The National Film Board of Canada has a holiday gift for all Canadians. It’s a new playlist called The NFB Presents, featuring 20 acclaimed documentary and animated films—stories that will move, inspire, surprise and engage—now streaming free of charge at NFB.ca.

 Among the titles being showcased are Sarah Polley’s hit feature Stories We Tell, Kathy Shultz’s acclaimed animated short A Sea Turtle Story, and Paul Cowan’s Paris 1919 (13 Production/NFB), inspired by Margaret MacMillan’s landmark book—all produced in Toronto by the NFB’s Ontario Studio. There’s also Jennifer Baichwal’s Payback, based on Margaret Atwood’s bestseller, and Mina Shum’s feature Ninth Floor, as well as portraits of remarkable Canadians like Phil Comeau’s Secretariat’s Jockey, Ron Turcotte and Toronto director Lawrence Jackman’s short documentary How Does It Feel, about Kazumi, a performer with cerebral palsy.

Of course, no holiday is complete without a selection of amazing animated films from the NFB’s two Oscar-winning animation studios—now free for the first time. Acclaimed titles like: Claude Cloutier’s satirical musical short Carface; Mi’gmaq artist Phyllis Grant’s beautiful Waseteg, narrated by legendary filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin; and Andrea Dorfman’s wonderfully hand-crafted Big Mouth, a film for anyone, young or old, who has ever gotten in trouble for saying too much!

Also featured:

Documentaries

The Socalled Movie (reFrame Films/NFB), dir. Garry Beitel

Things Arab Men Say, dir. Nisreen Baker

Home Cooked Music, dir. Mike Maryniuk

Tying Your Own Shoes, dir. Shira Avni

Fight, dir. Ervin Chartrand

Hope Builders, dir. Fernand Dansereau

From Sherbrooke to Brooks: Inside a Migration Corridor, dir. Roger Parent

The Last Key, dir. Julien Capraro

Animated shorts

Kaspar (Inspired by the Life of Kaspar Hauser), dir. Diane Obomsawin

Paula, dir. Dominic Etienne Simard

My Heart Attack, dir. Sheldon Cohen

 The NFB Presents is available free online and through the NFB’s apps for tablets and mobile devices.

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About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist with a focus on travel, lifestyle, entertainment and hospitality. He has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He enjoys discovering delicious eats, tasting spirited treats, and being mesmerized by musical beats.