I always enjoy watching the RVF’s National Film Board of Canada (NFB/ONF) film programs and this year, the 17th year of the partnership, was no exception. From Burkina Faso to Kangiqsujuaq to Sainte-Justine, this year’s films offer us new ways to look at family relationships, cultural traditions, and world events.
In a reflective mood? I’d recommend La veille (The Vigil), Christine Chevarie-Lessard’s beautiful portrait of Sister Marguerite Paquin, or As Night Descends, a film by Nadine Gomez, which offers wisdom from sociologist and political thinker Jean Pichette. I’d also suggest Hyacinthe Combary’s Histoire de sable (Tales of Sand and Snow), a beautiful cultural dialogue between the filmmaker’s Gourmantche tribe of Burkina Faso and the Atikamekw of Northern Quebec.
Love animated films? I suggest the funny and moving Le mal du siècle (The Great Malaise) by Catherine Lepage, Janice Nadeau’s Mamie, a deeply personal look at her Gaspésie grandmother, and Le chandail (The Sweater), Sheldon Cohen’s classic adaptation of Roch Carrier’s book, The Hockey Sweater.
All six programs can be found here.
Image: From Histoire de sable (Tales of Sand and Snow)
Catherine Fisher, blogger
