Race Is a Four-Letter Word
In this personal documentary, director Sobaz Benjamin introduces us to an interesting group of people: a black woman who wants to be considered iconically Canadian, a white man who is …
Racing Thoughts
This is a film about children who thought they were “crazy.” Who wanted to die. Who felt fear, anger and hopelessness. Four young people living with mental illness and their …
Rains
As a sudden downpour lashes the city, all seek shelter. Just for a moment, time expands into immobility. Human activity slows down and almost stops. Some wait in a bus …
Rainy Days
An elderly Japanese man boards a ferry bound for an unknown island. As he looks out over the water, the falling rain triggers a string of memories, including of a …
Ready to Learn
This film is a moving portrait of an alternative school model that aims to instill self-esteem through African centred learning.
Red Path
This short documentary tells the story of Tony Chachai, a young Indigenous man in search of his identity. Moved by the desire to reconnect with his Atikamekw roots, he delivers …
Red Star Alley
A vine takes root in old Beijing, witnessing the passage of time in a traditional hutong—part of an urban fabric that’s fast disappearing as the city undergoes radical transformation. …
Reel Injun
In this feature-length documentary, Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond takes an entertaining and insightful look at the portrayal of North American Indigenous people throughout a century of cinema. Featuring hundreds of …
Reflection
Composed of real-life images that have been manipulated, this immersive experience explores the urban environment, using abstraction to examine the power of reflection in our surroundings
Reflexion
Two prisoners are trapped in a void. Trying separately to escape, they discover each other and have to overcome their fear in order to connect and find a way out. …
Remembering Maria Chapdelaine
This feature documentary by Jean-Claude Labrecque recounts the bold and astounding enterprise of French filmmaker Julien Duvivier, who shot a film adaptation of Louis Hémon’s classic novel Maria Chapdelaine in …
Research
Laurie is a resident astronomer at the prestigious Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. On the summit of Mauna Kea, this Quebec scientist is helping unravel the mysteries of star formation.
A Return to Memory
When Canada entered World War II, the National Film Board suddenly had an urgent new mission—and hundreds of women stepped forward, helping to create Canadian cinema as we now know …
Return to Vimy
In this short film, a young woman visits the Vimy Memorial to make a charcoal imprint of the engraved name of her great-grandfather who was lost in battle. She brings …
Revealing Marie Saint Pierre
Revealing Marie Saint Pierre is an art documentary about Quebec fashion designer Marie Saint Pierre. The film gives razor sharp insights into her creative process, and being a woman and …
Reverie.exe
A sleeping computer dreams of humans forms, transforming their digital data into abstract and playful shapes. Movements, emotions, and musical lines are added layer upon layer until the complexity overloads …
Richard Cardinal: Cry from a Diary of a Métis Child
Richard Cardinal died by his own hand at the age of 17, having spent most of his life in a string of foster homes and shelters across Alberta. In this …
Riopelle
The paintings of Jean-Paul Riopelle are known around the world. But the painter himself remains private, inaccessible. This documentary attempts to learn more about the man behind the artist, the …
RiP! A Remix Manifesto
Join filmmaker Brett Gaylor and mashup artist Girl Talk as they explore copyright and content creation in the digital age. In the process they dissect the media landscape of the …
River of Life
This documentary focuses on the Yukon River Quest, the world's longest annual canoe and kayak race. Athletes come from around the world to test their endurance, racing day and night …
The Road Forward
The Road Forward, a musical documentary by Marie Clements, connects a pivotal moment in Canada’s civil rights history—the beginnings of Indian Nationalism in the 1930s—with the powerful momentum of …
Robes of War
This animated short is a lyrical exploration of the impact of war on women, their bodies and their families. Bringing a feminist sensibility to a contemporary issue, it looks at …
Rock the Box
Critic-turned-filmmaker Katherine Monk trains her lens on DJ Rhiannon Rozier in this short film about breaking the glass ceiling in a music industry dominated by men. The Vancouver-raised, university-educated Rozier …
Romance
While on an airplane, a traveller's spirit plunges into a dream world. Here, under the influence of the unknown, the logic of his desires prevails, and a romantic saga takes …
Roots
Spring is the season for working the land and planting. Thanks to a cooperative approach and mutual aid, everything runs more efficiently.
The Roots & The Rise
Toronto is at the epicentre of Canada’s NBA talent boom. We meet the pioneers who have grown the game and introduce a group of young hopefuls chasing their own hoop …
Rosa Rosa
While war is thundering at the gates of the city, Rosa and her lover live serenely together, trying to preserve a fragile normality. Rosa Rosa is the interweaving of individual …
Rose & Violet
The animated short film Rose & Violet tells the story of two Conjoined twin sisters who are recruited as star acrobats in the world’s biggest circus. They seem bound for …
The Rose Family
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 …
Roses Sing on New Snow
In this animated short, based on a story by Paul Yee, Maylin cooks mouth-watering meals at her father's restaurant in Chinatown, but her father and brothers take all the credit. …
Roy & Yvonne
Roy Panton and Yvonne Harrison made history as one of the first Jamaican ska duos. Decades after going their separate ways, the pair rekindle their magic—this time, 3,000 kilometres north, …
Roy G Biv
In this short animation film Dale Hayward brings to life his watercolour on paper.
Produced as part of the fourth edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship.
Royal Journey
A documentary account of the five-week visit of Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh to Canada and the United States in the fall of 1951. Stops on the royal …
Runaway
Cordell Barker, director of the Oscar®-nominated films The Cat Came Back , Strange Invaders, is back with Runaway. Set to the rousing music of Ben Charest (Triplets …
Ryan
This animated short from Chris Landreth is based on the life of Ryan Larkin, a Canadian animator who produced some of the most influential animated films of his time. Ryan …