A bouquet of films streaming on NFB.ca throughout the month of May . Feature-length documentaries and topical channels that explore important issues.

NFB.ca will be streaming even more films free of charge this May. The selection of productions from NFB studios across Canada includes two new must-see feature-length documentaries launched online: Santiago Bertolino’s Freelancer on the Front Lines, and Mirjam Leuze’s The Whale and the Raven. Four channels for major-theme days and months, ranging from Asian and Jewish culture to mental health, will also be featured. This diverse cultural offer joins the more than 4,000 titles already available on NFB.ca, not to mention our collection of some 100 interactive works, most of which are available for free online viewing.

Marking the NFB’s birthday on May 2

Programing available from May 3–9 only: nfb.ca/channels/curators-choice-of-the-week

The NFB is celebrating 82 years! Come view this selection of documentaries that explore the NFB’s rich history and the filmmakers who have shaped it, including Shameless Propaganda by Robert Lower, The Light Fantastick by Rupert Glover and Michel Patenaude, and Grierson by Roger Blais.

Starting May 3 – Marking World Press Freedom Day

Freelancer on the Front Lines by Santiago Bertolino (2016, NFB French Program’s Documentary Studio)
Feature-length documentary (98 min 13 s)
Press kit (synopsis, biographies, images and credits): mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/freelancer-on-the-front-lines

Canadian freelance reporter Jesse Rosenfeld has made the Middle East the focus of his work, and to make a living he has to keep up with constantly moving news targets. The film follows his journey across the region, showing us thorny geopolitical realities shaped by the events transforming the Middle East and exploring how journalism practices have changed in the age of the Internet. The documentary had its world-premiere screening as the closing film of the Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM).

Marking Mental Health Week, May 3–9

Mental Health channel: nfb.ca/channels/mental-health

These 14 insightful documentaries and animated films from the NFB collection explore some of the challenges faced by people who suffer from mental-health issues and also offer potential solutions. Don’t miss OCD: The War Inside by Mark Pancer and David Hoffert, NCR: Not Criminally Responsible by John Kastner, and I Am Here by Eoin Duffy.

Marking Asian Heritage Month

Asian Communities in Canada channel: nfb.ca/channels/asian-heritage-month

This curated selection of nearly 30 short and feature-length documentaries and animated films from the NFB’s collection celebrates the culture, arts, history, and countless social contributions of Canadians of Asian descent. Don’t miss Becoming Labrador by Rohan Fernando, Tamara Segura, and Justin Simms, Highway to Heaven by Sandra Ignagni, and Earth to Mouth by Yung Chang.

Marking Canadian Jewish Heritage Month

Channel: nfb.ca/channels/canadian-jewish-heritage-month

This selection of 19 recent and older animated and documentary films, from Martha by Daniel Schubert and Ladies and Gentlemen… Mr. Leonard Cohen by Donald Brittain and Don Owen, to The Socalled Movie by Garry Beitel, celebrates the important contributions of Canadians of Jewish descent to the social, economic, political, and cultural fabric of Canada and salutes the courage and strength they have shown throughout history.

Starting May 10

The Whale and the Raven by Mirjam Leuze (2019, Busse & Halberschmidt/Cedar Island Films/NFB’s BC & Yukon Studio/ZDF/ARTE/TOPOS Film/Vizion)
Feature-length documentary (101 min)
Press kit (synopsis, biographies, images and credits): mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/the-whale-and-the-raven

The film illuminates the many issues that have drawn whale researchers, the Gitga’at First Nation, and the Government of British Columbia into a complex conflict. As the people in the Great Bear Rainforest struggle to protect their territory against the pressure and promise of the gas industry, caught in between are the countless beings that call this place home. The documentary had its world premiere as the opening film of DOK.fest Munich and has also screened at the Vancouver International Film Festival.