National Film Board of Canada (NFB) excellence in documentary and animation will be showcased at the 2025 Calgary International Film Festival (September 18-28), with a stellar lineup of three feature-length and six short films, including three world premieres.
Making its world premiere in Calgary is Love, Harold (52 Media/NFB), a moving feature doc by acclaimed Toronto filmmaker Alan Zweig, in his first collaboration with the NFB.
The festival will also host the world premiere of Unfolding Faith, a deeply personal short by Calgary director Elyse Bouvier, and the hometown premiere of Siksikakowan: The Blackfoot Man by Calgary-based Siksika filmmaker Sinakson Trevor Solway.
Rounding out the world premieres is the animated short Good Luck to You All from Winnipeg animator Cordell Barker, a two-time Oscar nominee.
DGC Canadian Documentary Competition
Love, Harold by Alan Zweig (52 Media/NFB; 90 min) | World premiere
- Shocked by a friend's suicide, renowned documentary filmmaker Alan Zweig seeks understanding from more than 20 individuals grieving a similar loss. Zweig engages with them as only he can-reflecting with disarming candour on the grief and resilience of those left standing. Zweig'sdistinctive documentaries-including Vinyl, A Hard Name, When Jews Were Funny and Hurt-have garnered acclaim and awards, including top honours at TIFF and the Canadian Screen Awards.
Siksikakowan: The Blackfoot Man by Sinakson Trevor Solway (77 min) | Hometown premiere
- What does it mean to be a (Native) man? In Siksikakowan, Calgary-based director Sinakson Trevor Solway returns to his home nation of Siksika to reveal a rarely seen portrait of Indigenous masculinity set against the sweeping backdrop of the Prairies. Winner of the Audience Choice Feature Award at imagineNATIVE.
The Nest by Chase Joynt and Julietta Singh (89 min) | Alberta premiere
- At the end of her mother's life, decolonial writer Julietta Singh returns to say goodbye to her childhood home in Winnipeg. As she digs into the history of the house, she uncovers 140 years of forgotten matriarchs and political histories she never knew. In this genre-defying collaboration, Singh teams up with filmmaker Chase Joynt (No Ordinary Man, Framing Agnes), with re-embodiments that include appearances by Michif writer Katherena Vermette.
Shorts Competition
Unfolding Faith by Elyse Bouvier (23 min 18 s) | World premiere
- Calgary photographer and filmmaker Elyse Bouvier reflects on how giving up her faith reshaped her identity and her relationship with her parents. In raw yet empathic conversations with her devout mother and her father, Bouvier explores the roots of religion in family dynamics and what happens to those bonds when faith is lost.
Good Luck to You All by Cordell Barker (8 min 15 s) | World premiere
- A child's innocent playtakes an odd turn in an animated short about our all-too-fast approaching future with-or against-AI. The 2D hand-drawn Good Luck to You All is the latest work by two-time Oscar nominee-and certified 100-percent human-Cordell Barker (The Cat Came Back, Strange Invaders).
Bread Will Walk by Alex Boya (11 min 17 s) | Alberta premiere
- A devoted sister races to save her brother, a bread-turned zombie. A mob of hungry living Can love defy appetite? This darkly delicious short by Montreal-based animatorAlex Boya, voiced by Jay Baruchel, was selected to screen in the Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.
The Girl Who Cried Pearls by Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski (16 min) | Alberta premiere
- The latest stop-motion marvel by the Oscar-nominated Montreal animation duo of Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski (Madame Tutli-Putli). Narrated by Colm Feore with music by Patrick Watson, The Girl Who Cried Pearls is a haunting fable about a girl overwhelmed by sorrow, the boy who loves her, and how greed leads good hearts to wicked deeds.
Hypersensitive by Martine Frossard (6 min 44 s) | Alberta premiere
- This animated short by Montreal's Martine Frossard recounts the turbulent, surrealistic journey of a young woman struggling to rebuild her self, in defiance of social norms that tell us to repress our emotions-reminding us that to be sensitive is to be alive. Selected for the Official Competition at this year's Cannes Film Festival.
Imprint by Duncan Major (5 min) | Alberta premiere
- Chance encounters can leave a lasting imprint, like ink on paper. At 13, Duncan Major met artist Tara Bryan and discovered a shared passion for letterpress printing that shaped his life. In her memory, the John's artist and designer has created Imprint, a poetic animated film that serves as a heartfelt tribute.
