Jean-Daniel Lafond’s The End of Certainties to have its world premiere on NFB.ca on December 14.

December 8, 2020 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada

The End of Certainties, the latest documentary by Jean-Daniel Lafond, will be launched as a world premiere on NFB.ca on Monday, December 14, the opening day of the International Economic Forum of the Americas (IEFA) Conference of Montreal, which will be presented live online from December 14 to 17, 2020. Co-produced by Majda Films International and the National Film Board of Canada, the film gives viewers first-hand access to the diverse testimonials of some 20 influential men and women who took part in the IEFA Montreal and Paris conferences from 2017 to 2019. The result is an insightful, cogent overview of the impacts of globalization today, and the inequalities, ideals, disillusionment, fears and hopes that it continues to generate. After its world premiere, the film will continue to be available free of charge on NFB.ca.

Globalization: the state of play

More than a decade after the global financial crisis of 2007–08, this documentary takes stock of economic, sociocultural, environmental and political imbalances, and addresses a fundamental question: What can we do to build a more inclusive, fairer world? At the IEFA events in Montreal and Paris, Lafond meets economists, financiers, politicians and other key players active in various international bodies. Using in-depth conversations as well as excerpts from the conferences, he delves into these participants’ views, which include questioning the direction that globalization and capitalism have taken in light of the glaring inequalities that have resulted; the need to renew pacts of solidarity and take concrete actions in that regard; the essential role that First Peoples must play in the conversation about climate issues; the profound changes sweeping the world of work and technology, resulting in both challenges and great leaps forward; and the vital importance of education.

Multiple voices, one overarching view

The End of Certainties is a multi-voiced meditation that offers sometimes divergent outlooks on our world today, but unanimously speaks to an urgent need to instil greater humanity. The film’s participants include, among others, Lynn Forester de Rothschild, founder and CEO of the Coalition for Inclusive Capitalism (United States); Paul Desmarais, Jr., Chairman of the Board and Co-CEO of Power Corporation (Canada); Gérard Mestrallet, President of Suez and Honorary President of Engie in 2018 (France); Siila Watt-Cloutier, advocate for Arctic Peoples’ human, environmental and cultural rights (Canada); Myrlande Pierre, Chair of the City of Montreal’s Table sur la diversité, l’inclusion et la lutte contre les discriminations from 2018 to 2019 (Canada); Kako Kossivi Nubukpo, Director of the Economic and Digital Francophonie from 2017 to 2018 (France); and Gil Rémillard, Founder and Chairman of the IEFA (Canada).

The End of Certainties by Jean-Daniel Lafond (45 min 27 s)
Co-produced by Jean-Daniel Lafond (Majda Films International) and André Picard (NFB)
Press kit (synopsis, director’s statement, biographies, images and credits): mediaspace.nfb.ca/the-end-of-certainties

About Jean-Daniel Lafond

Filmmaker, philosopher and writer Jean-Daniel Lafond, known for his sensitive and poetic explorations of the destinies of individuals and peoples, has made more than 15 films, including Tropic North (1994, TV5 award for best French-language documentary), Freedom Outraged (1994), Haiti in All Our Dreams (1995, Best Political Documentary, Hot Docs), Salam Iran, a Persian Letter (2002, Gémeaux Award for Best Documentary), The Cabinet of Doctor Ferron (2003, Gémeaux Award for Best Documentary), American Fugitive or The Truth about Hassan (2006), Madwoman of God (2008) and A Woman of Purpose (2015). The End of Certainties is his tenth film with the NFB. He spent the years 2005 to 2010 actively supporting his wife, the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, in her duties as Governor General of Canada. The co-founder of the Rencontres internationales du documentaire and the Observatoire canadien du documentaire / The Documentary Network, Lafond also co-founded and remains co-president of the Michaëlle Jean Foundation (2010), which uses the arts as tools for social change.

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Online Screening Room: NFB.ca
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