National Film Board of Canada
Encyclopedia
The National Film Board of Canada (or simply National Film Board or NFB) (French
: Office National du Film du Canada, or ONF) is Canada
's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada
, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media
productions. In total, the NFB has produced over 13,000 productions which have won over 5,000 awards. The NFB reports to the Parliament of Canada
through the Minister of Canadian Heritage
. It has English language
and French language
production branches.
The organization's purpose and mission have been re-defined numerous times throughout its history. Currently, the NFB's mandate is defined by the Minister of Canadian Heritage:
The National Film Board has defined a list of primary and secondary goals to fulfill in order to meet its mandate, as well as a set of related activities that can be performed to meet those goals. Primary activities are:
These are to be achieved through various programs, such as the Aboriginal Film Program, implementing a major bilingual website on the history of Canada, and incorporating Internet and interactive tools into film making.
Secondary activities include:
The National Film Board's extensive library of short films
, documentaries and animation has led to an enthusiastic fan base. Various festivals, film exhibits and university clubs host retrospectives and showings designed to promote the work of the NFB.
The National Film Board maintains its head office in Saint-Laurent
, a borough of Montreal
, in the Norman McLaren
electoral district
, named in honour of the NFB animation pioneer. The NFB HQ building is also named for McLaren, and is home to much of its production activity. Interactive public access centres operate in downtown Toronto (NFB Mediatheque) and Montreal (NFB CineRobotheque). As of April 2011, part of the Toronto Mediatheque has been converted into an interactive space for digital media
content creation and consumption.
In addition to the English and French-language studios in its Montreal HQ, there are centres throughout Canada. English-language production occurs at centres in Toronto
(Ontario Centre), Vancouver
(Pacific & Yukon Centre), Edmonton
(North West Centre), Winnipeg
(Prairie Centre), and Halifax (Atlantic Centre). As of October 2009, the Atlantic Centre also operates an office in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
. In June 2011, the NFB appointed a producer to work with film and digital media makers across Saskatchewan
, to be based in Regina
.
Outside Quebec, French language productions are also made in Moncton (Studio Acadie). The NFB also offers support programs for independent filmmakers: in English, via the Filmmaker Assistance Program (FAP) and in French through its Aide du cinéma indépendant - Canada (ACIC) program.
The organization has a hierarchical structure headed by a Board of Trustees, which is chaired by the Government Film Commissioner and NFB Chairperson. It is overseen by the Board of Trustees Secretariat and Legal Affairs.
The NFB employs 490 full-time equivalent staff, with an annual budget of $70 million (for 2000–2004). Funding is derived primarily from government of Canada transfer payments, and also from its own revenue streams. These revenues are from print sales, film production services, rentals, and royalties, and total up to $10 million yearly; the NFB lists this as Respendable Revenues in its financial statements.
, a British
documentary film-maker, to study the state of the government's film production. Up to that date, the Canadian Government Motion Picture Bureau, established in 1918, had been the major Canadian film producer. The results of Grierson's report were included in the National Film Act of 1939, which led to the establishment of the NFB. In part, it was founded to create propaganda in support of the Second World War. In 1940, with Canada at war, the NFB launched its Canada Carries On
series of morale boosting theatrical shorts. The success of Canada Carries On led to the creation of The World in Action
, which was more geared to international audiences.
During the ’40s and early ’50s, the NFB employed 'travelling projectionists' who toured the country, bringing films and public discussions to rural communities. A revision of the National Film Act in 1950 removed any direct government intervention into the operation and administration of the NFB. With the creation of the Canadian Film Development Corporation (now known as Telefilm Canada
) in 1967, the mandate for the National Film Board was refined. The Canadian Film Development Corporation would become responsible for promoting the development of the film industry. 1967 also saw the creation of Challenge for Change
, a community media project that would develop the use of film and video as a tool for initiating social change.
During the 1970s and early 1980s, the National Film Board produced a series of vignettes, some of which aired on CBC
and other Canadian broadcasters during commercial breaks. The vignettes became popular because of their cultural depiction of Canada, and because they represented its changing state. Indeed, the vignette Faces was made to represent the increasing cultural and ethnic diversity of Canada. In 1996, the NFB absorbed a 32% cut to its operating budget
, forcing it to lay off staff, close its film lab, sound stage
(now privatized
) as well as other departments.
In 2006, the NFB marked the 65th anniversary of NFB animation with an international retrospective of restored Norman McLaren classics and the launch of the DVD box set, Norman McLaren - The Master's Edition. The NFB has also absorbed smaller budget cuts in recent years. The six-storey John Grierson Building at its Montreal headquarters has sat empty for several years – with HQ staff now based solely in its adjacent Norman McLaren Building. In October 2009, the NFB released a free app for Apple's iPhone
that would allow users to watch thousands of NFB films directly on their cell phones. In 2010, the NFB released an iPad version of their app that streams NFB films, many in high definition.
and Philippe Baylaucq.
As of 2009, the NFB is organized along nine branches and departments:
joined the organization in 1941, the NFB began production of animation
. The NFB proved to be an organization that would give Canada a presence in the film world. The animation department eventually gained distinction, particularly with the pioneering work of McLaren, an internationally recognized experimental filmmaker. The NFB was a pioneer in several novel techniques such as pinscreen animation
, but most of the Oscars
and many other awards it won were done in traditional cell animation
.
McLaren's Oscar-winning Neighbours
popularized the form of character movement referred to as pixillation
, a variant of stop motion
. The term pixilation
itself was created by NFB animator Grant Munro
in an experimental film of the same name.
application that was downloaded more than 170,000 times and led to more than 500,000 film views in the first four months. In January 2010, the NFB added high-definition
and 3D
films to the over 1400 productions available for viewing online. The NFB introduced a free iPad
application in July 2010, followed by its first app for the Android platform in March 2011. When the BlackBerry PlayBook
launched on April 19, 2011, it included a pre-loaded app offering access to 1,500 NFB titles.
