The 2026 Atlantic International Film Festival (AIFF) will showcase eight compelling new works from the National Film Board of Canada (NFB).
Running September 16 to 23 at Halifax's Cineplex Cinemas Park Lane, AIFF will host the world premieres of two documentaries by Newfoundland and Labrador filmmakers profiling celebrated artists from the province:
- Justin Simms' Never Forget Films/NFB feature documentary Smash & Grab: The Rebel Lens of Mike Jones;
- Inuk writer and director Jennie Williams' short film Billy Gauthier: Carving the Future.
The festival will present new NFB animation, including the Atlantic debut of New Brunswick filmmaker Daniel Léger's animated short The Flames of Me, a courageous personal portrait created with Montreal visual artist Steven Spazuk. The NFB animation lineup at AIFF also includes the world premiere of To Our Future Ancestors by Bogdan Anifrani-Fedach and Ian Keteku, and Piluk by Elisapie Isaac and Marc Séguin, following its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival.
From beyond Atlantic Canada, AIFF will offer three more NFB feature documentaries:
- Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney by Montreal-based, Winnipeg-born Matthew Rankin;
- Nirilaurta: Let Us Eat by Iqaluit director Malaya Qaunirq Chapman;
- Still Night, Burning House by Montreal-based, Vietnamese-Canadian filmmaker Carol Nguyen (Metafilms/NFB/Portage Films).
Smash & Grab: The Rebel Lens of Mike Jones and Billy Gauthier: Carving the Future will be available online during the festival exclusively to residents of Atlantic Canada, from September 23 to 27, at AIFF Online.
The NFB and Telefilm Canada will host an open house during the festival on September 18 from 3 to 5 p.m. at their shared space at 5475 Spring Garden Road, Suite 201. Come by, say hello and connect with NFB and Telefilm Canada representatives, along with members of the local film community. This event is free and open to all.
Reel East Coast Shorts Gala
Billy Gauthier: Carving the Future by Jennie Williams (16 min 33 s) | WORLD PREMIERE
