[Sust-mar] NFB Films Screening at the Atlantic Film Festival

[Christopher Majka]

Hi folks,

Below is information on two National Film Board of Canada films that  
will be getting their Atlantic Canadian premieres later this month  
during the Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax, NS.

The Chocolate Farmer, by Nova Scotia filmmaker Rohan Fernando,  
explores themes of aboriginal peoples, social justice, the  
environment, and sustainable agriculture. It's a fascinating  
documentary that strikes a balance between an exploration of the  
issues that underly the film and a very poetic and elegiac look at the  
lives of the Mayan peoples and their deep connection to the land they  
inhabit.

Weibo's War, by award winning filmmaker David York, is a captivating  
documentary on energy policy and development and how far can people be  
provoked before they respond with civil disobedience and/or violence.  
It's an incisive look at the disruptive social, environmental, and  
health effects of natural gas exploration and exploitation in the  
Peace River district of Alberta. Wiebo Ludwig and his extended clan  
are diverse, committed, and spiritual community pushed to the edge (in  
some cases over the brink) by the seeming bureaucracy, indifference,  
and an ethos of exploitation of natural resources without regard to  
their environmental and health effects.

Below is information on the screenings. Ticket information is  
available on the Atlantic Film Festival website (www.atlanticfilm.com).

See you at the movies!

Christopher Majka

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THE CHOCOLATE FARMER

In an unspoiled corner of southern Belize, cacao farmer Eladio Pop  
works his plantation in the tradition of his Mayan ancestors - as a  
steward of the land. A tender and poetic tale, director Rohan  
Fernando’s lush cinematic journey captures the life of the Pop family  
as they struggle to preserve their values in a world that is  
dramatically changing. When the promise of land ownership suddenly  
replaces a communal approach to cultivating this beautiful land, which  
is naturally rich with cacao trees, new ideals of capitalism are  
introduced. Soon, greed ensues and the time-honoured methods of  
farming, proven sustainable over centuries, are under threat. With  
profound insight, Eladio Pop understands what is at stake - even while  
his family becomes as divided as his once united, strong community.  
The Chocolate Farmer challenges our deeply held assumptions of progress.

An award-winning director and cinematographer, Rohan Fernando is a Sri  
Lankan native and Canadian immigrant. His credits include the Gemini- 
nominated feature Cecil’s Journey (Filmi South Asian Film Festival;  
two awards, Atlantic Film Festival); many episodes of the highly rated  
television series Past Lives for Global TV, and feature documentaries  
Trudeau’s Other Children and Blood and Water. The Chocolate Farmer is  
produced by Annette Clarke (NFB).

[Screening on Sunday, September 18, 19:15 at the Park Lane 3 cinema]

  WIEBO'S WAR

Wiebo’s War tells the story of a closed Christian Community at war  
with the oil and gas industry. Wiebo Ludwig is the prime suspect in a  
series of pipeline bombings near his family’s farm that echoes a  
campaign of sabotage he waged against the gas industry a decade ago.  
The Ludwig family lives according to strict religious values, and  
under the sway of Wiebo, their patriarch. They are self-sufficient but  
isolated, with seven unmarried adult children, and 38 grandchildren.  
And they believe that those who don’t share their beliefs, like  
filmmaker David York, are living in terrible darkness.

  David York is an award-winning producer who has made feature films,  
television dramas, and more than 100 hours of non-fiction television  
that have been broadcast around the world. In 2008, his company, 52  
Media, was named by Realscreen Magazine as one of the ‘Global 100’  
most influential production companies. Wiebo’s War is his directorial  
debut. Produced by David York, Bryn Hughes, Nick Hector (52 Media) and  
Bonnie Thompson (NFB).

[Screening on Monday, September 19, 21:30 at the Park Lane 4 cinema]

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Christopher Majka
NFB Publicist
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada