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In case you hadn’t heard the bad news, the NFB Mediatheque will be closing its doors on September 1, 2012 due to budget cuts. So, their August programming line up is your very last chance to get in some National Film Board viewing at this venue before it’s too late. And best of all, it’s free!

First up, on Wednesday, August 1 is Waterlife from filmmaker Kevin McMahon. This award-winning documentary documents the largest fresh water supply on Earth – the Great Lakes.

The Chocolate Farmer, screening Wednesday, August 8, tells the story of a cacao farmer in Belize. Though he and his family work their plantation according to traditional Mayan methods, modern “progress” encroaches, threatening their way of life.

Wednesday, August 15 features the excellent Up the Yangtze by Yung Chang, which documents the Yangtze River in China right before it was transformed into the Three Gorges Dam,the largest hydroelectric dam in history. The award-winning film is a “moving depiction of peasant life, a powerful narrative of contemporary China.”

Léa Pool’s film  Pink Ribbons, Inc. screens on Wednesday, August 22, examining the fundraising campaigns and marketing machine behind breast cancer. Where does all that money go?

And finally, on Wednesday, August 29, it’s the excellent 2006 documentary Manufactured Landscapes, by Jennifer Baichwal. Travelling with Canadian artist Edward Burtynsky, Baichwal captures his creation of very large photographs of landscapes that have been transformed by industry. The scale and scope of his works reveal the impact humans have had on the earth – it’s both fascinating and frightening at once.

All screenings are part of the Free Favourites at Four series, and so will (obviously) screen at 4:00 pm on their respective dates. It’s all free, so don’t miss your chance to visit the place before it’s gone. For all the details, please visit click on the links above or visit the NFB Mediatheque website.

More from Toronto Film Scene

• Losing the plot: pornography and storytelling
• Losing our national arts treasures? Budget cuts prompt closing of NFB Mediatheque  
• The National Film Board of Canada: building a national cinema worth awarding

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Pam Fossen

Obsessed with watching movies as far back as she can remember, Pam loves film enough to have two university degrees in the subject. When not focused on a movie screen, she can usually be found reading, cooking, touring vineyards, or planning where to spend her vacation time.

Latest posts by Pam Fossen (see all)

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