In September 2011, the NFB and the Montreal French-language daily Le Devoir
announced that they will be jointly hosting three interactive essays on their websites, ONF.ca and ledevoir.com.
, including web documentaries such as Welcome to Pine Point
, recipient of two Webby Awards
and Out My Window
, winner of the IDFA DocLab Award for Digital Storytelling and an International Digital Emmy Award
. The NFB now devotes 20 per cent of its production budget to interactive works.
Loc Dao is the executive producer and "creative technologist" responsible for NFB English-language digital content and strategy, based in the Woodward's Building
in Vancouver
. Jeremy Mendes is an interactive artist producing English-language interactive works for the NFB. Mendes is currently working with Leanne Allison (Being Caribou
, Finding Farley
) on the interactive project Bear 71, about a grizzly bear
, which will incorporate remote camera
photos from Parks Canada
. From January 2010 to June 2011, NFB interactive works reached over 2.2 million users, in both English and French.
Dao's counterpart for French-language interactive media production at the NFB is Hugues Sweeney, based in Montreal. Sweeney's recent credits include the online interactive animation work, Bla Bla
.
announced the start of the Nunavut Animation Lab, offering animation training to Nunavut artists. Films from the Nunavut Animation Lab include Alethea Arnaquq-Baril's 2010 digital animation short Lumaajuuq, winner of the Best Aboriginal Award at the Golden Sheaf Awards and named Best Canadian Short Drama at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.
In November 2011, the NFB and partners including the Inuit Relations Secretariat and the Government of Nunavut introduced a DVD and online collection entitled Unikkausivut: Sharing Our Stories, which will make over 100 NFB films by and about Inuit
available in Inuktitut
and other Inuit languages, as well as English and French.
, the National Film Board of Canada, on the recommendation of long-time employee Kathleen Shannon created Studio D, the first government-funded film studio dedicated to women filmmakers in the world. Shannon was designated as Executive Director of the new studio which became one of the NFB's most celebrated filmmaking units, winning awards and breaking distribution records.
High profile films produced by the studio include:
Studio D was shut down in 1996, amidst a sweeping set of federal government budget cuts, which impacted the NFB as a whole.
From 1941 to 1984, the Division commissioned freelance photographers to document every aspect of life in Canada. These images were widely distributed through publication in various media.
In 1985, this Division officially became the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography
.
was named the NFB's 15th Commissioner, having served as its head of English Program since 2001.
was added to UNESCO
's Memory of the World Programme
, listing the most significant documentary heritage collections in the world.
s, including a Special Achievement Genie
in 1989 for its 50th anniversary. The following is an incomplete list:
Winners:
Nominated:
for their work and has garnered a total of 70 Academy Award nominations. The first-ever Oscar for documentary went to the NFB production, Churchill's Island
. In 1989, it received an Honorary Award from the Academy "in recognition of its 50th anniversary and its dedicated commitment to originate artistic, creative and technological activity and excellence in every area of filmmaking." On January 23, 2007, the NFB received its 12th and most recent Academy Award, for the animated short The Danish Poet
, directed by Torill Kove
and co-produced with MikroFilm AS (Norway
).
Winners:
Nominated: (incomplete list)
s: for the Rezolution Pictures
/NFB co-production Reel Injun
(2011), Karen Shopsowitz's NFB documentary My Father's Camera (2002), the NFB/Télé-Action co-produced mini-series The Boys of St. Vincent
(1995) and the NFB documentary Fat Chance (1994).
. In August 2011, the NFB received an outstanding technical achievement in digital media award from the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.
, presented International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences
for excellence on the internet. Filmmaker-in-Residence, a project by Katerina Cizek
about St. Michael's Hospital
in Toronto
, was named best online documentary series at the 2008 Webbys. In 2010, the NFB website Waterlife
, on the state of the Great Lakes
, won in the Documentary: Individual Episode category. In 2011, Welcome to Pine Point
received two Webbys, for Documentary: Individual Episode in the Online Film & Video category and Netart in the Websites category.
, other NFB productions have been criticized for their content, for moral and social reasons or because the production presents an unpopular interpretation of widely held beliefs.
Two NFB productions broadcast on CBC Television criticizing the role of Canadians in wartime were the source of controversy, including questions in the Canadian Senate
. The Kid Who Couldn't Miss
(1982) cast doubt on the accomplishments of Canadian World War I
flying ace Billy Bishop
, sparking widespread outrage, including complaints in the Senate subcommittee on Veterans' Affairs.
A decade later, The Valour and the Horror
outraged some when it suggested that there was incompetence on the part of Canadian military command, and that Canadian soldiers had committed unprosecuted war crime
s against German soldiers. The series became the subject of an inquiry by the Senate.
The 1982 film If You Love This Planet
, which won an Academy Award
for best documentary short subject, was labelled foreign propaganda under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938
in the United States.
Not a Love Story: A Film About Pornography was a 1981 Studio D documentary critiquing pornography
that was itself banned in the province of Ontario
on the basis of pornographic content.
During the height of the pro-rights and pro-life abortion debate of the 1980s, the NFB released the documentary film Abortion: Stories from North and South (1984).
appeared on VisionTV, along with the French-language Carnets ONF series on APTN
. Moreover, in 1997 the American cable channel Cartoon Network
created a weekly 30-minute show called O Canada specifically showcasing a compilation of NFB-produced works; the segment was discontinued in favour of Adult Swim
. As of 2010, many of the NFB children's shows are available on the children's IPTV service Ameba.
The Board's logo consists of a standing stylized figure (originally green) with its arms wide upward. The arms are met by an arch that mirrors them. The round head in between then resembles a pupil, making the entire symbol appear to be an eye
with legs. Launched in 1969, the logo symbolized a vision of humanity and was called "Man Seeing / L'homme qui voit". It was designed by Georges Beaupré. It was updated in 2002 by the firm of Paprika Communications.
