September 29, 2017 - Toronto -
National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

Santiago Bertolino’s National Film Board of Canada feature documentary on Canadian freelance journalist Jesse Rosenfeld, Freelancer on the Front Lines, screens Thursday, October 12, 2017, at 7:30 p.m. at the Famous Players Canada Square Cinemas as part of Toronto’s Reelworld Film Festival, with the wide-roving Canadian journalist in attendance for a Q&A.

Born and raised in Toronto, Jesse Rosenfeld has spent the last nine years reporting from the front lines on the biggest events shaping the Middle East. Bearing witness to war, occupation, revolution and counter revolution, Rosenfeld has gone to the heart of the stories that have transformed the region, telling his readers about the experiences of the people living through these unprecedented upheavals. He has reported from 15 countries throughout the Middle East, Europe and North America, for media outlets that include The Daily Beast, The Nation Magazine, Al Jazeera English, The Guardian, The National (Abu Dhabi), The Toronto Star, Le Monde diplomatique and NOW Magazine, among others.

Freelancer on the Front Lines follows his journey across the region, showing us thorny geopolitical realities shaped by the events transforming the Middle East and exploring how journalism practices have changed in the age of the Internet. Whether covering the dashed hopes of the Egyptian revolution, the upheavals in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from Ramallah or Gaza, the reality of refugee camps in Turkey, or the faultiness of Iraq’s bloody divisions, the film explores Rosenfeld’s mission to share the issues on the ground with his readers. But to cope with the new communications jungle, choose the subjects he wants and make the front page, he must set himself apart from traditional mass media. With the thrilling pace of an action film, Freelancer on the Front Lines captures the ups and downs

of a new and unconventional kind of journalism.

Written and directed by Santiago Bertolino, with the participation of Jesse Rosenfeld, Freelancer on the Front Lines was produced by Nathalie Cloutier and Denis McCready, and executive produced by Colette Loumède, for the NFB French Program’s Documentary Studio.

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The NFB is Canada’s public producer of award-winning creative documentaries, auteur animation, interactive stories and participatory experiences. NFB producers are embedded in communities across the country, from St. John’s to Vancouver, working with talented creators on innovative and socially relevant projects. The NFB is a leader in gender equity in film and digital media production, and is working to strengthen Indigenous-led production, guided by the recommendations of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. NFB productions have won over 5,000 awards, including 18 Canadian Screen Awards, 17 Webbys, 12 Oscars and more than 90 Genies. To access NFB works, visit NFB.ca or download our apps for mobile devices.