On the surface, the documentary Anything for Fame might seem like it’s observing what a handful of influencers and content creators will do for glory. But 10 minutes in, you begin to understand that this film is really about a business model that’s skewed heavily in favour of huge online platforms, while those who create the content that generates traffic to these sites struggle to reap any of the rewards. The sometimes-rough quality of videos that appear on social media can make it seem like this content magically happens with little effort, but the reality is that hard work goes into even th ..read more

Guest writer Alexandra Ouchev heaps praise and some playful shade on her distinguished dad, world-renowned animator Theodore Ushev. “Alex, my daughter, I love you!” is the message I receive from Theodore Ushev, the filmmaker.  “What do you want?” is what I reply. “NFB wants you to write a text about me?” I honestly don’t know why they would ask me to do this, because I will make fun of him, but I can only accept such a request. This is my once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to embarrass him in the most respectful way possible. But let me introduce myself first, before we make this all about my ..read more

I’ve been making my own ink for almost 10 years now as the founder of the Toronto Ink Company. This urban-foraged ink company began in my kitchen with an ingredient that literally fell from a tree. It was a black walnut. Black walnuts look a bit like limes and can be found on the ground in the autumn, at the base of a tree that’s common throughout North America and Europe. I knew that black walnuts could be made into ink because of a small bottle of the stuff that I’d bought years before, when I was living in New York, working as an illustrator. Jason Logan is an internationally recognized des ..read more

“You can smell the difference between smooth rock and jagged.” This is quintessential Tanya Tagaq—casually brilliant, sometimes playful, and effortlessly evocative to the point where almost every declaration and observation stops the listener in their tracks. It’s not so much a game of metaphor, lyric or poem, but rather another facet of Tagaq’s immutable, irrepressible artistry. Her creativity, her connection to the land, to nuna, is voracious and tender, embodied and whole, untameable and, as the film promises, ever deadly. Tagaq’s co-director and collaborator, Chelsea McMullan, didn’t exact ..read more

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. Fritz Mueller and Teresa Earle own and operate Sagafish Media, a Yukon production company centred on storytelling in Canada’s North. Their feature documentary Voices Across The Water follows two master boat builders, Alaskan Tlingit carver Wayne Price and Francophone artist Halin de Repentigny, as they practice their ..read more

“If there’s one film I have to make, it’s this one. If I get up in the morning wanting to make a difference, this film will let me do that.” This message to NFB producer Denis McCready is what initially got Why?—a film on sexual violence and teens—off the ground. Franco-Manitoban filmmaker Danielle Sturk has been creating documentaries, experimental films, dramatic series and TV specials since 2004. Her latest film Why? Sexual Violence and Teens is now available on nfb.ca. Ambitious? Yes. Naïve? No doubt. But also an emotional appeal that insisted on being heard. It’s one thing to survive sexu ..read more

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. It’s the summer of “Despacito” and you can hear the song everywhere on Commercial Drive: on car stereos, through the open doors of barbershops, in the tinny speakers above vegetable stands. Proud members of the LGBTQ+ community, Sean Horlor and Steve J. Adams have directed and produced more than 20 projects together, including the award-winning short The Day Don Died (Hot Docs 2019) and Brunch Queen (Inside Out 2018). Someone Like Me is their first feature-l ..read more

In 2011, Rabbi Ronnie Cahana suffered a devastating brainstem stroke that left him “locked in”, only able to communicate through the blinking of his eyes. In the years that followed, the beloved poet and community leader regained some power of speech but remained paralyzed, requiring round-the-clock assistance at a long-term-care facility in Montreal, Quebec. When the pandemic lockdown hit, he found himself completely isolated and cut off from his loved ones, connecting only through screens. Using footage from security cameras, as well as video-call footage and home-video archives, Perfec ..read more

I often get questions from my colleagues and friends about the different customs and traditions of Judaism. While I am far from being the most knowledgeable on the subject, I try my best to explain the basic laws and traditions associated with being a Jew, some of which are quite complex. As May is officially Jewish Heritage Month in Canada, I thought I would write about two vastly different films from our collection that focus on the history of Jews in Canada as well as the most important traditions observed by Jews all over the world. The People of the Book, released in 1973, is a sort of “J ..read more

As I write these words, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has just published its latest report. Unsurprisingly, its predictions, like those of the previous report, are absolutely terrifying. The findings are unequivocal: If humans do not alter their current course, the world of tomorrow will be nightmarish. Simon Beaulieu has written and directed three feature-length documentaries exploring the issues of the artist’s engagement with society: Lemoyne (2005), Godin (2011) and Miron: un homme revenu d’en dehors du monde (2014). White Noise, Beaulieu’s fourth feat ..read more