Canadian French
Canadian French is an umbrella term referring to the varieties of French spoken in Canada. French is the mother tongue of nearly seven million Canadians, a figure constituting roughly 22% of the national population. At the federal level it has co-official status alongside English...
: Office National du Film du Canada, or ONF) is Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media
Digital media
Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital form. It can refer to the technical aspect of storage and transmission Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital (as opposed to analog) form. It can refer to the technical aspect of...
productions. In total, the NFB has produced over 13,000 productions which have won over 5,000 awards. The NFB reports to the Parliament of Canada
Parliament of Canada
The Parliament of Canada is the federal legislative branch of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in the national capital, Ottawa. Formally, the body consists of the Canadian monarch—represented by her governor general—the Senate, and the House of Commons, each element having its own officers and...
through the Minister of Canadian Heritage
Minister of Canadian Heritage
The Minister of Canadian Heritage is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who heads the Department of Canadian Heritage, the federal government department responsible for Canada's Arts, Culture, Media, Communications network, and Sport....
. It has English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
production branches.
Purpose
The overarching objective of the National Film Board is to produce and distribute audio-visual works which provoke discussion and debate on subjects of interest to Canadian audiences and foreign markets; which explore the creative potential of the audio-visual media; and which achieve recognition by Canadians and others for excellence, relevance and innovation. — Sheila CoppsSheila CoppsSheila Maureen Copps, PC is a former Canadian politician who also served as Deputy Prime Minister of Canada from November 4, 1993 to April 30, 1996 and June 19, 1996 to June 11, 1997....
, Minister of Canadian Heritage (2000)
The National Film Board has defined a list of primary and secondary goals to fulfill in order to meet its mandate, as well as a set of related activities that can be performed to meet those goals. Primary activities are:
- create programming reflecting Canada's linguistic dualityBilingualism in CanadaThe official languages of Canada are English and French, which "have equality of status and equal rights and privileges as to their use in all institutions of the Parliament and Government of Canada" according to Canada's constitution...
and multiculturalism in CanadaMulticulturalism in CanadaMulticulturalism in Canada was adopted as the official policy of the Canadian government during the prime ministership of Pierre Elliot Trudeau in the 1970s and 1980s. The Canadian government has often been described as the instigator of multiculturalism as an ideology because of its public... - create programming of film and audiovisual works on subjects relevant to the general public or niche audiences
- support innovative and experimental projects in new and interactive media
- exploit the audiovisual heritage of the NFB
These are to be achieved through various programs, such as the Aboriginal Film Program, implementing a major bilingual website on the history of Canada, and incorporating Internet and interactive tools into film making.
Secondary activities include:
- broadcasting NFB films on national television networks and specialty services
- developing and maintaining an e-commerce system to sell products directly to Canadian and international customers
- developing and diversifying markets for NFB products
The National Film Board's extensive library of short films
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
, documentaries and animation has led to an enthusiastic fan base. Various festivals, film exhibits and university clubs host retrospectives and showings designed to promote the work of the NFB.
Operations
Saint-Laurent, Quebec
Saint-Laurent is a former city on the Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is now the largest in area of the boroughs of the city of Montreal....
, a borough of Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, in the Norman McLaren
Norman McLaren
Norman McLaren, CC, CQ was a Scottish-born Canadian animator and film director known for his work for the National Film Board of Canada...
electoral district
Electoral district
An electoral district is a distinct territorial subdivision for holding a separate election for one or more seats in a legislative body...
, named in honour of the NFB animation pioneer. The NFB HQ building is also named for McLaren, and is home to much of its production activity. Interactive public access centres operate in downtown Toronto (NFB Mediatheque) and Montreal (NFB CineRobotheque). As of April 2011, part of the Toronto Mediatheque has been converted into an interactive space for digital media
Digital media
Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital form. It can refer to the technical aspect of storage and transmission Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital (as opposed to analog) form. It can refer to the technical aspect of...
content creation and consumption.
In addition to the English and French-language studios in its Montreal HQ, there are centres throughout Canada. English-language production occurs at centres in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
(Ontario Centre), Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
(Pacific & Yukon Centre), Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
(North West Centre), Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
(Prairie Centre), and Halifax (Atlantic Centre). As of October 2009, the Atlantic Centre also operates an office in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...
. In June 2011, the NFB appointed a producer to work with film and digital media makers across Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, to be based in Regina
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
.
Outside Quebec, French language productions are also made in Moncton (Studio Acadie). The NFB also offers support programs for independent filmmakers: in English, via the Filmmaker Assistance Program (FAP) and in French through its Aide du cinéma indépendant - Canada (ACIC) program.
The organization has a hierarchical structure headed by a Board of Trustees, which is chaired by the Government Film Commissioner and NFB Chairperson. It is overseen by the Board of Trustees Secretariat and Legal Affairs.
The NFB employs 490 full-time equivalent staff, with an annual budget of $70 million (for 2000–2004). Funding is derived primarily from government of Canada transfer payments, and also from its own revenue streams. These revenues are from print sales, film production services, rentals, and royalties, and total up to $10 million yearly; the NFB lists this as Respendable Revenues in its financial statements.
History
In 1938, the Government of Canada invited John GriersonJohn Grierson
John Grierson was a pioneering Scottish documentary maker, often considered the father of British and Canadian documentary film. According to popular myth, in 1926, Grierson coined the term "documentary" to describe a non-fiction film.-Early life:Grierson was born in Deanston, near Doune, Scotland...
, a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
documentary film-maker, to study the state of the government's film production. Up to that date, the Canadian Government Motion Picture Bureau, established in 1918, had been the major Canadian film producer. The results of Grierson's report were included in the National Film Act of 1939, which led to the establishment of the NFB. In part, it was founded to create propaganda in support of the Second World War. In 1940, with Canada at war, the NFB launched its Canada Carries On
Canada Carries On
Canada Carries On was a series of short films by the National Film Board of Canada, which ran from 1940 to 1959. The series was initially created as morale boosting propaganda films during World War II...
series of morale boosting theatrical shorts. The success of Canada Carries On led to the creation of The World in Action
The World in Action
The World in Action was a series of propaganda films from the National Film Board of Canada , created to boost morale and show the Allied war effort during World War II.The series was inspired by the success of the NFB's Canada Carries On series...
