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Documentary

Explore the world of documentary—including biography, history, social and political issues, global cultures, and aboriginal topics.

Ever Deadly: A Conversation with Tanya Tagaq and Chelsea McMullan

Ever Deadly: A Conversation with Tanya Tagaq and Chelsea McMullan

Tagaq’s co-director and collaborator, Chelsea McMullan, didn’t exactly know what they were in for when the two joined forces for Ever Deadly, which is ostensibly a documentary about Tagaq but also functions as a concert doc, and a love letter to Inuit culture.

Voices Across The Water: How We Made a Movie About How People Make Canoes

Voices Across The Water: How We Made a Movie About How People Make Canoes

One of the best parts about sharing a film at festivals is being able to field great questions and feed audience curiosity, often by sharing anecdotes about what happened behind the scenes. Here are some of the stories we got to share in-person with audiences over the past months.

Why?: Courageous conversations on sexual violence against teens

Why?: Courageous conversations on sexual violence against teens

“If there’s one film I have to make, it’s this one.” This message to NFB producer Denis McCready is what initially got Why?—a film on sexual violence and teens—off the ground.

Someone Like Me: Big Risk, Big Reward

Someone Like Me: Big Risk, Big Reward

It’s 2017 and we’re meeting Chris Morrissey, the founder of Rainbow Refugee, at an Italian cafe on a Tuesday afternoon in East Vancouver.

Perfecting the Art of Longing: A Journey Through Memory, Family and Faith

Perfecting the Art of Longing: A Journey Through Memory, Family and Faith

Using footage from security cameras, as well as video-call footage and home-video archives, Perfecting the Art of Longing is acclaimed filmmaker Kitra Cahana’s powerful collaboration with her father, Rabbi Ronnie Cahana, who suffered a devastating brainstem stroke that left him “locked in”.

The Jewish Community as seen by the NFB | Curator’s Perspective

The Jewish Community as seen by the NFB | Curator’s Perspective

Two National Film Board of Canada documentaries are highlighted to celebrate Canadian Jewish Heritage Month.

White Noise: From Despair to Revolution

White Noise: From Despair to Revolution

As I write these words, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has just published its latest report. Unsurprisingly, its predictions, like those of the previous report, are absolutely terrifying.

The Lady and the Owl: Rehabilitating Injured Birds | Curator’s Perspective

The Lady and the Owl: Rehabilitating Injured Birds | Curator’s Perspective

The 1975 National Film Board documentary The Lady and the Owl highlights a retired couple rehabilitating injured owls in Ontario.

Star Wars Kid: “This is the story of a man marked by an image from his childhood”

Star Wars Kid: “This is the story of a man marked by an image from his childhood”

Overnight, Ghyslain’s digital doppelgänger was drawn out of the shadows and into harsh light. That stolen moment even gave rise to a modern myth that, almost 20 years later, has taken control of part of his life story.

Inuit Cinema at the NFB | Curator’s Perspective

Inuit Cinema at the NFB | Curator’s Perspective

This week’s NFB.ca debut of the documentary Evan’s Drum (2021), by Inuit filmmaker Ossie Michelin, provides an opportunity to give an overview of Inuit cinema at the NFB.

Evan’s Drum: Keeping the Inuit Drumbeat Alive

Evan’s Drum: Keeping the Inuit Drumbeat Alive

When I was a child growing up in Labrador, I never heard the sound of traditional Inuit drum dancing. It wasn’t until I was a young adult that I heard the rhythmic beat of the drum and witnessed the fluid movement of the drum dancers.

Blades and Brass: Hockey with a Twist | Curator’s Perspective

Blades and Brass: Hockey with a Twist | Curator’s Perspective

The 1967 short documentary Blades and Brass combines hockey action with Mexican brass music. It was a hit in Canada and all over the world.