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Drama (31)
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Available in English Options
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Aloud/BagatelleDonald McWilliams 1983 6 minCanadian poet Earle Birney indulges his love of trains in this performance of his sound poem To Swindon from London by Britrail. In fluent "trainish," he interprets the experience of excursions by rail. Imagination sparked by the rhythm of wheels and the clink of couplings, Birney hums, hisses and hoots his way through archival footage of vintage trains and the English countryside. A must for language, animation and train buffs. -
Acting BlindMartin Duckworth 2006 52 minThis touching documentary follows a cast of blind and visually impaired actors as they prepare Dancing to Beethoven, a play about blindness. The film takes us deep into the lives of the actors. We hear stories of their shock and disbelief at first losing sight and of their struggles coping with a life without it. We hear them talk about grieving and pining for the visual world. They tell the moving story of how this play is itself a victory, a type of salvation, for each of them. By opening night, at the renowned Place des Arts in Montreal, they are a close-knit cast, well-honed and ready to step out of the wings and into the light.
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Antonine Maillet - The Possibilities Are EndlessGinette Pellerin 2009 52 minMade famous in 1971 by the success of La Sagouine and achieving international celebrity after winning the Prix Goncourt for Pélagie-la-Charrette in 1979, Antonine Maillet has been the mouthpiece of the Acadian people throughout the world for fifty years. This documentary takes us from Bouctouche to Montreal by way of Moncton to discover a great writer who has rarely spoken of herself with such candour and generosity. An unforgettable autobiographical document.
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Begone Dull CareNorman McLaren & Evelyn Lambart 1949 7 minIn this extraordinary short animation, Evelyn Lambart and Norman McLaren painted colours, shapes, and transformations directly on to their filmstrip. The result is a vivid interpretation, in fluid lines and colour, of jazz music played by the Oscar Peterson Trio.
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Bob's BirthdayAlison Snowden & David Fine 1993 12 minWhen Margaret plans a celebration for her husband Bob, she underestimates the sudden impact of middle age on his mood. A witty, offbeat animated portrait of a frustrated dentist wrestling with the fundamental issues of life proves that birthdays (and surprise parties) can be very tricky indeed.
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Canadian FamousKevin McMahon 2013 7 minThis short film is a tribute to Eric Peterson, one of Canada’s most accomplished actors. In a career spanning over 4 decades he has portrayed a broad range of memorable characters, from a World War I flying ace in Billy Bishop Goes to War to left-wing lawyer Leon Robinovitch in Street Legal (CBC TV) and the irascible Oscar Leroy in Corner Gas (CTV). Having secured a place in the nation’s cultural treasure trove, Peterson decides to express gratitude to the Canadians who prize his talents—and sets out, on foot, to thank every single one of them…
This film was produced by the NFB in co-operation with the National Arts Centre and the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Foundation on the occasion of the 2013 Governor General's Performing Arts Awards. -
Capturing GeorgeScott Smith 2009 6 minGeorge F. Walker's career has spanned almost four decades, but Rolly and Stevie (from Walker's play Criminal Genius) have succeeded in tying the notoriously elusive dramatist down. To a chair. With lots of rope. Director Scott Smith's wicked reversal of theatrical order puts Walker in the centre of one of his own creations. This film was produced for the 2009 Governor General's Performing Arts Award.
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Darts in the Dark: An Introduction to W.O. MitchellRobert Duncan 1980 18 minCanadian author, humorist and storyteller W.O. Mitchell talks about his career as a writer and performer. Known for his witty radio and television appearances, Mitchell shows a more serious side as he reveals his personal views on writing and on the meaning of life and death. Passages from Who Has Seen the Wind and the Jake and the Kid stories reflect the many facets of this self-proclaimed "folksy foothills philosopher" from the Prairies.
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DimensionsBernard Longpré 1966 12 minThis short film for kids offers a lesson in proportions in which simple actions achieve surprising results. A man wants a door in a wall. He draws a rectangle and, presto! There is an opening. In the same way, he conjures up furniture. If too high or too low, the raising or lowering of a finger puts everything right.