, which was more geared to international audiences.
During the ’40s and early ’50s, the NFB employed 'travelling projectionists' who toured the country, bringing films and public discussions to rural communities. A revision of the National Film Act in 1950 removed any direct government intervention into the operation and administration of the NFB. With the creation of the Canadian Film Development Corporation (now known as Telefilm Canada
Telefilm Canada
Telefilm Canada or Téléfilm Canada is a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Canada.It is the primary federal cultural agency dedicated to the development and promotion of the Canadian audiovisual industry....
) in 1967, the mandate for the National Film Board was refined. The Canadian Film Development Corporation would become responsible for promoting the development of the film industry. 1967 also saw the creation of Challenge for Change
Challenge for Change
Challenge for Change was a participatory film and video project created by the National Film Board of Canada in 1967, the Canadian Centennial...
, a community media project that would develop the use of film and video as a tool for initiating social change.
During the 1970s and early 1980s, the National Film Board produced a series of vignettes, some of which aired on CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
and other Canadian broadcasters during commercial breaks. The vignettes became popular because of their cultural depiction of Canada, and because they represented its changing state. Indeed, the vignette Faces was made to represent the increasing cultural and ethnic diversity of Canada. In 1996, the NFB absorbed a 32% cut to its operating budget
Operating budget
An operating budget is the annual budget of an activity stated in terms of Budget Classification Code, functional/subfunctional categories and cost accounts. It contains estimates of the total value of resources required for the performance of the operation including reimbursable work or services...
, forcing it to lay off staff, close its film lab, sound stage
Sound stage
In common usage, a sound stage is a soundproof, hangar-like structure, building, or room, used for the production of theatrical filmmaking and television production, usually located on a secure movie studio property.-Overview:...
(now privatized
Privatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
) as well as other departments.
In 2006, the NFB marked the 65th anniversary of NFB animation with an international retrospective of restored Norman McLaren classics and the launch of the DVD box set, Norman McLaren - The Master's Edition. The NFB has also absorbed smaller budget cuts in recent years. The six-storey John Grierson Building at its Montreal headquarters has sat empty for several years – with HQ staff now based solely in its adjacent Norman McLaren Building. In October 2009, the NFB released a free app for Apple's iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
that would allow users to watch thousands of NFB films directly on their cell phones. In 2010, the NFB released an iPad version of their app that streams NFB films, many in high definition.
NFB studios and divisions
The current head of NFB English Program is Cindy Witten. The head of NFB French Program is Monique Simard. In 2009, Simard introduced a filmmaker in residence program, bringing in leading Quebec filmmakers for two year terms, beginning with Paule BaillargeonPaule Baillargeon
Paule Baillargeon is a Canadian actress and film director. She won the Genie Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film I've Heard the Mermaids Singing, and was a nominee for Best Director for Le Sèxe des étoiles.Her other film roles have included Un 32 août sur terre, Jésus de...
and Philippe Baylaucq.
As of 2009, the NFB is organized along nine branches and departments:
- English Program
- French Program
- Strategic Planning and Government Relations
- Marketing and Communications
- Distribution
- Administration
- Business Affairs and Legal Services
- Technical Innovation and Resources
- Human Resources
Animation
When Norman McLarenNorman McLaren
Norman McLaren, CC, CQ was a Scottish-born Canadian animator and film director known for his work for the National Film Board of Canada...
joined the organization in 1941, the NFB began production of animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
. The NFB proved to be an organization that would give Canada a presence in the film world. The animation department eventually gained distinction, particularly with the pioneering work of McLaren, an internationally recognized experimental filmmaker. The NFB was a pioneer in several novel techniques such as pinscreen animation
Pinscreen animation
Pinscreen animation makes use of a screen filled with movable pins, which can be moved in or out by pressing an object onto the screen. The screen is lit from the side so that the pins cast shadows...
, but most of the Oscars
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
and many other awards it won were done in traditional cell animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
.
McLaren's Oscar-winning Neighbours
Neighbours (film)
Neighbours is a 1952 anti-war film by Scottish-Canadian filmmaker Norman McLaren. Produced at the National Film Board of Canada in Montreal, the film uses the technique known as pixilation, an animation technique using live actors as stop-motion objects...
popularized the form of character movement referred to as pixillation
Pixilation
Pixilation is a stop motion technique where live actors are used as a frame-by-frame subject in an animated film, by repeatedly posing while one or more frame is taken and changing pose slightly before the next frame or frames. The actor becomes a kind of living stop motion puppet...
, a variant of stop motion
Stop motion
Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence...
. The term pixilation
Pixilation
Pixilation is a stop motion technique where live actors are used as a frame-by-frame subject in an animated film, by repeatedly posing while one or more frame is taken and changing pose slightly before the next frame or frames. The actor becomes a kind of living stop motion puppet...
itself was created by NFB animator Grant Munro
Grant Munro (filmmaker)
Grant Munro O.C. is a Canadian animator, filmmaker and actor.-Early life:He was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He has one sister and a brother . Brian Munro spent his adult life in the Canadian Forces, serving with Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry...
in an experimental film of the same name.
Platforms
In January 2009, the NFB launched its online Screening Room, offering Canadian and international web users the ability to stream hundreds of NFB films for free as well as embed links in blogs and social sites. In October 2009, the NFB launched an iPhoneIPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
application that was downloaded more than 170,000 times and led to more than 500,000 film views in the first four months. In January 2010, the NFB added high-definition
High-definition video
High-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels or 1,920×1,080 pixels...
and 3D
3-D film
A 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
films to the over 1400 productions available for viewing online. The NFB introduced a free iPad
IPad
The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...
application in July 2010, followed by its first app for the Android platform in March 2011. When the BlackBerry PlayBook
BlackBerry PlayBook
The BlackBerry PlayBook is a tablet computer by Research In Motion , best known for the BlackBerry smartphone. It competes against Apple's iPad and a slew of Android-powered tablets....
launched on April 19, 2011, it included a pre-loaded app offering access to 1,500 NFB titles.
