Spring is in the air at NFB.ca, with more films available for free streaming. Explore the final releases from The Curve and the compelling doc Gun Runners by Anjali Nayar.

Spring is here at last, and all throughout the month of April, more new content is being launched on NFB.ca. Our free-streaming selection of new titles from NFB studios across the country will feature the last crop of works from The Curve, a topical collection of projects exploring life during the pandemic; relevant and original feature-length documentaries like Anjali Nayar’s Gun Runners; and two new themed channels, launched to coincide with international awareness days. This rich lineup of works joins the more than 4,000 titles already available at NFB.ca, not to mention our collection of some one hundred interactive works, almost all of which are available for free online viewing.

Starting March 24

The Curve

These new offerings round out The Curve, one year after the start of the pandemic—an unprecedented situation that prompted the NFB to rethink its production methods and workflows, in order to enable creators across Canada to tell stories and make them rapidly available. The result is a one-of-a-kind collection of documentary, animated and digital works, organized into themes, that paint a diverse, human portrait of the lives impacted by COVID-19 across the country.

• Theme: From Where I Am
  - 2000mm by Georges Hannan (documentary short, 10 min, Canadian Francophonie Studio, Moncton)
  What goes through people’s minds in the middle of a toilet paper shortage? As Atlantic Canada went into lockdown in 2020, filmmaker Georges Hannan went in search of answers, on a fishing expedition of sorts—into the unknown with his camera and microphone.
  - Appleton Avenue by Bruno Moynié (photo essay on Instagram, Canadian Francophonie Studio, Toronto)
  A portrait of life in the time of COVID as experienced by three families living on Appleton Avenue in Toronto. We asked them to document their daily experiences for a few weeks throughout the spring of 2020.
• Theme: Body and Soul
  - Parenthèse (Instagram content, French Program Animation Studio)
  Watch the epilogue of this project over a two-week period. Parenthèse comprises 12 Instagram offerings created by artists from the world of animation and illustration (Pascal Blanchet, Francis Desharnais, Catherine Lepage, Nahid Kazemi, Louis-Pierre Cossette and Anaë Bilodeau, along with Cécile Gariépy), who bear witness to daily lives that have been radically transformed by the pandemic. The first iteration of Parenthèse, launched a few months ago with 52 Instagram postings, also featured contributions from Madi Piller. Available in French only.

Follow #TheCurveNFB #LaCourbeONF to learn more about The Curve’s creators and works.

Starting March 29

The Apollo of Gaza by Nicolas Wadimoff (2018, Akka Films/Radio télévision suisse (RTS)/NFB’s French Program Documentary Studio)
Feature-length documentary (78 min)
Press kit (synopsis, biographies, images and credits: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/apollogaza

In 2013, a statue of Apollo was found in the waters off Gaza and then vanished under mysterious circumstances. Soon, rumours were swirling around this treasure, which was coveted by all parties. This documentary investigation takes us into daily life in Gaza, a misunderstood and battered place that suddenly finds some dignity through a reminder of its glorious history. The documentary had its world premiere screening as part of the Semaine de la critique at the 2018 Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland before embarking on theatrical runs in Europe and Canada.

Starting April 7 – Marking World Health Day

Health and Wellness Channel: nfb.ca/channels/health-and-wellness

Take care of yourselves! This new channel assembles close to 40 documentary and animated films from the NFB’s extensive catalogue that focus on health, nutrition and wellness. They include acclaimed recent productions like Tales of Ordinary Fatphobia by Josiane Blanc, Indigenous Plant Diva by Kamala Todd and Island Green by Millefiore Clarkes.

Starting April 12

Gun Runners by Anjali Nayar (2016, Quebec and Atlantic Studio)
Feature-length documentary (89 min 38 s)
Press kit (synopsis, biographies, images and credits): mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/gun-runners

Two North Kenyan warriors transform their lives by trading in their rifles for sneakers to become professional marathon runners. Told entirely by its central characters, Gun Runners is the American Dream, Kenyan-style. The documentary had its world premiere screening at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto.

Starting April 22 – Marking Earth Day

The Green Channel: nfb.ca/channels/the_green_channel

Our planet is precious! The Green Channel is dedicated to raising awareness about environmental and sustainability issues through a specially curated selection of more than 50 documentary and animated films from the NFB collection. Don’t miss the brand-new feature-length documentary Borealis by Kevin McMahon, along with Way of the Hunter by Robert Moberg and The Grasslands Project – A Rancher’s View by Scott Parker, among others.

Related Products

Electronic Press Kit | Images, trailers, synopses: Borealis | Gun Runners | Tales of Ordinary Fatphobia | The Apollo of Gaza | The Grasslands Project – A Rancher’s View | Way of the Hunter

Associated Links

Akka Films
RTS

About the NFB

The NFB is Canada’s public producer of award-winning creative documentaries, auteur animation, interactive stories and participatory experiences. NFB producers are embedded in communities across the country, from St. John’s to Vancouver, working with talented creators on innovative and socially relevant projects. The NFB is a leader in gender equity in film and digital media production, and is working to strengthen Indigenous-led production, guided by the recommendations of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. NFB productions have won over 7,000 awards, including 27 Canadian Screen Awards, 21 Webbys, 12 Oscars and more than 100 Genies. To access this award-winning content and discover the work of NFB creators, visit NFB.ca, download its apps for mobile devices or visit NFB Pause.