The Best WWI Films You’ll See This Remembrance Day

Did you know that the NFB has produced several distinguished films about the First World War? In this post, I’ll highlight three acclaimed WWI films you need to discover.

Fields of Sacrifice (1963)

When the Department of Veterans Affairs approached the NFB to make a film about the fallen Canadian soldiers of the First and Second World Wars, nobody was quite sure how to proceed. Filmmaker Donald Brittain, who had just finished working on the Canada at War series, was assigned to the project. Convinced that just showing cemeteries would be counterproductive, Brittain filmed the sites of famous battles as they appeared in the present day (the early 1960s), showing how people living there had moved on and were enjoying their lives—though the sacrifices made by Canadians on the battlefields were not forgotten. Ypres, Arras, Vimy Ridge and Beaumont-Hamel are just some of the battlegrounds featured in the film, which premiered in Ottawa in October 1963 (with WWI veteran Governor General Georges Vanier in attendance) and went on to play in theatres across Canada for the next two years! It was also broadcast on the entire CBC network on Remembrance Day in 1965. Fields of Sacrifice is a beautiful homage to the 100,000 Canadians killed in the two world wars, narrated by Douglas Rain (the voice of HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey) and featuring some striking cinematography by Eugene Boyko.

oehttps://www.nfb.ca/film/fields_of_sacrifice/

John McCrae’s War: In Flanders Fields (1998)

“In Flanders fields the poppies grow, between the crosses, row on row.” These are the first lines to the famous poem by Canadian doctor Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, written while he served during the WWI. This fascinating documentary tells his life story and explains what led to the writing of the poem. It also recounts how the poppy became the symbol of fallen soldiers. McCrae was a veteran of the Boer War but decided to enlist in the army at the age of 42 in order to serve Canada once again, this time as a physician. Sadly, he died of pneumonia at the military hospital where he served in 1918. The film also highlights the first gas attack in the history of warfare and the Second Battle of Ypres, where 100,000 men died in combat that was described by McCrae as “17 days of Hades.” A great homage to a forgotten Canadian hero.

oehttps://www.nfb.ca/film/john_mccraes_war/

Front Lines (2008)

This film tells the story of WWI through the letters and diaries of five Canadian soldiers and one nurse, including future Governor General Georges Vanier, who lost a leg in the conflict. Distinguished actors Paul Gross and Colm Feore are among those who voice the letters and diaries, accompanied by dramatic archival footage and photographs of the soldiers at war. A heartfelt tribute to these brave men and women.

oehttps://www.nfb.ca/film/front_lines/

Want more? Don’t miss Denis McCready’s touching new short film Return to Vimy, now streaming on NFB.ca, as well as other NFB films on the First World War such as Georges P. Vanier: Soldier, Diplomat, Governor General, on the life of this great man; And We Knew How to Dance: Women in World War I, a tribute to women on the Home Front; and Remembrance, in which Paul Gross talks about what inspired him to make his feature film Passchendaele.

May their sacrifices never be forgotten.

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Seasonal Food Guide: Find What’s In Season Near You

Seasonal Food Guide shows what produce should be in season near you.

Think Locally

With mass produced food and mega-chain grocery stores, it often feels as if all food is always in season, all the time. If you want to buy apples, you usually don’t have to look at the calendar to see what day it is. That’s definitely not the case everywhere in the world, and some fruits and veggies are certainly more popular and abundant at certain times of the year, but most major cities have forgotten the significance of the seasons’ effect on food. Seasonal Food Guide is a helpful reminder of which fruits and veggies grow during which times, in various locations around the world.

Think Seasonally

After typing in your location to Seasonal Food Guide, the site displays a list of all the produce that should be in season in your area. You can explore the visual guide, clicking on the products for more information. Each product also comes with a link, displaying a recipe you could cook using the ingredient. Those who grow their own food, shop at farmer’s markets, or avoid mass produced food products may not need anyone to tell them what’s in season. For those who are curious about all the agricultural products that grow in certain locations at certain times of the year, Seasonal Food Guide can be a useful tool.