In September 2011, the NFB and the Montreal French-language daily Le Devoir
Le Devoir
Le Devoir is a French-language newspaper published in Montreal and distributed in Quebec and the rest of Canada. It was founded by journalist, politician, and nationalist Henri Bourassa in 1910....
announced that they will be jointly hosting three interactive essays on their websites, ONF.ca and ledevoir.com.
Interactive works
In recent years, the NFB has emerged as a leading producer of interactive mediaInteractive media
Interactive media normally refers to products and services on digital computer-based systems which respond to the user’s actions by presenting content such as text, graphics, animation, video, audio, etc.-Terminology:...
, including web documentaries such as Welcome to Pine Point
Welcome to Pine Point
Welcome to Pine Point is a 2011 interactive web documentary by Michael Simons and Paul Shoebridge, collectively known as The Goggles, formerly creative directors of Adbusters magazine. The website explores the memories of residents from the former mining community of Pine Point, Northwest...
, recipient of two Webby Awards
Webby Awards
A Webby Award is an international award presented annually by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences for excellence on the Internet with categories in websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile....
and Out My Window
Out My Window
Out My Window is a 2010 web documentary by Katerina Cizek exploring the lives of families living in high-rise buildings in 13 cities around the world. The website is produced by National Film Board of Canada as part its collaborative documentary project Highrise...
, winner of the IDFA DocLab Award for Digital Storytelling and an International Digital Emmy Award
International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is an organization of global broadcasters, with members from nearly 70 countries and over 400 companies...
. The NFB now devotes 20 per cent of its production budget to interactive works.
Loc Dao is the executive producer and "creative technologist" responsible for NFB English-language digital content and strategy, based in the Woodward's Building
Woodward's building
The Woodward's building was a historic building in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The original portion of the building was constructed in 1903 for the Woodward's Department Store when that area of Cordova Street was the heart of Vancouver's retail shopping district. ...
in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. Jeremy Mendes is an interactive artist producing English-language interactive works for the NFB. Mendes is currently working with Leanne Allison (Being Caribou
Being Caribou
Being Caribou is a 2004 documentary film that chronicles the travels of husband and wife Karsten Heuer and Leanne Allison following the migration of the Porcupine caribou Herd to explore the Arctic Refuge drilling controversy. The journey lasted 5 months, starting from the community of Old Crow,...
, Finding Farley
Finding Farley
Finding Farley is a 2009 documentary directed by Leanne Allison as she and her husband Karsten Heuer travel across Canada in the literary footsteps of Canadian writer Farley Mowat....
) on the interactive project Bear 71, about a grizzly bear
Grizzly Bear
The grizzly bear , also known as the silvertip bear, the grizzly, or the North American brown bear, is a subspecies of brown bear that generally lives in the uplands of western North America...
, which will incorporate remote camera
Remote camera
A remote camera is a camera placed by a photographer in areas where the photographer generally cannot be. This includes areas with limited access, tight spaces where a person is not allowed, or just another angle so that the photographer can simultaneously take pictures of the same moment from...
photos from Parks Canada
Parks Canada
Parks Canada , also known as the Parks Canada Agency , is an agency of the Government of Canada mandated to protect and present nationally significant natural and cultural heritage, and foster public understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment in ways that ensure their ecological and commemorative...
. From January 2010 to June 2011, NFB interactive works reached over 2.2 million users, in both English and French.
Dao's counterpart for French-language interactive media production at the NFB is Hugues Sweeney, based in Montreal. Sweeney's recent credits include the online interactive animation work, Bla Bla
Bla Bla
BLA BLA is an interactive animated film for computers created by Vincent Morisset with Montreal studio AATOAA, and produced by the National Film Board of Canada...
.
Aboriginal filmmaking
In November 2006, the National Film Board of Canada and the Inuit Broadcasting CorporationInuit Broadcasting Corporation
The Inuit Broadcasting Corporation is a television broadcasting company based in Nunavut. Its programming is targeted at the Inuit population of Nunavut and almost all of its programs are broadcast in Inuktitut. Select programs are also broadcast in English. In contrast with traditional...
announced the start of the Nunavut Animation Lab, offering animation training to Nunavut artists. Films from the Nunavut Animation Lab include Alethea Arnaquq-Baril's 2010 digital animation short Lumaajuuq, winner of the Best Aboriginal Award at the Golden Sheaf Awards and named Best Canadian Short Drama at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.
In November 2011, the NFB and partners including the Inuit Relations Secretariat and the Government of Nunavut introduced a DVD and online collection entitled Unikkausivut: Sharing Our Stories, which will make over 100 NFB films by and about Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
available in Inuktitut
Inuktitut
Inuktitut or Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, Eastern Canadian Inuit language is the name of some of the Inuit languages spoken in Canada...
and other Inuit languages, as well as English and French.
Studio D
In 1974, in conjunction with International Women's YearInternational Women's Year
International Women's Year was the name given to 1975 by the United Nations. Since that year March 8 has been celebrated as International Women's Day, and the United Nations Decade for Women, from 1976–1985, was also established.-International:...
, the National Film Board of Canada, on the recommendation of long-time employee Kathleen Shannon created Studio D, the first government-funded film studio dedicated to women filmmakers in the world. Shannon was designated as Executive Director of the new studio which became one of the NFB's most celebrated filmmaking units, winning awards and breaking distribution records.
High profile films produced by the studio include:
- Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian LivesForbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian LivesForbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives is a 1992 Canadian documentary film about the lives of lesbian women and their experiences of lesbian pulp fiction. It was written and directed by Lynne Fernie and Aerlyn Weissman and featured author Ann Bannon. It premiered at the 1992 Toronto...
