Activities

National Film Board of Canada

Movies at home and close to home!

The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is taking part in the Rendez-vous de la Francophonie with a renewed program for the 19th year in a row.

Free movies at home for everyone… The nfb.ca/rvf channel celebrates the joy of discovery with sixteen films to watch again and again. Filmmakers from several provinces present the many faces of the Canadian Francophonie, from the multidimensional À pleine voix (In Full Voice) to the surprising Croque-mort. C’est beau la vie (Undertaker) as well as the universal tale La maison du hérisson (Hedgehog’s Home) and other universes to explore.

Free movies close to home for several… Public and private screenings of NFB films have been planned from coast to coast and north to south to celebrate this great March celebration. To find out where and when public screenings will take place, consult the RVF events calendar, here.

If you want to organize screenings: Detailed Program, Registration Form Online

Five programs for virtual or in-person screenings

Étoile du Nord (North Star)
1. Program 1: Head in the Stars

The documentary series Étoile du Nord follows the inspiring journey of Laurie Rousseau-Nepton, resident astronomer at the renowned Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. As head of the SIGNALS project, she leads a team of some 60 scientists. Together, they study the formation of stars to better understand their influence on the universe.  

Directed by Patrick Bossé, the series portrays the extraordinary daily life of this Quebec-born scientist with Innu roots. From the summit of the volcano Mauna Kea, Laurie uses cutting-edge instruments to make the sky reveal its secrets. The five short episodes, which blend Rousseau-Nepton’s personal story with scientific explanations, reveal a determined young woman who shines in a traditionally male-dominated profession. An outstanding science popularizer, Laurie conveys her passion for celestial objects and the importance of knowing where we came from to understand where we’re going.  

Maisonneuve
Program 2: Building Community

In 2015 and 2016, Montreal’s Collège de Maisonneuve found itself at the centre of media attention on several occasions, thanks to multiple attempts by young people to leave for jihad in Syria and Iraq, as well as a number of incidents and fights prematurely attributed to the radicalization of certain students. In response, the CEGEP decided to make the notion of living together in harmony a special pedagogical project. It hired “hall workers” and encouraged intercultural meetings, discussion forums, intergenerational debates and other projects, hoping that this knowledge sharing about the different cultures represented at the school would take place in a spirit of goodwill. The series is based on the points of view of seven students recorded in 2018 and in the fall of 2021. We see them at a turning point in the construction of their identity, and we discover their vision of the world, their values and their frustrations with adulthood, the job market and social pressure.  

Travailler autrement (Work Different)
Program 3: Tomorrow Is Yet to Be Discovered

In Travailler autrement (Work Different), Julien Capraro examines the new world of work, which has been turned on its head by the pandemic. The concept of remote work raises questions not only about productivity and work-life balance, but also about our living spaces, urban planning and the need to consider the environment in every aspect of life. A thorough look at a complex subject that’s spurring employees of all ages to question their future at work. 

Ici par ici (Here and There)
Program 4: The Quest for Self

This compilation takes a humorous and imaginative look at the turmoil of discovering one’s identity and independence. In L’impossible été de Jules, Marie-Julie Dallaire portrays the tensions between a mother and her teenage son during the pandemic. With Alchimie moderne, Bren López Zepeda offers a breathless and vibrant quest for self. Samuel Cantin’s Le syndrome de la tortue reflects on the sometimes troubling physical transformations of adolescence. Ici par ici paints a picture of the childhood of Diane Obomsawin, who grew up between Quebec and France. In Janice Nadeau’s HARVEY, a young boy has to learn how to deal with grief. In Le fabuleux calendrier, Meky Ottawa takes an artist’s look at how people come up with interesting and creative ways to avoid social functions in favour of their own private space. And in La nuit du Nalujuk, by Jennie Williams, we encounter a community and its traditions.  

La fille au béret rouge (The Girl with the Red Beret)
Program 5: Now We’ve Seen It All

Make way for whimsy and imagination! In the musical animated short La fille au beret rouge, Janet Perlman takes us on an extremely colourful journey through the Montreal metro. Louis Bodart’s 100 miles recounts a road trip that goes hilariously off the rails. Bouche décousue, by Andrea Dorfman, reminds us that while honesty is generally the best policy, too much of a good thing can be problematic. In La fille qui détestait les livres, Jo Meuris tells the story of a dislike that turns into a passion. Michèle Lemieux’s Nuit d’orage poses questions typically asked by children and offers some quirky answers. And Qalupalik, by Ame Papatsie, relates the legend of a sea monster that punishes disobedient children. 

Virtual or in-person public screenings

Step 1: Choose one or more of this year’s programs.

Step 2: Fill out the online registration form We can send you an electronic file (.mp4 or .mov) or a physical copy (projection-quality DVD) for screenings in your library. For virtual screenings, we can provide a hyperlink. Promotional materials will also be supplied.

Step 3: Prior to your event, use your screening equipment to test the film format delivered to you (digitally or by mail).

Step 4: After the screening, send us the number of attendees by email at rvf@nfb.ca. These stats are important, to ensure we stay true to our mandate of delivering documentaries, auteur animation, interactive storytelling and participatory experiences nationwide.

Individual viewings on NFB.ca

In addition to public screenings, you can also watch films on our L’espace francophonie page, which offers a list of curated works that honour the diversity of Canada’s Francophonie. In Canada, more than one million Francophones live outside Quebec. Discover the NFB films that pay tribute to the Canadian Francophonie.