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Deepa Mehta, In ProfileNettie Wild 2012 6 minThis short film is a tribute to award-winning director and screenwriter Deepa Mehta. A true cultural hybrid, Mehta has been described as a “transnational” artist, able to tell universally meaningful stories from a uniquely Canadian point of view. In a career spanning over 30 years she has consistently broken new ground, tackling such controversial issues as intolerance, cultural discrimination and domestic violence. As an Indian who grew up speaking English first in a British Colonial School and then learning Hindi, she finds her passion and her stories in India, and the freedom to choose how to tell those stories in Canada.
Produced by the National Film Board of Canada in co-operation with the National Arts Centre and the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Foundation on the occasion of the 2012 Governor General's Performing Arts Awards. -
The Day Is ListeningFélix Dufour-Laperrière 2013 8 minThis short animation is set to the words of poet Hélène Dorion. In the film, a man and a woman's love for each other rivals only their affection for the written word. Literature accompanies the murmur of their lives and the harmony of their feelings. Filmmaker Félix Dufour-Laperrière’s imagery parallels Dorion’s words to articulate the familiar cycles of longing, loss, and desire.
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Diana LeblancMary Lewis 2015 4 minThis short follows grand dame of the theatre Diana Leblanc as she prepares for a role in The Dybbuk (Soulpepper Theatre Company) and gets ready to direct an opera (Madame Butterfly). The film weaves together archival footage, photographs, and animation depicting Leblanc as a young ballerina, offering an intimate reflection on her life’s passions, challenges, and lessons.
Produced by the NFB in co-operation with the National Arts Centre and the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Foundation on the occasion of the 2015 Governor General's Performing Arts Awards. -
Ernie's IdeaClaire Maxwell & Peter Vogler 1996 12 minThis short animation tells the story of Ernie, a simple fellow who loves his job. One day, the blissful routine of Ernie's life is thrown into chaos when a pesky and persistent idea suddenly decides to follow him around, demanding attention in the most disruptive ways. Suddenly Ernie's job is in jeopardy. What do you do with an idea, when you've never had one before? How can you tell if it's worth contemplating or just plain trouble?
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I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a FlyDerek Lamb 1963 5 minThis short animation film is cartoon illustration of the eponymous nonsense song by Canadian folksinger Alan Mills. Sung by Burl Ives, the song is given an unbridled interpretation by the cartoonist, and by the end of the song, our old lady has swallowed much more than a fly.
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In PiecesPaule Baillargeon 2011 1 h 21 minPaule Baillargeon is 37 years old, 11 years old, 65 years old. . . In this film composed of fragments, she tells her story: the story of a woman, a filmmaker, a mother, a feminist, an artist. Of an actress, too, who delivers a powerful narrative that is both soothing and unsettling. These potent images, her images—filmed, painted, photographed, drawn, animated—merge into the portrait of a life that has been wild, rebellious and gentle. The tableaux are not so much autobiography as an authentic tale, as unpredictable and unique as any life.
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KubotaJonny Silver 1982 20 minA film featuring architect, sculptor, and musician Nobuo Kubota in a sound-sculpture performance. From within a cage-like structure filled with traditional musical instruments and sound-making devices fashioned from ordinary objects and toys, Kubota creates an aural/visual montage of musical notes and noises. Praised by music educators as a valuable tool for teaching creativity in sound exploration and musical innovation, the film reveals the infinite percussion possibilities of simple objects and presents a portrait of a versatile performer whose imagination has led him far beyond the confines of conventional music.
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Move Your MindHubert Davis 2010 5 minFaith. Heart. Imagination. These are the principles to which director Robin Phillips - known especially for his theatrical productions of Shakespeare - has devoted himself.
In this impressionistic short documentary directed by Hubert Davis, Phillips discusses the importance of expanding the realm of the imagination, seeking truth through art, and recognizing the presence of artists in all walks of life. -
Madwoman of GodJean-Daniel Lafond 2008 1 h 16 minThis feature-length film tells the story of the passion between Marie de l’Incarnation, a mid-seventeenth-century nun and God, her "divine spouse." Fusing documentary and acting by Marie Tifo, whom we follow as she rehearses for this demanding role, the film paints an astonishing portrait of this mystic who abandoned her son and left France to build a convent in Canada, where she became the first female writer in New France.
