolific, creating poignant personal
Seth performs his creation, introducing us to cartoonist
of an extraordinary electronic musical instrument,
observations of his inner life as well as award-winning
Albert Batch, who is nearing the end of his days.
the ondes Martenot. Integrating vérité camerawork,
commercial and editorial projects. This documentary
archival footage and an entrancing soundtrack,
mixes insightful biography with vivid animation to
Wavemakers shadows an ensemble of aficionados
channel the evocative style of one of our most
(including Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood) as they seek
unique artists.
to unravel the instrument’s mysteries.
GOLDEN ATHENA AWARD
ATHENS INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL
ATHENS, 2013
42 min | Luc Chamberland
6 min | Luc Chamberland
97 min | Caroline Martel
NFB
NFB
productions artifact | NFB
19
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SHORTS
SHORTS
54 HOURS
Disaster, History
54 Hours vividly recreates the 1914 tragedy in which
132 seal hunters were stranded on the ice during a
severe snowstorm off the coast of Newfoundland,
leading to the freezing deaths of 78 men.
14 min | Bruce Alcock; Paton Francis
20
NFB
GO TO INDEX
SHORTS
ANATOMY
CODA
Aging
ORA
3D, Dance, Experimental
Subverting the clichés associated with elderly people,
This digital dance film is highly innovative in its
The use of cutting-edge 3D thermal imaging
this short film focuses on the connection between
aesthetic signature and in the technological tools
technology results in a stunning sensory experience
two octogenarians whose fascinating relationship
used to create it. By using MoCap (motion capture)
as six dancers with luminous bodies set off to discover
acquires a universal significance.
techniques to manipulate particles of light, Martine
their world.
Époque and Denis Poulin metaphorically evoke
ecological themes, presenting a modern visual
reinterpretation of Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring.
SPECIAL MENTION
AUDIENCE AWARD
HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL
THESSALONIKI
DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL
HONG KONG, 2012
9 min | Patrick Bossé
11 min | 2D, 3D | Denis Poulin
16 min | Philippe Baylaucq
Microclimat Films | NFB
FAKE Studio | NFB
NFB
THESSALONIKI, 2012
21
GO TO INDEX
SHORTS
THE DEVIL’S TOY
HOME-COOKED MUSIC
ISLAND GREEN
Cinema, Sports
Experimental, Music
Environment, Food
It was frowned upon by the constabulary and
After a near-death experience, a retired machinist starts
Faced with the worrisome current reality of widespread
disapproving adults, but the skateboard gave the
making stringed instruments from unlikely materials
monocropping practices, Island Green presents
youngsters who mastered its technique an unrivalled
like old rakes, bent pitchforks and moose antlers—and
a poignant story of hope and healthy promise for
sensation of speed. Filmed in 1966 on Montreal
they sound amazing. Following its subject’s DIY lead,
Canada’s smallest province by considering what
streets, Jutra’s film not only captured the exuberance
director Mike Maryniuk crafts a whimsical, folksy
would happen if PEI went entirely organic.
of kids revelling in freewheeling downhill locomotion,
one-of-a-kind portrait.
but it also helped give birth to the perennial cool of
the skate film genre.
Related: see INTERACTIVE section.
15 min | Claude Jutra
10 min | Mike Maryniuk
20 min | Millefiore Clarkes
Les Films Cassiopée | NFB
NFB
NFB
22
GO TO INDEX
SHORTS
JUTRA
LETTERS FROM
PYONGYANG
Arts, Biography
History, Human Rights, Society
This stunning cinephile’s portrait of director
As he journeys with his father in search of long-lost relatives in North Korea, filmmaker Jason Lee documents
Claude Jutra is a skilful assembly of archival
an emotional story of a family torn apart by the Korean War. Incorporating exclusive footage, archival
footage and ingenious animated sequences.
images and family photographs, this deeply personal film brings to light the tragic subject of families divided
Director Marie‑Josée Saint-Pierre continues to refine
by political conflict.
her pursuit of a unique animated documentary
form, boldly encapsulating the life and career
of a cinematic giant.
