September 18, 2014 - Montreal, Quebec - National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) will have a prominent place at the Festival international du film francophone de Namur (FIFF), where three of its films have been selected to screen, including Jean-François Caissy’s feature-length La marche à suivre (Guidelines), slated to open the documentary section. Produced by Johanne Bergeron at the NFB, the film continues its festival tour after a world premiere in Berlin and a prestigious award-win in Lisbon. Caissy will be in Namur along with his film to sit on the jury for the feature-film competition.
Two NFB films are screening in the out-of-competition section: Nul poisson où aller (No Fish Where to Go), by Nicola Lemay and Janice Nadeau (FIFF Campus/Young Audience section), and Triptych, by Robert Lepage and Pedro Pires (Regards du présent section). Nul poisson où aller recently won the FIPRESCI Prize at the Festival international du film d’animation d’Annecy, one of the world’s oldest and most important celebrations of animated film.
From October 3 to 10, 2014, the 29th annual FIFF will feature a wide selection of fiction, animated and documentary films, reflecting the diversity of the francophonie and the excellence of its cinema. Presided over by Olivier Gourmet, and founded in 1986, the event awards the “Bayard d’Or” to winners in various competitive categories, in addition to several other prizes. This year, La marche à suivre will be eligible for the People’s Choice, Documentary award.
Quick Facts
Three NFB films will be screened at the 29th annual Festival international du film francophone de Namur:
Documentary section (opening film)
• La marche à suivre, Jean-François Caissy (76 min.)
-A work of patient observation, the documentary La marche à suivre chronicles the sometimes hard reality of teenagers at a rural high school. The film gradually reveals the hidden inner drama of the teenage experience, teetering as it does between vulnerability and indifference. World Pulse Award at the International Independent Film Festival in Lisbon. Producer: NFB (Johanne Bergeron).
-An independent photographer and filmmaker from the Gaspé region of Quebec, Jean-François Caissy has three critically acclaimed feature documentaries to his credit. His film La belle visite (2006) was selected at a number of international festivals, won an award at FICFA, and was nominated for a Jutra and a Genie.
Out-of-Competition: Campus/Young Audience section
• Nul poisson où aller, Nicola Lemay and Janice Nadeau (12 min.)
-In this modern tale about the consequences of war, a young girl and her family are driven out of their home, but the girl’s painful exile is brightened by her friendship with a student from an opposing clan in her town. FIPRESCI Prize at the Festival international du film d’animation d’Annecy. Producer: NFB (Marc Bertrand).
-Art director and animator Nicola Lemay is the director of The Star Eater, Noël Noël and Private Eyes. Illustrator Janice Nadeau has won three Governor General’s Awards, including one for her illustrations in Marie-Francine Hébert’s book Nul poisson où aller.
Out-of-Competition: Regards du présent section
• Triptych, Robert Lepage and Pedro Pires (95 min.)
-A contemporary urban saga that tells the story of Michelle, a schizophrenic bookseller, Marie, a singer and actress, and Thomas, a German neurologist. In this study of human communication in all its forms and complexity, these three lives intersect in their quests for personal identity and a burning desire for self-expression. Producer: Productions du 8e art (Lynda Beaulieu), in association with the NFB.
-Robert Lepage is an internationally renowned playwright, stage director, actor, and film director (Nô, Possible Worlds, Far Side of the Moon). In 2012, he joined forces with visual artist and director Pedro Pires (Danse macabre, HOPE) to co-direct the three short films that make up Triptych.
The 29th annual Festival international du film francophone de Namur will take place from October 3 to 10, 2014. Last year, the festival screened 76 feature films and 71 short films for 32,000 spectators and 520 participants.
Guidelines will also open the Carrousel international du film de Rimouski on September 24 and will be in official competition in the documentary section of the BFI London Film Festival, taking place October 8 to 19.
Associated Links
Festival international du film francophone de Namur : fiff.be/
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Media Relations
Nadine Viau, NFB Publicist
Tel.: 514-496-4486
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E-mail: l.robert@nfb.ca
About the NFB
Beginning May 2, 2014, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) marks 75 years of innovation and leadership in social-issue documentaries, auteur animation, and most recently, groundbreaking interactive works. The NFB has produced over 13,000 productions and won over 5,000 awards, including 10 Webbys, 9 Canadian Screen Awards, 12 Oscars and more than 90 Genies. To access acclaimed NFB content, visit NFB.ca or download its apps for smartphones, tablets and connected TV.
