The NFB is committed to respecting your privacy

We use cookies to ensure that our site works efficiently, as well as for advertising purposes.

If you do not wish to have your information used in this way, you can modify your browser settings before continuing your visit.

Learn more
Skip to content Accessibility

Lay Down Your Heart

A look into the life of Niall McNeil, an artist and performer with Down syndrome, and his remarkable chosen family.
Your rental expires on
None
You've already purchased this film.
Download it from My purchases.

Details

An intimate look into the mind of Niall McNeil, an artist and performer with Down syndrome, and his unique chosen family. In Lay Down Your Heart, Niall introduces us to his many “family members,” his multiple “children,” his renowned “ex-wife” and director of the film Marie Clements, and other bonds forged through open-hearted creativity.

People with disabilities Families Visual Arts Theater All subjects
  • writer
    Marie Clements
    Niall McNeil
  • director
    Marie Clements
  • featuring
    Niall McNeil
    Marie Clements
    Joan McNeil
    Lindsay Kenyon
    Steven Hill
    Lois Anderson
    James Gillespie
    Martin Julien
    Ken McNeil
    Peter Hinton
    Colin Heath
    Manon Beaudoin
    Paula Danckert
    Wayne Lavallee
    David Pullmer
    Mike Mckinlay
    James Boatman
    Richard Wilson
  • producer
    Shirley Vercruysse
  • line production
    Jennifer Roworth
  • director of photography
    Mike Mckinlay
  • editor
    Sarah Hedar
  • composer
    Wayne Lavallee
  • animator
    Kevin Langdale
  • production design
    James Boatman
  • original artwork
    Niall McNeil
  • wardrobe
    Yolonda Skelton
    Joleen Mitton
  • hair & make-up
    Sheleah Bradley
  • additional cinematography
    Christina Ienna
    Paul McCurdy
    Steven Turcotte
  • on-location sound recordist
    David Pullmer
    Ramsay Bourquin
    Nicholas Davey
    Gaëlle Komàr
    Zan Alexander Rosborough
  • gaffer
    Gaelen Cook
  • set decorator
    Richard Wilson
  • technical coordinator
    Wes Machnikowski
  • senior production coordinator
    Nicolas Ayerbe Barona
  • production coordinator
    Jas Calcitas
  • production assistant
    Alexa Carrenard Tremblay
    Rosey Tyler
    Roksan Parfitt
  • researcher
    Caroline Coutts
  • production consultant
    Joan McNeil
  • disability culture consultant
    Jan Derbyshire
  • visual effects artist
    Serge Verreault
    Bun Lee
  • colourist
    Serge Verreault
  • titles
    Kevin Langdale
    Cynthia Ouellet
  • musician
    Kathleen Nisbet
  • sound design
    Eva Madden
  • foley artist
    Drew Hagen
  • re-recording mixer
    Chris McIntosh
  • marketing manager
    Kay Rondonneau
  • publicist
    Katja De Bock
  • studio administrator
    Carla Jones
  • legal counsel
    Peter Kallianiotis
  • executive producer
    Shirley Vercruysse
Lay Down Your Heart
Purchase options
Licence information
Already paid to see this film?
Licensing information
Download-to-own (DTO) licence detail
Home licence (worldwide); Classroom licence (Canada only)

You may download this film for private, personal or classroom use only. Public screenings and institutional (non-educational institutions) uses are not permitted.

Download films in standard or high definition. (Please note that bonus materials are not available for DTO films.)

Institutional licence

To purchase an institutional licence or to buy a film that is not available for DTO or VOD on the platform, please contact us.

The institutional price includes the rights to screen the film in institutional settings and at free public screenings.

Additional instructions

DTO films cannot be hosted on a streaming server. To add DTO films to an institutional or educational streaming server, please contact a sales agent to discuss pricing.

You can copy each file up to 5 (five) times, onto various devices.