GOLDEN AWARD
ALJAZEERA INTERNATIONAL
DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
DOHA, 2013
14 min | Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre
28 min | Jason Lee
MJSTP Films Inc. | NFB
JSN Omnimedia
BEST DOCUMENTARY
PALM SPRINGS
INTERNATIONAL SHORTFEST
PALM SPRINGS, 2013
BEST SHORT FILM
TORONTO REEL ASIAN
INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
TORONTO, 2013
23
GO TO INDEX
SHORTS
SCIENCE AT THE TOP
OF THE WORLD
SONG FOR CUBA
Environment, Science
Experimental, Music
The Arctic is ground zero for understanding our rapidly changing environment. Working in regions where most
Song for Cuba is a short documentary observing
of the world’s population can only dream of going, against some of the world’s most breathtaking backdrops,
a Cuban couple as they adjust to a new life as recent
scientists are using space-age technology alongside on-the-ground fieldwork and traditional Inuit knowledge
immigrants by summoning the music and memories
to get the most detailed picture yet of the Arctic.
of home.
44 min • 20 x 3 min | Patrick McGowan
8 min | Tamara Segura
Cinematography Inc.
NFB
24
GO TO INDEX
SHORTS
A SHORT HISTORY
OF THE HIGHRISE
History, Urbanism
The four short films below are the core component
A Short History of the Highrise, Part One:
A Short History of the Highrise, Part Three:
of A Short History of the Highrise, the latest
Mud traces the roots of the residential highrise,
Glass examines the recent proliferation of luxury
installment of the award-winning, multiplatform
from the biblical Tower of Babel to New York’s
condos and the growing segregation between the rich
HIGHRISE project.
tenement buildings. (3 min)
and poor. (3 min)
A Short History of the Highrise, Part Two:
A Short History of the Highrise, Part Four: Home
Concrete explores how residential highrises and
comprises images submitted by New York Times
public housing featured in attempts to foster social
readers, who document their lives in highrises around
equality in the 20th century, both in New York City
the world. (5 min)
Related: see INTERACTIVE section
and globally. (6 min)
20 min | Katerina Cizek
25
The New York Times | NFB
GO TO INDEX
SHORTS
STORIES FROM
OUR LAND 2.0
Aboriginal
Stories from Our Land 2.0 is the latest edition of the
Strength, Flexibility and Endurance
The Vending Machine
National Film Board of Canada’s Aboriginal short film
Inuit games were more than just fun to pass the time
The story of an Inuit entrepreneur operating a lonely
initiative. The resulting four short films – The Vending
or a rare meeting between relatives, but they required
airport vending machine in Canada’s second most
Machine; Strength, Flexibility and Endurance;
the athletes to be in peak physical condition to perform
northerly community. (7 min)
Taking Shape; and Finding Home – offer viewers
these ancient feats of strength. (10 min)
Finding Home
original and insightful perspectives on life in Nunavut.
Taking Shape
Inuit filmmaker Nyla Innuksuk’s return to her Igloolik
Isaci Itodli is well known in the Arctic for his pedigree
birthplace is a deeply emotional journey that culminates
and prowess in shaping the old rocks, often telling
in the lighting of a traditional Inuit oil lamp. (10 min)
taboo stories and myths of the Inuit through his
creations. (10 min)
38 min 26
NFB
GO TO INDEX
SOCIETY
SOCIETY
ALPHÉE
OF THE STARS
Diversity, Family
Hugo Latulippe crafted this documentary as a
declaration of love to his daughter, Alphée, who was
born with a rare and incurable genetic condition called
Smith-Lemli-Opitz disorder. Alphée’s family moves to
Switzerland for a year to focus on her learning abilities
so that she can be integrated into a regular classroom
when they return to Canada.