- If You Love This PlanetIf You Love This PlanetIf You Love This Planet is a 1982 short documentary film recording a lecture given to SUNY Plattsburgh students by physician and anti-nuclear activist Dr. Helen Caldicott about the dangers posed by nuclear weapons. The movie was directed by Terri Nash and produced by Edward Le Lorrain for Studio...
- Not a Love StoryNot a Love StoryNot a Love Story: A Film About Pornography is a documentary about the pornography industry. It was directed by Bonnie Sherr Klein.It remains one of the landmark works from the Studio D, the women's studio of the National Film Board of Canada...
- Flamenco at 5:15Flamenco at 5:15Flamenco at 5:15 is a 1983 short documentary film directed by Cynthia Scott, taking audiences inside a flamenco dance class. Produced by Studio D, the women's studio of the National Film Board of Canada, the film won an Academy Award in 1984 for Documentary Short Subject.-External links:*...
Studio D was shut down in 1996, amidst a sweeping set of federal government budget cuts, which impacted the NFB as a whole.
Still Photography Division
Upon its merger with the Canadian Government Motion Picture Bureau in 1941, the NFB's mandate expanded to include motion as well as still pictures, resulting in the creation of the Still Photography Division of the NFB.From 1941 to 1984, the Division commissioned freelance photographers to document every aspect of life in Canada. These images were widely distributed through publication in various media.
In 1985, this Division officially became the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography
Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography
The Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography is an gallery of Canada's best art and documentary photography. Founded in 1985 and affiliated to the National Gallery of Canada, it is housed at the National Gallery of Canada, located at 380 Sussex Drive, Ottawa.The roots of the collection reach...
.
Key NFB people
A brief list of some key NFB filmmakers, artisans and staff.- Michel BraultMichel BraultMichel Brault, OQ is a Quebec cinematographer, cameraman, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He is a leading figure of Direct Cinema, characteristic of the French branch of the National Film Board of Canada in the 1960s...
- Donald BrittainDonald BrittainDonald Brittain, O.C. was a film director and producer with the National Film Board of Canada.Fields of Sacrifice is considered Brittain's first major film as director....
- Richard CondieRichard CondieRichard Condie, RCA is a Canadian animator, film maker and musician living and working in Winnipeg, Manitoba.-Education and career:...
- John GriersonJohn GriersonJohn Grierson was a pioneering Scottish documentary maker, often considered the father of British and Canadian documentary film. According to popular myth, in 1926, Grierson coined the term "documentary" to describe a non-fiction film.-Early life:Grierson was born in Deanston, near Doune, Scotland...
, NFB founder - Guy Glover, producer
- Co HoedemanCo HoedemanJacobus Willem Hoedeman is a Dutch-Canadian filmmaker known for his mastery of stop motion animation and technical innovation in films that reveal his close observation of human and social interaction.-Biography:...
- René JodoinRené JodoinRené Jodoin is an animation director and producer who founded the French-language animation studio of the National Film Board of Canada.-Joining the NFB:...
, French animation founder - Arthur LipsettArthur LipsettArthur Lipsett was a Canadian avant-garde director of short experimental films.In the 1960s he was employed as an animator by the National Film Board of Canada . Lipsett's particular passion was sound. He collected pieces of sound from a variety of sources and fit them together to create an...
- Colin LowColin Low (filmmaker)Colin Archibald Low, CM, RCA is a Canadian animation and documentary filmmaker.Born in Cardston, Alberta, Low attended the Banff School of Fine Arts and the Calgary Institute of Technology, now known as the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology...
- Bill MasonBill MasonBill Mason was an award-winning Canadian naturalist, author, artist, filmmaker, and conservationist, noted primarily for his popular canoeing books, films, and art as well as his documentaries on wolves. Mason was also known for including passages from Christian sermons in his films...
- Norman McLarenNorman McLarenNorman McLaren, CC, CQ was a Scottish-born Canadian animator and film director known for his work for the National Film Board of Canada...
, animation founder - Grant MunroGrant Munro (filmmaker)Grant Munro O.C. is a Canadian animator, filmmaker and actor.-Early life:He was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He has one sister and a brother . Brian Munro spent his adult life in the Canadian Forces, serving with Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry...
- Alanis ObomsawinAlanis ObomsawinAlanis Obomsawin, OC is a Canadian filmmaker of Abenaki descent. Born in New Hampshire, and raised primarily in Quebec, she has produced and directed many National Film Board of Canada documentaries on First Nations culture and history...
- Ishu PatelIshu PatelIshu Patel is an animation film director/producer and educator. Over a period of twenty-five years at the National Film Board of Canada he developed animation techniques and styles to support his themes and vision.-Background:...
- Eldon RathburnEldon RathburnEldon Davis Rathburn was a composer from the community of Queenstown, in Queens County, New Brunswick, Canada....
, composer - Terrence McCartney Filgate
- Marcel CarrièreMarcel CarrièreMarcel Carrière is a Canadian film director and sound engineer.-Biography:Marcel Carrière joined the NFB in 1955 after studying electronic engineering and developed his skills as a sound engineer while working on wildlife films, the Candid Eye series and the work of the newly formed French Unit...
- Tom DalyTom Daly (filmmaker)Tom Daly was a Canadian film director and producer, who was the head of Studio B at the National Film Board of Canada in the 1950s and '60s...
- Roman KroitorRoman KroitorRoman Kroitor is a Canadian filmmaker who is known as an early practitioner of Cinéma vérité, as co-founder of IMAX, and as creator of the Sandde hand-drawn stereoscopic animation system...
- Wolf KoenigWolf KoenigWolf Koenig is a Canadian film director, producer, animator, cinematographer, and a pioneer in Direct Cinema at the NFB.-Early life:...
- Ryan LarkinRyan LarkinRyan Larkin was a Canadian animator, artist, and sculptor who rose to fame with the psychedelic 1969 Oscar-nominated short Walking and the acclaimed Street Musique . He was the subject of the Oscar-winning film Ryan.-Home life and education:Ryan Larkin's father was an airline mechanic...
- Tanya Ballantyne
- Anne Claire PoirierAnne Claire PoirierAnne Claire Poirier is a Canadian film producer, director and screenwriter. She is one of the most important female filmmakers in Canadian history; her documentary film De mère en fille is the first feature film ever directed by a French-Canadian woman...
- William GreavesWilliam GreavesWilliam Greaves is a documentary filmmaker and one of the pioneers of African-American filmmaking. He has produced over two hundred documentary films writing and directing more than half of them...
- Stanley Jackson (documentary filmmaker)
- Boyce RichardsonBoyce RichardsonBoyce Richardson, CM is a Canadian journalist, author and filmmaker. While he was just a boy his family moved to Invercargill, a city noted for its feisty, independent characters like Burt Munro, The World's Fastest Indian and its current Mayor Tim Shadbolt.It was here that Richardson began his...
Government Film Commissioner
As stipulated in the National Film Act of 1950, the person who holds the position of Government Film Commissioner is the head of the NFB. On May 17, 2007, Tom PerlmutterTom Perlmutter
Tom Perlmutter is the 15th Government Film Commissioner and Chairperson of the National Film Board of Canada. He was appointed to the post by Canadian Heritage Minister Bev Oda, and began serving his term on May 17, 2007...
was named the NFB's 15th Commissioner, having served as its head of English Program since 2001.
Former NFB Commissioners
- John GriersonJohn GriersonJohn Grierson was a pioneering Scottish documentary maker, often considered the father of British and Canadian documentary film. According to popular myth, in 1926, Grierson coined the term "documentary" to describe a non-fiction film.-Early life:Grierson was born in Deanston, near Doune, Scotland...
, 1939–1945 - Ross McLean, 1945-1947 (interim), 1947-1950
- W. Arthur IrwinWilliam Arthur IrwinWilliam Arthur Irwin, often credited as W. Arthur Irwin , was a Canadian journalist and diplomat. He is best known for his work on Maclean's, a magazine with which he held various positions across a quarter of a century...
, 1950-1953 - Albert W. TruemanAlbert TruemanAlbert William Trueman, OC, FRSC was a teacher, professor, cultural and university administrator.-Biography:...
, 1953-1957 - Guy RobergeGuy RobergeGuy Roberge was a Canadian journalist, lawyer, politician and civil servant. He also served as Canada's Government Film Commissioner during the 1950s and 60s, in which capacity he ran the National Film Board of Canada. He was the first French Canadian to occupy this role.He was born in...
, 1957-1966 - Grant McLeanGrant McLean (film producer)Grant McLean, CM was a Canadian film director and producer. For most of his professional career he worked with the National Film Board of Canada , serving as its acting Commissioner for a period during the 1960s....
, 1966-1967 (interim) - Hugo McPhersonHugo McPhersonHugo McPherson is a Canadian professor, who served as Canada's Government Film Commissioner from 1967 until 1970. In this position he was the Chairman of the National Film Board of Canada.McPherson was born in Sioux Lookout, Ontario...
, 1967-1970 - Sydney NewmanSydney NewmanSydney Cecil Newman, OC was a Canadian film and television producer, who played a pioneering role in British television drama from the late 1950s to the late 1960s...
, 1970–1975 - André LamyAndré LamyAndré Lamy was a Canadian film producer, who served as Canada's Government Film Commissioner from 1975 until 1979. In this position he was the Chairman of the National Film Board of Canada ....
, 1975-1979 - James de Beaujeu DomvilleJames de Beaujeu DomvilleJames de Beaujeu Domville is a French-born Canadian theatrical producer and administrator. In addition to his theatrical work, Domville has served in several important Canadian cultural positions, including five years as Commissioner of the National Film Board of Canada .Domville was born in...
, 1979-1984 - François N. MacerolaFrançois N. MacerolaFrançois N. Macerola is a Canadian lawyer and film executive. He has held a number of senior positions with the National Film Board of Canada and Telefilm Canada....
, 1984-1988 - Joan PennefatherJoan PennefatherJoan Pennefather is a Canadian film and cultural executive. She was the first woman to be the Commissioner of the National Film Board of Canada ....
, 1988-1994 - Sandra M. MacdonaldSandra M. MacdonaldSandra M. Macdonald is a Canadian film and television executive. She has also held important administrative positions with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission and the National Film Board of Canada ....
, 1995-2001 - Jacques BensimonJacques BensimonJacques Bensimon was born in Morocco, grew up in Montreal, and completed his film studies in New York City. He is currently the president of the Cinémathèque québécoise in Montreal, a post he has held since June 2006....
, 2001-2006
Film and television awards
Over the years, the NFB has been internationally recognized with more than 5000 film awards. In 2009, Norman McLaren's NeighboursNeighbours (film)
Neighbours is a 1952 anti-war film by Scottish-Canadian filmmaker Norman McLaren. Produced at the National Film Board of Canada in Montreal, the film uses the technique known as pixilation, an animation technique using live actors as stop-motion objects...
was added to UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
's Memory of the World Programme
Memory of the World Programme
UNESCO's Memory of the World Programme is an international initiative launched to safeguard the documentary heritage of humanity against collective amnesia, neglect, the ravages of time and climatic conditions, and willful and deliberate destruction...
, listing the most significant documentary heritage collections in the world.
Genie Awards
The NFB has received more than 90 Genie AwardGenie Award
Genie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
s, including a Special Achievement Genie
Special Achievement Genie
The Special Achievement Genie is a special award given irregularly by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television at the Genie Awards. It is mainly a Lifetime Achievement Award but can also mark a career milestone.-List of past recipients:...
in 1989 for its 50th anniversary. The following is an incomplete list:
Winners:
- 1988: 10th Genie Awards10th Genie AwardsThe 10th annual Genie Awards were held on March 22, 1989. This was in the middle of a strike at the CBC that caused the ceremony to be scaled down and several nominees to boycott the awards in sympathy. The awards were dominated by David Cronenberg's Dead Ringers which won ten awards...