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More Than Just Parks: A Journey Through America’s National Parks

More Than Just Parks is a visually stunning journey through America’s National Parks.

A Big, Expensive Film Project

Two brothers, Will and Jim Pattiz, started More Than Just Parks as an ambitious filmmaking project. Their goal is to document all of the United States’s 59 National Parks, capturing photos and film used to tell stories about each of the locations. The site appears to be 100% funded by the Pattiz brothers themselves, as they accept donations, including via BitCoin and Paypal, and also license footage and sell prints in order to fund their adventures from park to park. They also include links to purchase the gear that they carry while exploring National Parks, adding another humble and useful method of monetizing their project.

Showcasing America’s Natural Beauty

Monetization aside, the Pattiz brothers have managed to get up close and personal with some of America’s most breathtaking natural wonders, from the Rocky Mountains to the Hawai’i volcanoes. Each Park has its own dedicated page on the site, featuring videos, images, and other information about the location. They also include statistics about their particular journey through each park, such as the time they spent, the distance they covered, and the amount of memory they used up in their cameras. More Than Just Parks is still a work in progress, and it’s an ambitious project, but the Pattiz brothers have still presented an compelling way to preserve and share some of America’s best natural beauty with the world.

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Remembering Leonard Cohen

In honour of the one-year anniversary of Leonard Cohen’s death, we’re partnering with the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (MAC) to mount an installation entitled I Heard There Was a Secret Chord. The project, created by Daily tous les jours, is part of Leonard Cohen: A Crack in Everything – Une brèche en toute chose, which is a multidisciplinary show at the MAC featuring 20 works by 40 artists from 10 different counties, all inspired by Cohen himself. The show runs until April 9. Our project will also be available online.

Leonard Cohen was a national treasure – an artist, poet, painter, musician, singer, and novelist who didn’t lose touch with his Canadian upbringing. He may have lived around the world, but he was put to rest right here in his hometown, with services handled by the very same synagogue he grew up in as a child.

Naturally, there’s been a lot of activity surrounding this anniversary. Last night, a memorial concert, Tower of Song, was held in Montreal and featured artists such as Sting, Lana Del Ray, Elvis Costello, and Patrick Watson. The CBC is celebrating the “life and legacy” of Cohen with special tribute programming across all of their platforms.

During his lifetime, we were fortunate enough to work with Cohen on several occasions, including these four films:

Ladies and Gentlemen… Mr. Leonard Cohen

Spend a little time with Leonard Cohen, circa 1965, in this informal portrait of the 30-year-old poet on a return trip to Montreal. Ladies and Gentlemen:

oehttps://www.nfb.ca/film/ladies_and_gentlemen_mr_leonard_cohen/

Poen

Listen and watch as Cohen himself reads one prose poem from his novel Beautiful Losers four different ways, with each version producing a different emotional effect.

oehttps://www.nfb.ca/film/poen/

Angel

In this experimental short, a young man, a woman, and a dog attempt to fly with wings more figurative than literal. Cohen’s music is performed in this film by the Stormy Clovers.

oehttps://www.nfb.ca/film/angel/

Poets on Film No. 1

Enjoy an animated interpretation of Cohen’s A Kite Is a Victim.

oehttps://www.nfb.ca/film/poets_on_film_no_1/

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10 Tips for Marketing Your Independent Film

So, you’re going to make a movie. Congratulations!

I’m sure you’ve waited a long time, and worked very hard, for this moment. You want to make sure you do everything you can to ensure your film’s success. One of the most important things you can do, from Day 1, is plan the marketing for your film.

It doesn’t matter how good a film is, if no one hears about it, no one’s going to see it. But there are so many things you can do to garner attention, including having the right assets and the right approach.

The NFB is blessed with a great marketing team, and I went to see them to get their top tips on how to market an independent film. And now, I share them with you.

1) Know your audience.