BEST DOCUMENTARY
PRIX GÉMEAUX
MONTRÉAL, 2013
SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
HOT DOCS
TORONTO, 2013
83 min • 52 min | Hugo Latulippe
27
Esperamos Films | NFB
GO TO INDEX
SOCIETY
ARIEL
CHI
EVERYTHING WILL BE
Family
Spirituality, Women
Diversity, Urbanism
Ariel embodies the complicated dualism between
Renowned filmmaker Anne Wheeler and beloved actor
Vancouver’s Chinatown is in the midst of massive
man and machine. When Ariel was 33, his legs
Babz Chula take off for southern India, armed only with
transformation. The community’s oldest and newest
were shredded in an industrial accident, leaving
a camera and the hope of making a film about a little-
members discuss this shifting landscape and offer their
him first haunted by the memory of his limbs,
known, seemingly miraculous treatment for cancer.
intimate perspectives on change, memory and legacy
then obsessed with making his own prostheses.
Chi is a testament to the sheer vitality with which
in Julia Kwan’s vibrant documentary.
Laura Bari’s documentary portrait interweaves the
Chula lived her days, even the final ones.
real and the dreamlike into a chronicle of the victory
of the imagination over fate.
BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY
CANADIAN
SCREEN AWARDS
TORONTO, 2014
95 min • 45 min | Laura Bari
59 min | Anne Wheeler
86 min | Julia Kwan
Parabola Films | Besofilm | NFB
NFB
NFB
28
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SOCIETY
GUIDELINES
HUE:
A MATTER
OF COLOUR
LITTLE BIG GIRLS
Children, Family
Diversity
Family, Science, Sexuality
This provocative series of tableaus illustrates
Director and cinematographer Vic Sarin crafts a
Little Big Girls documents early-onset puberty,
the occasionally trying existence of young people
personal investigation into the history and often-tragic
a condition that affects increasing numbers of girls.
at a rural secondary school. The film’s brilliant
effects of colourism: discrimination within one ethnic
The causes of this phenomenon, fast becoming
observational style gradually reveals the interior drama
group based on differences in skin tone. Sarin travels
a worldwide public health concern, may still be
of adolescence, with its jarring shifts between fragility
to countries in Asia, South America, the Caribbean
misunderstood, but the physical, psychological
and reckless abandon.
and Africa to explore this complex cross-cultural social
and psychosocial repercussions on the children
issue in this thoughtful and revealing film.
involved are all too visible.
WORLD PULSE AWARD
BEST INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
INDIELISBOA INTERNATIONAL
INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
LE FESTIVAL DE CINÉMA
VUES D’AFRIQUE
LISBON, 2014
MONTREAL, 2014
76 min | Jean-François Caissy
85 min • 57 min | Vic Sarin
52 min | Hélène Choquette
NFB
Sepia Films | NFB
NFB
29
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SOCIETY
NCR:
NOT CRIMINALLY
RESPONSIBLE
OUT OF MIND,
OUT OF SIGHT
Justice, Mental Health
WHERE I’M FROM
Urbanism
From four-time Emmy®-winner John Kastner comes
Emmy®-winning filmmaker John Kastner gains
With the Montreal borough of Verdun and the Saint
a documentary about the revolution in the treatment
unprecedented access to a forensic psychiatric
Lawrence River as its backdrop, this intimate coming-
of the “criminally insane.” With remarkable access
hospital – once known as an asylum for the
of-age story chronicles filmmaker Claude Demers’
to a forensic psychiatric institution, the film shows
criminally insane. He follows the treatment of four
return to his childhood neighbourhood, seeking
how psychiatrists treat criminals with severe mental
patients struggling to gain control over their lives
answers to the mysteries of his origins. This free-
disorders: patients who not long ago would have been
so they can return to a society that often fears
flowing film marries realism and lyricism, and is
considered hopelessly dangerous are today being
and demonizes them.
as deeply human as it is poetic.
released back into the community.
