Montreal – The month of November will see even more films made available for free streaming on nfb.ca, with a generous and diverse selection drawn from the NFB’s studios across the country.
This latest curated offering shines the spotlight on documentary creation at the NFB, with five feature films making their online debuts, including several award winners: Beyond Paper, directed by Oana Suteu Khintirian, Anything for Fame by Tyler Funk, Lay Down Your Heart by Marie Clements, KOROMOUSSO: Big Sister by Habibata Ouarme and Jim Donovan, and The Secret Order by Phil Comeau. Three themed channels are also available, complementing a number of new documentaries.
In all, nfb.ca now features more than 6,000 online films and a collection of more than 100 interactive works.
- Halloween Channel
Fill a bowl with candy and turn out the lights: this chilling channel features 27 animated films that will have you quaking in fright.
Starting November 1
- Beyond Paper by Oana Suteu Khintirian (2022, NFB’s Quebec, Canadian Francophonie & Acadian Documentary Studio)
Feature documentary (130 min)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/beyond-paperIn the age of the virtual revolution, a filmmaker travels the world, navigating between the paper and digital realms to understand the future of human memory and the transmission of knowledge. A fascinating, personal quest with universal resonance. The film has been selected by festivals both in Canada and internationally, and won the Best Feature Film – Documentary award at the Festival cinéma du monde de Sherbrooke. It was also released theatrically in Quebec and Toronto, and embarked on a series of successful public screenings in libraries across the country.
Starting November 8
- Anything for Fame by Tyler Funk (2023, North of Now Films / NFB’s BC & Yukon Studio)
Feature documentary (85 min)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/anything-for-fameIn the ruthless “attention economy” of the Internet, young influencers gamble everything for fame-‘n’-fortune. A startling and timely study of contemporary celebrity, Anything for Fame ventures into the virtual Wild West to profile an ambitious—and reckless—new breed of content creator. - Being Young Channel
A selection of about 20 animated and documentary films released between the 1960s and now, depicting young people and their unique perspectives, featuring Star Wars Kid: The Rise of the Digital Shadows (2022) by Mathieu Fournier, among others.
Starting November 13
Lay Down Your Heart by Marie Clements (2022, NFB’s BC & Yukon Studio)
Feature documentary (70 min)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/laydownyourheart
An intimate look into the mind of Niall McNeil, an artist and performer with Down syndrome, and his unique chosen family. Niall introduces us to his many “family members,” his multiple “children,” his renowned “ex-wife” and director of the film Marie Clements, and other bonds forged through open-hearted creativity. The film won the Audience Award – Portraits at the 2022 Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF).
Starting November 25 – to mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
KOROMOUSSO: Big Sister by Habibata Ouarme and Jim Donovan (2023, NFB’s Quebec, Canadian Francophonie & Acadian Documentary Studio)
Feature documentary (75 min)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/koromousso
- Filled with candor, hope and courage, the film features a group of African-Canadian women who break cultural taboos surrounding female sexuality, support each other in overcoming the trauma of female genital mutilation, and take back ownership of their bodies. The film premiered at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival (Toronto, London and New York City) and received an honourable mention in the feature documentary category at the Female Eye Film Festival in Toronto. It has just been selected to screen at the Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM).
- Women’s Rights and Emancipation ChannelThis selection of over 25 animated and documentary films challenges cultural taboos surrounding women’s rights, their sexuality and their fight for bodily autonomy. Just out of the vaults, don’t miss Black, Bold and Beautiful (1999) by Nadine Valcin and The Best Time of My Life: Portraits of Women in Mid-life (1985) by Patricia Watson.
Starting November 28
- The Secret Order by Phil Comeau (2022, NFB’s Quebec, Canadian Francophonie & Acadian Documentary Studio, in collaboration with Unis TV)
Feature documentary (85 min)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/the-secret-orderPhil Comeau shines a spotlight on the Ordre de Jacques-Cartier, a powerful secret society that operated from 1926 to 1965, infiltrating every sector of Canadian society. A gripping portrait of the social and political struggles of Canadian francophone-minority communities. The film received a special jury award as well as the Coup de cœur du public (people’s choice award) at FICFA 2022, along with a Documentary Feature Special Jury Award at the Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival in Lafayette, Louisiana. It will be broadcast on Unis TV on Monday, November 27, at 9 p.m. EST. - Unusual Stories Channel
Strange and mysterious stories, unusual and bizarre situations, unique and incredible characters! This is what makes up this selection of 18 unusual films, both animation and documentaries. Watch Lynn Smith’s What Rhymes with Toxic (2021), among others.