Are you trying to hit a specific community? Don’t make the mistake of trying to market your film to “everyone.”

2) Research publications and Facebook groups in your target audience.

Both can help spread the word about your film. If it’s geared towards a younger audience, focus more on social media; if it’s an older audience, you may want to consider some print media.

3) Have great production stills.

Photography is so important. No one can market, promote, or publicize your film without it. Minimum size is 300 dpi, but use the best resolution you can. Great photos can get you great coverage, so it’s worth the investment.

4) Make sure you have a stellar synopsis.

To do that, you first have to identify your audience, so you know who you’re writing for. Your synopsis should be clear and enticing. It should be simple enough to be understood by someone not even remotely familiar with filmmaking.

5) Research similar films that have already been released.

You can get a sense of the public’s reaction and troubleshoot accordingly. It might also provide insight on other target audiences.

6) Surround yourself with competent people – before, during, and after production.

Find good partners like writers, graphic designers, videographers, editors, photographer, etc. who grasp the project’s DNA and find captivating ways to bring it to the public. If your budget is too small to hire external resources, then at least try to set some money aside for consultants who can guide you.

7) Save some money in your budget for social media.

Never underestimate the value of a sponsored Facebook post, targeted towards your audience.

8) Keep some making-of, or exclusive footage, for online promotion.

Some clips or a short montage works great.

9) Find a great spokesperson who can do press on behalf of the film.

10) Try to see the film for what it really is, rather than what you had planned it to be.

Assess its strengths and weaknesses. Then, you can develop a line of communication that builds on what the film best has to offer.

Have you got any tips to add to our list? Share them in the comments below.

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Here Are A Few Tips For Successful Conflict Resolution

Conflict is an unavoidable fact of life – wherever people live or work together, there is bound to be disagreements. The question is, do we have the tools to overcome these disagreements and resolve the conflict so that we can move forward?

Conflict resolution is hard. It’s human nature for us to think we’re in the right, and that our opponent is the one who’s got it wrong. But for us all to get along, sometimes we need to step back and reassess the situation. One great expression I’ve heard is, “Sometimes, it’s more important to be kind than it is to be right.”

Here are 3 films that were created for our Showpeace series, a collection of films that provide insight on how to deal creatively with disputes and anger at school, at work, at home, and in the community. The best thing about these films is that they appeal equally to children and adults – maybe because in these situations the adults tend to act like children…

Dinner for Two

You know that moment when you realize you’ve gone too far? That you’ve overreacted in a situation but it’s just too late to scale it back? This film is that moment. Two chameleons battle it out over dinner – almost to the death – when it turns out that all along there was enough to go around. It’s a film that demonstrates no matter how far things have gone, there’s always a path to reconciliation.

oehttps://www.nfb.ca/film/dinner_for_two/

Elbow Room

Oh, the corporate grind. This film is particularly fitting now that the trend is to move from individual offices to shared working spaces. Here we see two colleagues who are forced to work a little too closely together, and naturally end up getting on each other’s nerves. Using a cute little “playback” technique, the film shows 4 different approaches to relieving interpersonal tension.

oehttps://www.nfb.ca/film/elbow_room/

When the Dust Settles

These two gophers are like the animated equivalent of the two men in Norman McLaren’s Neighbours. When one accidentally dumps some dirt into the other one’s den, a war breaks out amongst them and they go at each other with such vengeance that by nightfall, they’ve destroyed everything they have. Anger and revenge overshadow everything else as these two animals escalate the tension level to such a point that it’s hard to tell if they’ll ever be able to set things right.

oehttps://www.nfb.ca/film/when_the_dust_settles/

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Media Literacy: The Critical Path to a Connected World

Explore the relationship between media and values

Young people live deeply connected online lives, and as digital citizens they need media literacy skills to help them build compassionate global communities. How can online communities invite and cultivate diverse, positive values?

oehttps://www.nfb.ca/film/social_me/

The short docs Social Me and Staying Real prompt conversations about the existence of values such as selflessness and respect for inclusive community in social media, and can motivate creativity in the form of blogs and podcasts that explore and model online ethics. The feature documentary InRealLife similarly raises ethical questions about deep social participation in an increasingly corporate online world.