BEST CANADIAN
FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
HOT DOCS
TORONTO, 2014
90 min • 60 min • 52 min | John Kastner
88 min • 55 min | John Kastner
78 min | Claude Demers
J.S. Kastner Productions | NFB
J.S. Kastner Productions | NFB
NFB
30
GO TO INDEX
SPORTS
SPORTS
THE BOXING GIRLS
OF KABUL
Human Rights, Middle East
A remarkable group of young Afghan women hone
their boxing skills without the benefit of even the
most basic training facilities. Loyal to their nation, yet
daring to defy its traditions, these courageous boxers
risk persecution and openly dream of their future –
and even a shot at the Olympics.
BEST DOCUMENTARY
VIEWFINDERS ATLANTIC
FILM FESTIVAL FOR YOUTH
HALIFAX, 2012
BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY
CANADIAN
SCREEN AWARDS
TORONTO, 2013
52 min | Ariel Nasr
31
NFB
GO TO INDEX
SPORTS
LEGEND OF
A WARRIOR
MIGHTY JEROME
SECRETARIAT’S
JOCKEY, RON
TURCOTTE
Biography, Diversity, Family
Biography, Human Rights
Biography, History
To his legions of fans, Frank Lee is martial arts.
Gorgeous monochrome imagery, impassioned
Ron Turcotte won 3,033 horse races; he is famed
His status as a legendary street fighter and world-
interviews and astonishing archival footage recount
for taking the Triple Crown astride Secretariat, and
renowned coach has kept him distanced, emotionally
the compelling rise, fall and redemption of track-and-
he is the only jockey ever to have won five of six
and physically, from his son, Corey. Now the younger
field star Harry Jerome. Charles Officer’s documentary
consecutive Triple Crown races. In this documentary
Lee, in his forties and a father himself, is prepared to
captures the story of what Jerome’s coach, the
road trip, Turcotte revisits the sites and people that
step into the ring to reconnect with his mighty dad.
legendary Bill Bowerman, called “the greatest
defined his career before it was brought to an abrupt
comeback in track and field history.”
end by a 1978 accident on the track.
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE; BEST DOCUMENTARY
ALBERTA FILM AND
TELEVISION AWARDS
EDMONTON, 2013
BEST FEATURE LENGTH
DOCUMENTARY
LEO AWARDS
VANCOUVER, 2011
BEST HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARY
NORTHWEST REGIONAL
EMMY AWARDS
SEATTLE, 2012
BEST DOCUMENTARY
CINEFEST
SUDBURY, 2013
GRAND PRIZE
CINEMA
ON THE BAYOU
LAFAYETTE, 2014
78 min • 44 min | Corey Lee
84 min • 52 min | Charles Officer
75 min • 52 min | Phil Comeau
Corkscrew Media | enriquePoe Moving Pictures | NFB
NFB
NFB
32
GO TO INDEX
COMING SOON
COMING
SOON
ANGRY INUK
Aboriginal, Environment, Justice
In 2009, the European Union banned the import of seal
products, legislation that delivered a blow to traditional
Inuit sealing in Canada. Angry Inuk follows Inuit lawyer
and activist Aaju Peters, filmmaker Alethea ArnaquqBaril and students of the Nunavut Sivuniksavut
school as they campaign to challenge perceptions
of Inuit sealing.
50 min | Alethea Arnaquq-Baril
33
Unikkaat Studios Inc. | NFB
GO TO INDEX
COMING SOON
THE DANNY
PROJECT
GRASSROOTS
IN DRY LANDS
HADWIN’S JUDGEMENT
Politics, Society
Human Rights, Middle East, Politics
Environment, Justice
This vibrant documentary portrait looks at the
Grassroots in Dry Lands tells the story of three
From the producing teams behind the acclaimed
life and legacy of Newfoundland and Labrador’s
unconventional social workers united by a common
Searching for Sugar Man and Stories We Tell comes
charismatic game-changing premier, Danny Williams.
vision that transcends the antagonisms between their
Hadwin’s Judgement, the true story of Grant
countries. Nuha, from Nablus (Occupied Palestinian
Hadwin, a logger-turned-environmentalist who
Territories), Talal, from East Amman (Jordan), and
mysteriously disappeared after singlehandedly
Amit, from Sderot (Israel) are empowering some
destroying North America’s most sacred tree,
of the region’s most disenfranchised, war-scarred
the Golden Spruce.
communities in an effort to build a just and civil society.
