Free films, first-come, first-wowed!

Gems from the NFB collection

After the Holidays, continue your family get-togethers or round up some friends and come see recent gems from the NFB collection on the big screen in Montreal. Every Thursday starting January 9, we’re presenting five free public screenings at the NFB’s Alanis Obomsawin Theatre in the heart of the Quartier des Spectacles. No reservations required, but seating is limited. See you there!

Each film will be shown in English and French, in their original version or with subtitles.

All screenings begin at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:30).

No reservations.

Accessible to persons with reduced mobility.

**Co-presented with the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership**

Thursday, January 9 – Unspoken Tears

Hélène Magny, 2022

Length: 75 min

Original French version with English subtitles.

How can refugee children integrate into Quebec’s school system, given the unspeakable violence they’ve experienced? Following a psychologist specializing in conflict-related trauma, Unspoken Tears pays tribute to the admirable resilience and survival strategies of these “small adults,” whose spirit the bombs and camps have not completely crushed, at a time when it is vital to raise awareness in Western societies of migration-related issues and children’s rights.

The documentary will be preceded by the short film Boat People (Kjell Boersma and Thao Lam, 2023, 9 min)

Thursday, January 16 – Theater of Life

Peter Svatek, 2016

Length: 93 min

Original English version with French subtitles.

Theater of Life captures the remarkable story of how renowned chef Massimo Bottura, joined by 60 of the world’s top chefs, transformed food destined for the dumpster into delicious and nutritious meals for Italy’s hungriest residents—refugees, recovering addicts, former sex workers, and other disadvantaged people. A visual feast in itself, the film puts a human face on its powerful message of social justice and the environmental impact of food waste.

The documentary will be preceded by the short film Soup of the Day (Lynn Smith, 2013, 3 min)

Thursday, January 23 – Star Wars Kid: The Rise of the Digital Shadows

Mathieu Fournier, 2022

Length: 70 min

Original French version with English subtitles.

In this documentary on the first viral phenomenon of the digital age, Ghyslain Raza (the “Star Wars Kid”) breaks his silence and reflects on his story for the first time. In doing so, he also explores our collective experience living in an online world in which we have to make peace with our digital shadows.

The documentary will be preceded by the short film Shop Class (Hart Snider, 2018, 8 min)

Thursday, January 30 – The Rose Family

Félix Rose, 2020

Length: 127 min

Original French version with English subtitles.

In October 1970, members of the Front de libération du Québec kidnapped minister Pierre Laporte, unleashing an unprecedented crisis in Quebec. Fifty years later, Félix Rose tries to understand what led his father and uncle to commit these acts.

The documentary will be preceded by the short film Hommage à Michel Brault (Alexandre Chartrand, 2014, 10 min)

Thursday February 6 – Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story

Michael Mabbott and Lucah Rosenberg-Lee, 2024

Length: 99 min

Original English version with French subtitles.

A lost R&B star who eclipsed Etta James and Little Richard, trans soul singer Jackie Shane blazed an extraordinary trail with an unbreakable commitment to her truth. Forty years after vanishing from public view, this 20th century icon finally gets her second act.

The documentary will be preceded by the short film Oscar (Marie-Josée St-Pierre, 2016, 12 min)