By acclaimed Primitive Entertainment in a special co-presentation by the NFB and TVO
On Tuesday, December 15, at 9 p.m. ET, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and TVO present the world premiere of Kevin McMahon’s Borealis—an immersive journey into the heart of Canada’s iconic boreal forest. The film exposes the chorus of life in the forest, offering a portrait of its lifecycles from the perspective of the plants and animals that live there. It will be broadcast on TVO and stream free on NFB.ca and TVO.org.
Channeling an artful balance of science and spirit, Borealis shares the voices of scientists, Indigenous people, harvesters and herbalists who explore the iconic snow forest from the point of view of its trees, delving deeply into the many mysteries of a biome that refreshes itself by burning itself down.
How do trees move, communicate, and survive the destructive forces of fire, insects, and human encroachment? Humans are only beginning to understand the complex networks that nurture and sustain this unique ecosystem, as well as the things that destroy it.
Borealis was filmed in Ontario on the territories of the Fort Albany First Nation and Weenusk First Nation, and in the Algonquin, Quetico, Wabakimi and Woodland Caribou provincial parks, as well as in the Banff and Jasper national parks in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains and the Wood Buffalo National Park in Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
A co-production of Primitive Entertainment and the NFB in partnership with TVO, and in association with ZDF/ARTE, NHK and Knowledge Network, Borealis is produced by Kristina McLaughlin, Kevin McMahon and Michael McMahon for Primitive Entertainment and Justine Pimlott for the NFB’s Ontario Studio. The executive producers are Michael McMahon (Primitive Entertainment), Anita Lee (NFB) and Jane Jankovic (TVO). The film was produced with the participation of the Canada Media Fund and the Rogers Documentary Fund, and with the assistance of the Ontario Creates Film Fund and the Ontario Creates Film and Tax Credit.