85 min | Justin Simms
90 min | Helene Klodawsky
90 min | Sasha Snow
NFB
InformAction Films Inc. | NFB
True West | Passion Pictures | NFB
34
GO TO INDEX
COMING SOON
UYGHURS:
PRISONERS
OF THE ABSURD
THE WALL
Human Rights, Justice, Politics
Animation, Human Rights, Middle East
The incredible odyssey of a group of men from
In his monologue Wall, acclaimed British playwright and director David Hare explores both sides of the barrier
China’s persecuted Uyghur minority, detained in
separating Israel and Palestine, a divide that will eventually be over four times as long as the Berlin Wall and,
Guantánamo as terrorists. Exposing the cold logic
in parts, twice as high. Cam Christensen’s accomplished cinematic adaptation of the work blends motion
of post–September 11 geopolitical gamemasters
capture, illustration, photography, live action and hand-drawn animation.
who flout international law as they shift their pawns,
this documentary is part human drama, part political
thriller, and both thought-provoking and moving.
90 min | Patricio Henríquez
70 min | Cam Christensen
Macumba DOC inc. | NFB
NFB
35
GO TO INDEX
ANIMATION
ANIMATION
BIG TREES
Humour, Music
How far will Odile go to preserve her apartment’s
ocean-view panorama when tree leaves start
to encroach? This brilliantly animated musical is
punctuated by tango and leavened with whimsical
visual styles.
12 min | Ann Marie Fleming
36
NFB
GO TO INDEX
ANIMATION
BUS STORY
THE END OF PINKY
FLOCONS
Humour, Youth
3D, Arts, Society
Cinema, Music
This new short comedy from Tali, the animator behind
Adapting award-winning author Heather O’Neill’s short
After discovering fascinating outtakes from Norman
At Home with Mrs. Hen (2006), was inspired by
story, filmmaker Claire Blanchet uses hand-drawn
McLaren’s A Chairy Tale, Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre
the filmmaker’s misadventures as a school bus driver
pencil and pastel animation, rendered in stereoscopic
crafts a black-and-white short set to the music
in Quebec’s Eastern Townships.
3D, to craft a distinctively seedy but poignant Montreal
of Tchaikovsky and featuring renowned filmmaker
noir about three fatefully interconnected lives.
Claude Jutra.
11 min | Tali
8 min | 2D, 3D | Claire Blanchet
2 min | Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre
NFB
NFB
MJSTP Films Inc.
JUNIOR JURY AWARD
ANNECY INTERNATIONAL
ANIMATED FILM FESTIVAL
ANNECY, 2014
37
GO TO INDEX
ANIMATION
THE FOX AND
THE CHICKADEE
GLORIA VICTORIA
HOLLOW LAND
Family, Youth
Arts, Experimental
Human Rights
This charming animated fable tells the story of a
Theodore Ushev explores the relationship between art
This evocative animated film captures the unsettled
starving fox who stumbles upon a lone chickadee
and war in this animated work. Combining elements
state of those who find themselves displaced –
caught in a farmer’s trap.
of surrealism and cubism, Gloria Victoria rallies us to
whether by circumstance or by choice.
battle in order to mourn the dead and plead for peace.
