June forecast calls for sunny skies and new titles added to NFB.ca . Discover stories that shape our world—from documentaries to web-based art gaming, and the stories of LGBTQ2+ communities and Indigenous Peoples.  

May 27, 2021 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada

June means the return of warmer weather—and more content added to NFB.ca, streaming free of charge as always! Offerings from NFB studios across the country include the feature documentary Standing on the Line, by Paul Émile d’Entremont; the web-based generative art game Wayfinder, by Matt DesLauriers; and a series of four documentary shorts called The Lake Winnipeg Project, by Kevin Settee. The June programming lineup also reflects important annual celebrations acknowledging LGBTQ2+ communities and Indigenous Peoples. This culturally diverse selection joins the more than 4,000 titles already available on NFB.ca, not to mention our collection of some 100 interactive works, most of which are available for free online viewing.

Celebrating Pride Month

• Starting May 31: Standing on the Line by Paul Émile d’Entremont (2019, Canadian Francophonie Studio in Moncton)
  Feature-length documentary (80 min 30 s)
  Press kit (synopsis, biographies, images and credits): mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/standing-on-the-line
  
  In both amateur and professional sports, being gay remains taboo. The film takes a fresh look at some of our top athletes, who’ve joined their voices in support of the LGBTQ cause. We meet Canadian speed skater Anastasia Bucsis, who represented Canada in Sochi; former Montreal Impact player David Testo; and hockey personalities like Brock McGillis and Brendan Burke. The documentary screened at festivals across the country, from Vancouver to Halifax.

• LGBTQ2+ Channel: nfb.ca/channels/lgbtq2
  
  This selection of more than 40 short and feature-length doc and animated films continues to grow, with recent additions like I Am Skylar by Rachel Bower and Picture This by Jari Osborne, as well as important films dating back to the 1990s, including Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives by Aerlyn Weissman and Lynne Fernie—illustrating the various challenges and realities of members of the LGBTQ2+ communities over the years, and chronicling the evolution of our society.

Starting June 16

Wayfinder by Matt DesLauriers (2021, English Program Digital Studio) – NEW RELEASE
Web-based generative art game (5–15 min)
Press kit (synopsis, biographies, images and credits; link live as of May 26): mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/wayfinder

Wayfinder takes the user on a contemplative cause-and-effect journey through nature. Combining artificial intelligence, machine learning and generative processes, each experience is as unique and ephemeral as nature itself. Users move a mystical character through the landscape in search of poetic tokens which, when activated, reveal words hidden in the wind.

Marking National Indigenous Peoples Day, June 21

• The Lake Winnipeg Project by Kevin Settee (2021, North West Studio) – NEW RELEASE
  Four-part documentary series (total duration: 55 min)
  Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/the-lake-winnipeg-project
  
  Lake Winnipeg’s shores are home to many vibrant Indigenous communities, including the Anishinaabe, Cree and Métis. This Indigenous-led, community-engagement project explores the communities’ deep connection to the land and water at a time when many external forces are imposing change. The series includes four films: Matheson Island, Poplar River, Camp Morningstar and Fisher River.
  
  To learn more about the films and the communities, join the world premiere screening and panel discussion on June 21 at 6 p.m. CDT—a partnership with the NFB, the Winnipeg Art Gallery and Decolonizing Lens. Click here to register.

• Indigenous Cinema: nfb.ca/indigenous-cinema
  
  This web portal provides access to almost 240 titles in English—classics, recent productions and new additions—from the NFB’s collection of works by Indigenous filmmakers. Must-see offerings include films by the great Alanis Obomsawin, such as her latest, Jordan River Anderson, The Messenger, and the watershed documentary Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance; the powerful, award-winning nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up, directed by Tasha Hubbard; and Now Is the Time, directed by Christopher Auchter.

Learn more about the NFB’s filmmakers and its collection:

• nfb.ca/blog/category/directors-notes
• nfb.ca/blog/category/curators-perspective

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