6 shorts, 3 feature-length documentaries & 1 alternative drama

The National Film Board of Canada is proud to announce that 10 films have been selected to premiere at the 31st edition of the Montreal World Film Festival (August 23-September 3). For the 21st consecutive year the NFB will also present the Norman McLaren Award in the Canadian Student Film Festival.

Visit www.nfb.ca/ffm for more information.

 Diverse in subject, form and length, these 10 films provide a window on the realities of Canadian life today through finely crafted stories, be they dark and alarming or uplifting and optimistic. As a public producer, the NFB is committed to telling stories that might otherwise not get told and to do so in thought-provoking and original ways. This year’s selection reflects that commitment to content and creativity. Pressing contemporary social issues are underscored, from human rights to challenges facing new immigrants, from the environment, to the toll that war takes on soldiers’ wives, to name a few. Seasoned filmmakers present their latest films: Helene Klodawsky Family Motel, David Paperny (Confessions of an Innocent Man), Jason Young (Inside Time), Rosie Dransfeld (The Dogwalker) and John Wesley Chisholm (Buried at Sea). And as a strong supporter of emerging filmmakers NFB introduces the works of Belinda Oldford (Come Again in Spring), Werner Walcher (River of Life), Claire Corriveau (Les Épouses de l’armée), Marten Berkman (Adrenaline Bach) and Daniel Léger (Un Dimanche à 105 ans).

World Competition (Short Films)

Come Again in Spring

Come Again in Spring is a gentle animated tale about mortality that works in subliminal ways. Can we negotiate our time on earth? How does each one of us reconcile our mortal fate? A lyrical look, exquisitely animated, at a reality as old as humanity and as young as today. This marks Belinda Oldford’s first professional film.

Focus on World Cinema

Family Motel (Feature Alternative Drama)

Montreal-based filmmaker Helene Klodawsky presents a vibrant contemporary alternative drama fired by a trio of remarkable debut performances. Finding inspiration in the alternative dramas pioneered at the NFB as well as community-based storytelling, Family Motel uses improvisational approaches to tell the story of Ayan and her daughters. New to Canada and refugees from Somalia, the family face eviction for late payment of rent and end up living in a motel. Blurring the lines between documentary and drama, Family Motel is an authentic tale about falling through the cracks in a land of plenty – and a stirring portrait of dignity under fire. Family Motel features music by Somali-Canadian rap artist K’naan and is produced by Ina Fichman (Instinct Films) and Ravida Din (NFB). Filmoption International is the Canadian distributor.

Documentaries of the World

Confessions of an Innocent Man (Feature Documentary)

Canadian citizen William Sampson was imprisoned and tortured for 31 months in a Saudi jail for a crime he did not commit. Forced to confess to a terrorist bombing and murder, he was summarily sentenced to death by beheading – in a country western governments call an ally. Confessions of an Innocent Man is a frightening, dramatic documentary about one man’s struggle to survive injustice, brutality and the geo-politics that condone them. The film is directed by Academy Award-nominated David Paperny, produced by Paperny Films (Terence McKeown, David Paperny, Trevor Hodgson) in co-production with the National Film Board of Canada (Tracey Friesen). The film is narrated by Martin Sheen.

Les Épouses de l’armée

They’re civilians — yet the military runs their lives. Filmmaker Claire Corriveau paints a powerful picture of the difficult existence of women who, like herself, are married to members of Canada’s armed forces. Her explosive documentary gives a voice to these isolated wives, whose sacrifices make military operations possible. A first film by Claire Corriveau, produced by Claudette Jaiko (NFB).

The Dogwalker (Feature Documentary)

A moving cinéma-vérité account, The Dogwalker charts one man’s hard-fought battle to reconstruct a shattered identity in the wake of brain injury. Michael Borowski was struck by a car in Montreal at the age of six; he has been coping with the accident’s complicated after-effects ever since. But his pursuit of joy and balance has paid off. At 47, he has found a community of friends in Edmonton and an enviable sense of purpose in a routine that includes walking his neighbour’s dogs. The Dogwalker was directed by Rosie Dransfeld and produced by Dogwalker ID Productions (Rosie Dransfeld) and the National Film Board of Canada (Bonnie Thompson).

River of Life

The Yukon River Quest is the world’s longest annual canoe and kayak race. Athletes come from around the world to test their endurance, racing day and night along 740 kilometres of rugged river shoreline. River of Life chronicles the experience of one group of racers – the determined women who make up the Paddlers Abreast team – some of whom have been in remission for years; others, diagnosed with breast cancer as recently as a year ago. Candid and revealing, this beautifully realized documentary journeys alongside the women from the moment they climb into their boat in Whitehorse to the cheers that great them in Dawson City. River of Life is director Werner Walcher’s first NFB documentary, produced by Selwyn Jacobs (NFB).

Buried at Sea (Feature Documentary)

Barrels of hundreds of thousands of tonnes of the world’s most toxic materials lie scattered on the floor of the world’s oceans – in containers that are rusting away and releasing their lethal contents. John Wesley Chisholm’s Buried at Sea takes us on a journey to the Netherlands, Italy, Japan, Great Britain, Ireland, the United States and Germany to discover some of the most dangerous dumpsites in the world and to raise awareness for this global ticking time-bomb. Produced by John Wesley Chisholm (Arcadia Entertainment) and Kent Martin (NFB).

Focus on World Cinema (Short Film)

Adrenaline Bach

Tim Sellars is a triathlon athlete who trains among the forests, ridges and mists of Canada’s boreal mountains. Adrenaline Bach is a visually stunning short film that meditates on the inter-connectedness of human nature and the natural world. The film is shot against the startlingly beautiful landscape of the Yukon Territory. Director Marten Berkman was the winner of the 2006 Yukon Northern Sights Short Film Competition; produced by Selwyn Jacobs (NFB).

Documentaries of the World (Short Film)

Un Dimanche à 105 ans

A centenarian Acadian agrees to be filmed one Sunday as she goes about her daily routine and ruminates on life. Filmed by her great-grandson, Aldéa Pellerin-Cormier comments wisely on politics, sex and religion. From getting ready in the morning to drinking her nightcap before bed, every moment is punctuated with a witticism or existential thought. Respectful of the old lady’s privacy, Daniel Léger’s first documentary looks at wisdom, serenity and enjoyment of life. Un Dimanche à 105 ans is Daniel Léger’s first film and he is the winner of the NFB Tremplin competition for a short documentary. Un Dimanche à 105 ans is produced by Murielle Rioux-Poirier (NFB).

Inside Time

Bank robbers have long been romanticized in Western culture, but few have been able to tell their own story with as much self-awareness as Stephen Reid. This absorbing documentary is about an extraordinary man, a notorious member of the “Stopwatch gang” who once lived the crazy, frantic life of the outlaw bandit. Now sentenced to a prison cell for 18 years, Reid has a lot of time to reflect on the journey that brought him to this moment. Award-winning filmmaker Jason Young has harnessed music and image to shape an artful visual essay on the experience of time. Inside Time is produced by Kent Martin (NFB).