FIPRESCI AWARD
ANNECY INTERNATIONAL
ANIMATED FILM FESTIVAL
ANNECY, 2013
BEST FILM
FANTOCHE INTERNATIONAL
ANIMATION FILM FESTIVAL
BADEN, 2013
ALBERTO SÁNCHEZ
SPECIAL AWARD
INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL
HUESCA, 2013
SPECIAL MENTION
ANIMAFEST
ATHENS, 2014
BEST ANIMATION AWARD
BROOKLYN
FILM FESTIVAL
BROOKLYN, 2014
8 min | Evan DeRushie
7 min | Theodore Ushev
14 min | Michelle Kranot; Uri Kranot
Cuppa Coffee Studios
NFB
Dansk Tegnefilm | Les Films de l’Arlequin | NFB
GO TO INDEX
38
ANIMATION
IMPROMPTU
MARY & MYSELF
MINOTAUR
Food, Humour
History, Human Rights, Women
3D, Experimental
The chaos of a last-minute dinner party provides
Sam Decoste’s documentary offers a poetic tale about
In Munro Ferguson’s new short, the Mythic Hero
the backdrop for a quiet epiphany about embracing
the hidden history of the so-called “comfort women.”
journeys through a life cycle of abstract landscapes,
life’s rich pageant.
progressing from birth to death and finally, to rebirth.
Created stereoscopically with groundbreaking
Sandde™ 3D animation software, Minotaur also
features music by Kid Koala.
BEST SHORT
FOOD FILM
FOOD FILM FESTIVAL
AMSTERDAM, 2014
10 min | Bruce Alcock
7 min | Sam Decoste
7 min | Munro Ferguson
Global Mechanic Inc. | NFB
NFB
NFB
39
GO TO INDEX
ANIMATION
MONSIEUR PUG
NAUGHTY
TO NICE
NO FISH
WHERE TO GO
Society, Technology
Family, Humour
Arts, Human Rights
Monsieur Pug is no ordinary pooch! He’s a dog with
In this charming live-action puppet feature, a little
Based on Marie-Francine Hébert’s 2003 book,
bad cholesterol and high blood pressure who loves
boy learns that being good simply to get presents
this modern tale offers a poetic and surprising
pie and ice cream and relaxes by making origami.
from Santa has nothing to do with the true meaning
consideration of intolerance and the consequences
But he is also a paranoiac, convinced he’s the target
of Christmas.
of war.
in a vast conspiracy. But is Monsieur Pug even a real
dog to begin with?
FIPRESCI PRIZE
ANNECY INTERNATIONAL
ANIMATED FILM FESTIVAL
ANNECY, 2014
10 min | Janet Perlman
25 min | Judd Palmer
12 min | Nicola Lemay; Janice Nadeau
NFB
Old Trout Film Division | NFB
NFB
40
GO TO INDEX
ANIMATION
PILOTS ON
THE WAY HOME
RAINY DAYS
A SEA TURTLE
STORY
Sexuality
Society
3D, Children, Wildlife
Making brilliant use of the technique of animating with
For this wistful tale of an elderly Japanese man
This moving and exquisite stop-motion animated
sand, this new work by renowned Estonian animators
reminiscing about the moments that almost changed
film chronicles the life cycle of a critically
Pritt and Olga Pärn tells the story of three aviators who
his life, the precise, delicate animation was created
endangered species.
inexplicably find themselves stranded in the middle
via a unique technique involving drawing with black
of the desert.
tea and ink on paper.
BEST ANIMATED FILM
INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH
BEST OF THE ICFILMFEST
ZLÍN, 2013
16 min | Pritt Pärn; Olga Pärn
8 min | Vladimir Leschiov
10 min | 2D, 3D | Kathy Shultz
Eesti Joonisfilm | NFB
Lunohod Animation Studio | NFB
NFB
ICFILMFEST
CHICAGO, 2013
41
GO TO INDEX
ANIMATION
SOIF
SOUP OF
THE DAY
THE WEATHERMAN AND
THE SHADOWBOXER
Society, Women
Humour, Music
Family, Society
This tragedy in five acts is centered on a woman
Lynn Smith’s gouache animations and a charming
In this animation/live-action hybrid short, director
who must confront her thirst for alcohol, an
doo-wop song by Canadian songwriter Zander Ary
Randall Okita looks into the eyes of the two-headed
obsession that has become the essence of her being.
bring to life a deliciously funny tale about a couple
beast that is brotherhood. Two adult siblings, scarred
Michèle Cournoyer works with black ink on paper
trying to work through their culinary differences.
in their own ways by dark events in their childhoods,
to render dazzling metamorphoses in this hard-
have grown up and apart, absorbing their histories
hitting short.
in very different ways. But when crisis arises, their
brotherly bonds pull them back together, for better
or worse. Are we ever whole and single individuals,
SICAF CHOICE AWARD
SEOUL INTERNATIONAL CARTOON
& ANIMATION FESTIVAL
or are we always interconnected pieces or halves
of a larger thing?
SEOUL, 2013
9 min | Michèle Cournoyer
4 min | Lynn Smith
10 min | Randall Okita
Unité centrale | NFB
NFB
NFB
42
GO TO INDEX
ANIMATION
SUBCONSCIOUS
PASSWORD
THIRD PAGE
FROM THE SUN
3D, Humour
Experimental, Music
Directed by Chris Landreth, the filmmaker behind the Oscar®-winning short Ryan, Subconscious Password
This animation film explores issues ranging from
uses a common social gaffe – forgetting somebody’s name – as the starting point for a mind-bending romp
ephemerality and obsolescence in the digital age to the
through the unconscious.
practice of recycling.
BEST ANIMATED SHORT
CANADIAN
SCREEN AWARDS
TORONTO, 2014
THE CRISTAL FOR BEST SHORT
ANNECY INTERNATIONAL
ANIMATED FILM FESTIVAL
ANNECY, 2013
BEST ANIMATION
NY SHORTS FEST
NEW YORK, 2014
11 min | 3D | Chris Landreth
6 min | Theodore Ushev
NFB
NFB
43
GO TO INDEX
INTERACTIVE
INTERACTIVE
BUBBLE
DANCERS
To be a dish-washer is to be invisible, hidden within
a cloud of steam, drowned out by the clatter of cutlery
and the clanging of pots. Bringing the dish pit to
the desktop, Bubble Dancers enters the restaurant
industry through the back doors and alleyways,
and introduces us to workers whose voices are
rarely heard.
Interactive | Mark Hoffe
44
Mad Mummer Media Inc. | NFB
GO TO INDEX
INTERACTIVE
THE DEVIL’S
TOY REDUX
MONTREAL NEW YORK SINGAPORE BOR VICTORIAVILLE VANCOUVER LYON BAD DURKHEIM LOS ANGELES JOHANNESBURG ATHENS
The Devil’s Toy Redux is a kickflip in New York City that lands in South Africa. It’s a railslide that starts with Claude Jutra’s 1966 original film and ends in your browser
window. Audiences can jump from country to country, theme to theme and era to era through eleven productions. Presented alongside the original 1966 film,
The Devil’s Toy Redux is an invitation to see skateboarding through a variety of cultural lenses.
Related: see SHORTS section
Interactive | Alex Leduc
45
ARTE | NFB
GO TO INDEX
INTERACTIVE
THE FAITH PROJECT
FORT MCMONEY
HIGHRISE
This interactive documentary project features
This multi-award-winning interactive documentary
HIGHRISE is a multi-year, multi-media, collaborative
evocative short films about prayer in the modern
game is set in Fort McMurray, Alberta, a town of
documentary experiment about the human experience
world. Journey into the hearts of seven major faiths
excesses where over 1.5 million barrels of oil are
in global vertical suburbs. The HIGHRISE project
– into inner, personal landscapes that are sacred yet
extracted every day. Fort McMoney invites players
includes: A Short History of the Highrise; Out My
surprisingly accessible.
into the heart of the petroleum industry to decide
Window; and One Millionth Tower.
the future of the world’s largest energy project.
Related: see SHORTS section.
