NFB continues Quebec City celebrations with free film series

Quebec City might have officially wrapped up its 400th birthday celebrations, but the National Film Board hopes to continue the festivities via a new film series it is offering free to schools, public libraries and to Canadians online.

NFB staffers will send a three-DVD set of nine short- and feature-length films exploring Quebec City's history to more than 26,000 schools and public libraries across Canada at the end of the month.

Most of the films will also beavailable for Canadians to screen for free on a special, upcoming NFB website.

"At a time when young people have access to so much information andentertainment, the NFB has brought together an outstanding selection ofhistorical films works that are sure to grab their attention with a fresh look at the past," NFB chair and government film commissioner Tom Perlmutter said in a statement.

The series comprises titles drawn from the NFB archives as well as new productions. The films, in chronological order, are:

• The Calche Driver (1953) by Raymond Garceau.
• Carnival in Quebec (1956) by Jean Palardy.
• Samuel de Champlain Qubec 1603 (1964) by Denys Arcand.
• Walls of Memory (1964) by Lonard Forest.
• Dreams of a Land (1989 and 1987) by Robert Doucet.
• The Fate of America (1996) by Jacques Godbout.
• My Park, My Plains (2008) by Carole Laganire.
• Forever Quebec (2008) by Jean-Claude Labrecque.
• Madwoman of God (2008) by Jean-Daniel Lafond.

All nine titles will be distributed to schools and libraries, while the forthcoming NFB Tribute to Quebec City site will offer free streaming of all but the Labrecque and Lafond films.

The NFB "invites all Canadians to celebrate the country's rich cultural heritage by rediscovering the history of Quebec City," Perlmutter said.

Quebec City officials wrapped its year-long 400th birthday party in December with an enormous outdoor extravaganza on New Year's Eve.

Tourists and Quebecers alike had flooded the city throughout the year totake in a wide range of events, including Robert Lepage's outdoor art installation in the port, concerts on the Plains of Abraham by Paul McCartney and Cline Dion, as well as the highlylauded exhibit at the Muse National des Beaux-Arts du Qubec featuring artifacts on loan from the Louvre.