NWF 2021 FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHTS
The pandemic has meant a few significant changes to our festival format. The two we have felt most deeply are that we do not get to share this solid lineup of docs alongside our audiences and that we don’t get the chance to meet and hear from our filmmakers in person. We are often lucky enough to host some of our filmmakers and introduce them to their audiences through industry events and meet-and-greets.
So, we’re Zoomin’ it. Well, Zencastr’n it. But, this also means that the accessibility to our filmmakers can now include anyone who comes across our website or our YouTube page. If you were curious about the driving forces behind some of these films, you can now hear directly from the filmmakers. Without further pandemic lamenting, take a click and get to know our 2021 filmmakers!
ALIEN ON STAGE: An interview with filmmakers Danielle Kummer & Lucy Harvey
The film: An amateur dramatics group led by Dorset bus drivers spends a year creating a serious stage adaptation of the sci-fi horror film, Alien. Their big moment arrives when they get the chance to perform their homage in a London West End theatre for one night only.
THE LINE: An interview with filmmaker Anthony Goertz
The film: Inside the world-renowned waste management centre located in Edmonton, Alberta, a company called Quality One is hiring people facing barriers to employment to help tackle the crucial work of reducing the city’s ecological footprint. The result: real community in an unlikely place.
TO WHICH WE BELONG: An interview with filmmaker Pamela Tanner Boll
The film: To Which We Belong highlights the farmers and ranchers leaving behind conventional practices that are no longer profitable or sustainable. These unsung heroes are improving the health of our soil and our seas.
LOVE, ORAN: An interview with filmmaker Colin Scheyen
The film: A secret letter hidden in a wall for seventy years sets off a miraculous chain of events that would change a family forever. Love, Oran is sure to be a timely, well-needed escape for audiences.
WE ARE CONJOLA: An interview with Anthony “Ash” Brennan
The film: On New Year’s Eve 2019, Ash Brennan lost his house in the Conjola Park bushfire which nearly killed those who dared to fight the blaze, including his brother.
While the traumatized community waited for help, a group of local artists came together in an attempt to give the community hope.
THE LAST VILLAINS: MAD DOG AND THE BUTCHER: An interview with Thomas Rinfret
The film: The Last Villains: Mad Dog & The Butcher is the larger-than-life story of the legendary professional wrestling Vachon family, as recounted by the only surviving family member, Paul “The Butcher” Vachon.
THE BODY FIGHTS BACK: An interview with filmmaker Marian Võsumets
The film: The Body Fights Back is a feature documentary about five people navigating the paradoxes of diet culture. Personal stories from vastly different backgrounds quickly merge into a shockingly similar experience of battling one’s body.
THE PENNY BLACK: An interview with Joe Saunders & Alexander Greer
The film: Set in Los Angeles, The Penny Black is a captivating story about the estranged son of a con artist who fights temptation, paranoia, and his own nefarious legacy as he searches for the rightful owner of a mysterious, million-dollar stamp collection.
FOREVERMOORE: THE ANGELO PROJECT - An interview with Tisa Zito
The film: Angelo Moore, lead singer and saxophonist of the band Fishbone, devotes his life to crafting art through spoken word, music, and fashion —making beauty out of darkness.
LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE: An interview with Gavin Guerra
The film: Let The People Decide is a documentary film chronicling the contentious history of voting in the United States, from the early 1960s until today.
HELL OR CLEAN WATER: An interview with Cody Westman and Jennifer Hawley
The film: Hell or Clean Water is the story of Shawn Bath, a former commercial diver on his quest to rid the coast of the bottles, tires, boat parts, and other assorted debris littering the harbours of Newfoundland.
THE PAPER MAN: An interview with Tanya Lapointe
The film: The Paper Man captures the last two years of French-Canadian children’s entertainer Claude Lafortune’s life before he passed away from Covid in April of 2020. This documentary examines his body of work, revealing the depths of his art and continuing legacy.