Related: see ENVIRONMENT section
1ST PRIZE CATEGORY
WORLD PRESS PHOTO
MULTIMEDIA CONTEST
MERIT AWARD
PHOTOGRAPHY
ONE SHOW INTERACTIVE
AMSTERDAM, 2014
Interactive | Lea Marin; Gerry Flahive
Interactive | David Dufresne
Interactive | Katerina Cizek
NFB
TOXA | NFB
The New York Times | NFB
NEW YORK, 2014
46
GO TO INDEX
INTERACTIVE
MAKING MOVIE
HISTORY: A PORTRAIT
IN 61 PARTS
SEVEN DIGITAL
DEADLY SINS
SIMILKAMEEN
CROSSROADS
Composed of 61 profiles, Making Movie History
Pride, lust, greed, gluttony, envy, wrath and sloth
Driving east along the Crowsnest Highway, exiting
offers an anecdotal portrait of the NFB’s place
– the seven deadly sins have an ancient history.
the old mining town of Hedley, BC, travellers come
in Canadian cinema through the stories of some
From the greed driving online traders to the envy of
across an early 20th-century chapel perched atop a
of its artists, rebels and dreamers.
the anonymous troll, this interactive documentary looks
hill on the Upper Similkameen Reserve. Similkameen
at the moral dilemmas of digital society and asks how
Crossroads pulls off the highway to explore the
technology is reshaping our beliefs and everyday lives.
church and the land around it, stopping long enough
to learn its history and to meet its present.
Interactive | Joanne Robertson; Denys Desjardins
Interactive | Loc Dao
Interactive | Tyler Hagan
NFB
The Guardian | NFB
NFB
47
GO TO INDEX
INDEX
20 54 Hours
27 Alphée of the Stars
21 Anatomy
33 Angry Inuk
28 Ariel
12 Atanasoff: Father of the Computer
6 Bad Coyote
36 Big Trees
31 The Boxing Girls of Kabul
INDEX
44 Bubble Dancers
37 Bus Story
28 Chi
14 The Coca-Cola Case
21 CODA
34 The Danny Project
22 The Devil’s Toy
45 The Devil’s Toy Redux
37 The End of Pinky
28 Everything Will Be
13 Exile: A Myth Unearthed
46 The Faith Project
37 Flocons
48
INDEX
18 Norman McLaren: Animated Musician
15 Silence is Gold
7 Fort McMoney: The Film
7 Meltdown
47 Similkameen Crossroads
38 The Fox and the Chickadee
32 Mighty Jerome
42 Soif
7 The Fruit Hunters
39 Minotaur
24 Song for Cuba
38 Gloria Victoria
40 Monsieur Pug
42 Soup of the Day
34 Grassroots in Dry Lands
18 My Prairie Home
26 Stories From our Land 2.0
29 Guidelines
40 Naughty to Nice
10 Stories we Tell
34 Hadwin’s Judgement
30 NCR: Not Criminally Responsible
43 Subconscious Password
46 Highrise
40 No Fish Where to Go
43 Third Page from the Sun
38 Hollow Land
30 Out of Mind, Out of Sight
16 Trick or Treaty?
22 Home-Cooked Music
21 ORA
11 Triptych
29 Hue: A Matter of Colour
41 Pilots on the Way Home
8 Two Inuit Lives
9 Imagined States of America
15 Prosecutor
35 Uyghurs, Prisoners of the Absurd
39 Impromptu
8 Rainforest: The Limit of Splendour
35 The Wall
22 Island Green
41 Rainy Days
10 The Wanted 18
23 Jutra
41 A Sea Turtle Story
19 Wavemakers
32 Legend of a Warrior
24 Science at the Top of the World
42 The Weatherman and the Shadowboxer
23 Letters from Pyongyang
32 Secretariat’s Jockey, Ron Turcotte
30 Where I’m From
29 Little Big Girls
19 Seth’s Dominion
16 Wiebo’s War
47 Making Movie History: A Portrait in 61 Parts
47 Seven Digital Deadly Sins
8 The Wings of Johnny May
17 Maria Chapdelaine
19 The Short Apology of Albert Batch
39 Mary & Myself
25 A Short History of the Highrise
46 Fort McMoney
49
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