The National Film Board of Canada will be participating in the annual Rendez-vous de la Francophonie (RVF) for the 16th year in a row, from March 1 to 31, 2021. Offered in a hybrid format, the latest edition of the RVF will honour the inspiring people and culture of the Acadian region of Canada. The NFB has created seven programs of documentary and animation for all ages, and will be making them available to francophone and francophile audiences in venues across the country or online, depending on the health restrictions in place. So far, more than 85 cities-a record-are taking part in this massive celebration of Canada's Francophonie, with screenings in every province and territory, from Newfoundland to British Columbia to the Yukon, and over 350 screenings currently scheduled, as registrations continue to come in. In addition, many libraries and organizations will be promoting the NFB.ca/rvf page, where the complete program will be available. All films are available with English subtitles. This cultural event includes the online exclusive presentation-for the entire duration of the RVF-of Acadian filmmaker Monique LeBlanc's Plus haut que les flammes (Higher Than Flames Will Go, Program 1), a moving film adaptation of Louise Dupré's poem of the same title, which won a 2011 Governor General's Award. For the first time, the NFB's offering also includes an interactive work: Parlement: l'expérience virtuelle (Parliament: The Virtual Experience, Program 5) by Émilie F. Grenier, David Drury, Dpt., and Stéphane Poirier, a virtual visit to a historic building that's a powerful symbol of Canadian democracy and bilingualism.
The programming features some key films from the NFB's Canadian Francophonie Studio - Acadie, including Paul Bossé's Kacho Komplo (Program 4), about the famous student bar at Université de Moncton; Herménégilde Chiasson's Le grand Jack (Jack Kerouac's Road: A Franco-American Odyssey), about American author Jack Kerouac, who had French-Canadian roots, and Stephanie David's Le goût des belvas (Bittersweet Blues), which sensitively links family memories and the evolution of Acadian French (both featured in Program 2). The programming also shines a spotlight on resilience and Acadian cultural resistance, drawing connections with other peoples with strong and proud cultures, such as the Haitian people, in Will Prosper's film Kenbe la, jusqu'à la victoire (Kenbe la, Until We Win, Program 3); or the Innu, in Carl Grégoire and Spencer St-Onge's Innu-Aimun - La langue innue (Innu-Aimun: The Innu Language, Program 4). Two selections of youth-oriented shorts, made up of NFB classics and films with specifically Acadian topics, round out the NFB's 2021 RVF programming.
The NFB at RVF 2021: seven programs to view at home
- Get details about all seven programs here.
- The screening schedule-for venues or online-is available at RVF.ca, under the Calendar tab.
- You can also watch all seven programs on NFB.ca/rvf for the entire duration of the RVF, which coincides with Francophonie Month (March 1 to 31).
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