Investigate spiritual and cultural media connections

The Faith Project bears witness to thoughtful explorations of spirituality, inspiring media literacy learners to inquire into the relationship between media and diverse faiths. With the aid of the Faith Project app and blog post, personal journals can spark rich writing and debate about spiritual values in social media, as well as provide material for videos inspired by the powerful testimonial style of the Faith Project short films. As an extension, students might collaboratively research then compare and contrast manufacturing practices with the marketed values of their favourite brands.

Similarly, Angry Inuk inspires inquiry into how a mediated clash of values can result in the marginalization of Indigenous cultures but also nurture activism. Librarians can help students develop effective research skills to examine and compare the impact local vs. national and international reporting on the seal hunt has had on the welfare of Inuit culture.

Understand how media represent and influence social values and identities

The connection between media and identity deepens with the complexity of our media tools. Films such as Staying Real and Social Me offer students rich material for exploration of such themes.

oehttps://www.nfb.ca/film/staying_real_teens_confront_sexual_stereotypes/

Staying Real considers the media’s powerful role in constructing identity, prompting personal journals, discussion, and projects on class and gender stereotyping, absent voices, and marketing messages. Such projects can include videos or ads posted to social media that question conventional youth marketing: Do brand values reflect real teens’ values? How might a disconnect affect individuals? Social Me also prompts questions about identity: How can social media diminish or alter individuality while offering opportunity for such rich self-expression? Students can raise peer awareness through projects such as blogs, raps, anti-bullying campaigns, and videogame designs that build digital citizenship. Other films, such as InRealLife, also explore the complexities of self-representation online. The Faith Project inspires inquiry into media representation of faith and spirituality in particular: How can today’s individuals of faith challenge stereotypes?

Minority representation in social media

oehttps://www.nfb.ca/film/angry_inuk/

Students viewing Angry Inuk can explore themes of cultural representation and disenfranchisement through journaling, research and debate, including discussion of how the film has shaped their opinion of the seal hunt and why certain mediums articulate passionate voices more effectively than others. This film also invites examination of the spectrum of media coverage of the seal hunt (including PETA) and its impact on public opinion. Students could then create ads from an Inuit perspective that counter the anti-sealing campaign. Native Studies students can compare different media representations of First Nations and their belief systems: How do First Nations peoples represent themselves differently than mainstream media, and why? Students might also extend their study into ways media have impacted Canadians’ understandings of truth and reconciliation in Indigenous cultures.

Think critically about diversity and inclusion of voices through media

Thoughtful media users understand how diversity of voice through online and conventional media can determine our understanding of our world. Viewers of Social Me might compare how different social media platforms promote inclusion, and then propose strategies for influencing social media corporations to support diversity. Collaborative inquiry could lead to online testimonials or created ads using personal stories of bullying. Other activities might include poetry, essays, blogs, tweets, photo essays, and music and art installations on themes of inclusivity in social media.  This film also prompts exploration of social media as “staged pop culture” and “performance,” including the social repercussions: Might students benefit or suffer—how and why? InRealLife and XS Stress spark similar questions about inclusivity and alienation.

oehttps://www.nfb.ca/film/xs_stress_teens_take_control/

Examine the power of media to shape and unite

On a more political theme, Angry Inuk will help students evaluate the media’s role in shaping understanding of Canada’s cultural values of inclusion.

Similarly, Highrise: Universe Within heightens students’ awareness of the potential of online media to nurture community and tolerance, and to fight isolation and abuse of power. Classes can connect to global peers or produce videos and podcasts about their culturally diverse neighbourhoods. In this way, they experience the empowering benefits of communications media.

 

This blog post has been written especially for Media Literacy Week. You’ll find more films related to this topic in our Engaging All Voices through Media playlist.

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