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Mise en ScèneChelsea McMullan 2012 7 minThis short film is a tongue-in-cheek tribute to award-winning director, writer and composer Des McAnuff. Set to the song The Wind and the Rain, it begins with Des unaccompanied and builds to a grand finale in true Shakespearean tradition. A tribute to a time of limited means and creative ingenuity, the piece blends film and theatrical language to create a surreal mise-en-scène.
Produced by the National Film Board of Canada in co-operation with the National Arts Centre and the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Foundation on the occasion of the 2012 Governor General's Performing Arts Awards. -
NeighboursNorman McLaren 1952 8 minIn this short film, Norman McLaren employs the principles normally used to put drawings or puppets into motion to animate live actors. The story is a parable about two people who come to blows over the possession of a flower.
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On the Road with La MouettePhilippe d' Hauterive & François Aubry 2001 52 minThis feature documentary follows Le Théâtre de La Mouette, a travelling puppet theatre company comprised of a husband, his wife and their 3 teenage sons. The family has crossed Canada from east to west, and north to the Yukon, taking their amusing play (with a serious ecological message) to remote towns and villages. This film traces their 7th trip in 10 years, this time to the Maritimes and Newfoundland.
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A Place that MattersRenée Blanchar 2015 1 h 29 minIn Sainte-Anne-du-Bocage in Caraquet, New Brunswick, Acadian artists Renée Blanchar, France Daigle, René Cormier and Allain Roy launch several community projects to bring back the former Youth Club built by Acadie’s first architect, Nazaire Dugas.
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The Quiet RacketGerald Potterton 1966 7 minThis short film tells the amusing tale of a man who feels the common urge to escape the city's noise for the weekend. Made without words, but with a wide range of other sounds, this film tracks our hero to a perfect haven of… pandemonium. The countryside, it turns out, is not as unspoiled and quiet as the poets proclaim.
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Robert Lepage2009 6 minFor Robert Lepage, every production begins with a sense of exploration and discovery, whether it is an intimate one-man show, or a re-staging of Wagner's epic Ring Cycle. Lepage's work marries technology with ritual, magic with cutting-edge effects to completely reinvent theatrical space. Director J. Peter Allen borrows a page from Lepage's favourite creative mediums (film and stage) to fashion a subtly shifting view of the famed director, playwright, actor and filmmaker at work.
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Riel CountryMartin Duckworth 1996 49 minThis documentary from Martin Duckworth features young adults from two distinct Winnipeg neighbourhoods on either side of the Red River who struggle to overcome geographical and cultural barriers. High school students from the predominantly Indigenous North End and their peers from the Francophone district of St. Boniface work together to produce a play on the origins of the Métis.
Their collaboration raises questions about how these youths foresee their role and place within their respective communities and how these minority communities co-exist with the predominant culture. The film also tackles issues of intolerance, racism and discrimination. -
The SentryClaude Guilmain 2010 5 minActor Françoise Faucher has embodied some of the greatest roles in French literature during her more than 60 years on stage. In this short documentary, she recalls the moments that led her to the theatre – and, as we watch images from her remarkable acting career, she speaks powerfully of how the best of our potential lies in our artistic expression.
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The Stratford AdventureMorten Parker 1953 39 minThis short film depicts how a small Canadian city, bearing the name of Stratford and by a river Avon, created its own renowned Shakespearean theatre. The film tells how the idea grew, how a famous British director, international stars and Canadian talent were recruited, and how the Stratford Shakespearean Festival finally became a triumphant reality.
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Viola Léger, TogetherRodolphe Caron 2013 5 minThis short film pays tribute to Acadian actress Viola Léger. One of the brightest stars in Canada’s artistic firmament, Léger is best known for her role as La Sagouine in the play of the same name by Acadian writer Antonine Maillet. She has performed it more than 2,500 times, winning rave reviews for her authentic and engaging portrayal. In this film, an in-depth interview combined with archival photos and videos captures the passion and vitality of a woman who, at the venerable age of 82, is ever willing to take on the roles still being offered to her.
Produced by the NFB in co-operation with the National Arts Centre and the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Foundation on the occasion of the 2013 Governor General's Performing Arts Awards. -
WindRon Tunis 1972 9 minA child's first discovery of wind--the silent, invisible something that tickles his fancy, ruffles his hair, ripples the grass around him--portrayed here in winsome animated drawings. But the artist also shows the elemental force that carries all before it. Without words but with sound effects, this is a film of universal appeal.
