This Week on NFB.ca : Are you talking to me? An exploration of communication.
This Week on NFB.ca : Are you talking to me? An exploration of communication.
This week on NFB.ca, we explored the theme of communication. Effective communication forms the basis for any civilized society. It’s an essential need. Those who are good communicators often do well life, yet so many still seem to struggle with it.
We selected a variety of films on the topic; some are funny, some serious, and some downright poetic. Enjoy!
Family: A Loving Look at CBC Radio
Radio was one of the earliest forms of long-distance communication. Here we get to meet the unique cast of characters who made up the CBC coast-to-coast family during the early 1990s. Not only do we get to meet the personalities involved, we also get a first-hand look at how complicated producing radio across six times zones can be!
Family: A Loving Look at CBC Radio, Donald Brittain & Robert Duncan, provided by the National Film Board of Canada
Dashan – Ambassador to China’s Funny Bone
A guy walks into a comedy club in China… No, this is not the beginning of a bad joke. It’s the true story of Canada’s Mark Rowswell, a comedian who is virtually unknown at home, but a star in China. Think Jerry Lewis and France.
Dashan – Ambassador to China’s Funny Bone, Guy Nantel, provided by the National Film Board of Canada
Invasion of the Space Lobsters
Ever since watching Arrival, I’ve wondered if Denis Villeneuve was inspired by this film. I mean, he did pass through these halls; he must be familiar with it. But seriously, this is one of my all-time favourite shorts about how failures in communication can lead to panic and pandemonium, B-movie-style.
Invasion of the Space Lobsters , Janet Perlman, provided by the National Film Board of Canada
Tourist Go Home
This little film-within-a-film is a lesson in purposeful miscommunication. Or propaganda. It’s about a group of “anti-tourists” who are trying to devise a way to keep Americans out of Canada. They think our country’s beauty should be for us only. So, they come up with a way to show would-be tourists a very, very unflattering side of our supposedly polite society.
