National Film Board Of Canada Archives | Otaku No Culture

A Passage Beyond Fortune and Chinese Way of Life in Moosejaw. An Interview with Weiye Su.

The reason why this director made A Passage Beyond Fortune is because of the false information being spread for the sake of bringing in the money.

Now available to stream on TheNFB.ca

Weiye Su is a Chinese-Canadian filmmaker with a goal, and that’s to dispel the myths concerning the underground tunnels that exist underneath the city of Moosejaw, Saskatchewan. What’s offered is a falsehood. After his family relocated here many years ago, what he wanted to discover about the past concerning fellow Chinese as this country was being built is important. He knew very early on their stories aren’t as well known, and he’s given one family a chance to be heard in A Passage Beyond Fortune.

Ultimately, this mini-documentary is about the legacies that those Asians crafted with their own hands. Although the United States is considered a land of opportunities more so than Canada, both have an important place in history. As most scholars know, in those early settlement years and even throughout the Depression, not everyone treated foreigners kindly. This filmmaker’s goal is to explore the proper cultural contexts and reverence, than to present stigmatized notions on what life was like back then. He also recommends reading Brian S. Osborne’s essay, Moose Jaw’s Tunnel Vision: Mystery, History, and the Construction of ‘Canada’s Most Notorious City.’

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The Spotlight on The Colour of Ink is Sweetly Meditative

Overall, viewers will get quite the education by looking at The Colour of Ink.

Playing at the Victoria Film Festival on Feb 4 (1pm) and 7 (9pm)
And coming to NFB.ca Summer 2023

Brian D. Johnson’s The Colour of Ink is a beautiful documentary to behold on the silver screen. Not only does it vividly render the pigmented products made by Jason Logan for us to behold, but also, we see Nicholas De Pencier‘s camerawork provide some beautiful juxtapositions. But there’s more to this work than meets the eye, pardoning the pun. To understand what ink is requires knowing its history with artistic expression. Whether it’s applied in aboriginal art, calligraphy, or tattooing, the creators often want that hue to stand out.

When it comes to inking comic books or digital products, sometimes the advances in technology overshadow what’s loved with the traditional process–those liquid textures or shapes formed by a brush are much more organic and alive! To let it bleed through and act according to its own fractual language is the message Johnson I believe wants to get across.

To hear what others think of Jason’s product is very insightful. After being raised by the sights and sounds that make up the natural beauty of Gambier Island, he became an artist himself. But to bring that essence to the canvas meant creating his own paints. These days, he lives in the big city, working as a graphic designer for big clients like The New Yorker, and managing the Toronto Ink Company, where he creates specialty inks in small batches for clients all over the world!

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Germaine Arnattaujuq’s Beautiful Arctic Song at Spark! Animation Festival

Arctic Song not only shares Inuit knowledge in Inuktitut, but highlights the rich world of Inuit art that has always flourished in the Canadian Arctic.

Arctic Song Poster The best approach to bring indigenous tales to life is to animate them. That way, all that colour and texture which we recognise from their art can flow along with the narrative. And when it concerns a region few have visited, Arctic Song is the perfect companion to warm those nights. It’s one of two works that’s playing at Spark! Animation Festival this weekend in Vancouver, BC.

Inuit artist, storyteller, and co-director Germaine Arnattaujuq (Arnaktauyok) recounts some wonderful creation myths, and there’s three in this short anthology work. There’s the raven who brings daylight to the world, the giants who turn into mountains, and the animals that create shimmering constellations and northern lights. Some of it reminds me about what I learned about the Australian aborigines and their Jukurrpa legends. Their lore also speaks of spirit animals helping to shape the mortal lands, but where they live is in a nether-realm that’s a hop and skip away.

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TheNFB’s has Zeb’s Spider World Premiere at VIFF! It Won’t String You Along.

Zeb’s Spider is playing this and the following weekend at The Rio Theatre (1660 E Broadway) in Vancouver, BC.

Zeb's Spider Zeb’s Spider isn’t so itsy bitsy, and this woman can give Sam Greenfield, the unluckiest person in the world from the animated movie, Luck, a run for her money. They both live in sub-basement apartments, and just have a lot of problems in life to face. This down-and-out individual is deathly afraid of arachnids, and as for what she does to the wall crawler is an entertaining variation of a cat and mouse tale.

This stop-motion animated short produced by the National Film Board of Canada is making its world debut at the 2022 Vancouver International Film Festival today, and has two screenings (please see below for details).

But before the eight legged wonder can be called friend, they must work out their issues. This human’s place is often riddled with other pestilence, and without this tiny wonder, her life might even take an even worse fate. What this short by Alicia Eisen and Sophie Jarvis offers is more than a fable. There are some insights to what defines some people, and scares others. Some might say encounters with the unknown can become a wake-up call.

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Tracking TheNFB’s Animated Slate Going in Competition in 2022

TheNFB will be presenting a bounty of filims at two upcoming events in Canada.

The National Film Board of Canada (TheNFB) selection at this year’s Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF), running Sept 22 to Oct 2, will feature audacious storytelling from around the world, across Canada and the North.

With a selection of six short films—four of which are in competition, including The Flying Sailor by renowned filmmakers Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis—and the world premiere of Theodore Ushev: Unseen Connections, a feature documentary, there’s plenty to take in at either event.

TheNFB will also be in attendance at the 2022 Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF). This event is devoted to animation in North America and will have many works showcased to show what the efforts of emerging talents can do. The OIAF will run from Sept 21 to 25.

Highlights of TheNFB’s selected programming include:

The Flying Sailor by Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis

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The Flying Sailor Makes It’s Explosive Debut with The NFB at Annecy 2022

From TheNFB, The Flying Sailor by Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby; Meneath: The Hidden Island of Ethics by Terril Calder and Magical Caresses: Sweet Jesus by Lori Malépart-Traversy are playing in competition at Annecy 2022

The NFB at Annecy 2022 The National Film Board of Canada has three short films at this year’s Annecy Film Festival (June 13th to 18th) )competition. They are The Flying Sailor by Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby; Meneath: The Hidden Island of Ethics by Terril Calder and Magical Caresses: Sweet Jesus by Lori Malépart-Traversy. The first of the three is making its world premiere and the other two have been available for at least a year. In what’s offered is a highlight reel of what women producers/content creators can express concerning reflections on existence, identity and sexuality.