, Best Animated Short: The Cat Came Back, (Cordell BarkerCordell BarkerCordell Barker is a Canadian animator based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He began animating in his late teens after taking on an apprenticeship at Kenn Perkins Animation. He has worked on commercial campaigns for entities such as Coca-Cola, Bell Canada, Lors, Nike, and the Government of Canada...
). This film is based upon the 1893 song And the Cat Came BackAnd the Cat Came Back"The Cat Came Back" is a comic song written by Harry S. Miller in 1893. "The Cat Came Back" has since entered the folk tradition and been recorded under variations of the title—"But the Cat Came Back", "And the Cat Came Back", etc...
by Harry S. MillerHarry S. MillerHarry S. Miller was a prolific American lyricist, composer, and sometimes playwright who lived in New York and Chicago in the 19th and early 20th centuries and is best known for his song "The Cat Came Back: A Comic Negro Absurdity", published in 1893.-Life:Born in Philadelphia in 1867 to Isaac D....
. - 1986 Best Feature Length Documentary: Final OfferFinal OfferFinal Offer is a Canadian film documenting the 1984 contract negotiations between the United Auto Workers Union and GM. Ultimately, it provided a historical record of the birth of the Canadian Auto Workers Union as Bob White, then head of the Canadian sector of the UAW, led his membership out of...
- 1985: 7th Genie Awards7th Genie AwardsThe 7th Genie Awards were held March 20, 1986 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. It was co-hosted by Leslie Nielsen and Catherine Mary Stewart.-Award winners:Best Motion PictureWinner: My American Cousin, Peter O'BrianOther Nominees:...
, Best Animated Short: The Big Snit, (Richard CondieRichard CondieRichard Condie, RCA is a Canadian animator, film maker and musician living and working in Winnipeg, Manitoba.-Education and career:...
and Michael J.F. Scott) - 1970 Best Public Affairs Film: A Little Fellow From Gambo: The Joey Smallwood Story
Nominated:
- 1985: 7th Genie Awards7th Genie AwardsThe 7th Genie Awards were held March 20, 1986 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. It was co-hosted by Leslie Nielsen and Catherine Mary Stewart.-Award winners:Best Motion PictureWinner: My American Cousin, Peter O'BrianOther Nominees:...
, Paradise/Paradis, (Ishu PatelIshu PatelIshu Patel is an animation film director/producer and educator. Over a period of twenty-five years at the National Film Board of Canada he developed animation techniques and styles to support his themes and vision.-Background:...
) - 1982: 3rd Genie Awards3rd Genie AwardsThe 3rd Genie Awards were awarded March, 1982 at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto and honoured Canadian films released in 1981. It was again hosted by Brian Linehan, with magician Doug Henning assisting.Best Motion Picture...
, Top Priority, (Ishu PatelIshu PatelIshu Patel is an animation film director/producer and educator. Over a period of twenty-five years at the National Film Board of Canada he developed animation techniques and styles to support his themes and vision.-Background:...
)
Academy Awards
The National Film Board of Canada has been recognised by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and SciencesAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures...
for their work and has garnered a total of 70 Academy Award nominations. The first-ever Oscar for documentary went to the NFB production, Churchill's Island
Churchill's Island
Churchill's Island is a 1941 propaganda film chronicling the defence of Great Britain during World War II...
. In 1989, it received an Honorary Award from the Academy "in recognition of its 50th anniversary and its dedicated commitment to originate artistic, creative and technological activity and excellence in every area of filmmaking." On January 23, 2007, the NFB received its 12th and most recent Academy Award, for the animated short The Danish Poet
The Danish Poet
The Danish Poet is a 2006 animated short film written, directed, and animated by Torill Kove and narrated by Liv Ullmann. A co-production of the National Film Board of Canada and Mikrofilm AS of Norway, it has won both the Academy Award and Genie Award for best animated short film.-Synopsis:The...
, directed by Torill Kove
Torill Kove
Torill Kove is a Norwegian born Canadian film director and animator. She won the 2007 Academy Award for Animated Short Film for the film The Danish Poet, co-produced by Norway's Mikrofilm AS and the National Film Board of Canada....
and co-produced with MikroFilm AS (Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
).
Winners:
- 2007: Academy Award for Animated Short FilmAcademy Award for Animated Short FilmThe Academy Award for Animated Short Film is an award which has been given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as part of the Academy Awards every year since the 5th Academy Awards, covering the year 1931-32, to the present....
, The Danish PoetThe Danish PoetThe Danish Poet is a 2006 animated short film written, directed, and animated by Torill Kove and narrated by Liv Ullmann. A co-production of the National Film Board of Canada and Mikrofilm AS of Norway, it has won both the Academy Award and Genie Award for best animated short film.-Synopsis:The...
, (Torill KoveTorill KoveTorill Kove is a Norwegian born Canadian film director and animator. She won the 2007 Academy Award for Animated Short Film for the film The Danish Poet, co-produced by Norway's Mikrofilm AS and the National Film Board of Canada....
) - 2005: Academy Award for Animated Short Film, RyanRyan (film)Ryan is a 2004 animated documentary by Chris Landreth about the Canadian animator Ryan Larkin, who in later years lived on skid row in Montreal following a history of drug and alcohol abuse....
, (Chris LandrethChris LandrethChris Landreth is an American animator working in Canada, best known for his work on the 2004 film, Ryan. He has made many CGI animated films since the mid-90s, including The End, Bingo, The Listener, Caustic Sky: A Portrait of Regional Acid Deposition, and Data Driven The Story Of Franz...
) - 1994: Academy Award for Animated Short Film,Bob's BirthdayBob's BirthdayBob's Birthday is a 1993 animated short by Alison Snowden and David Fine, winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 67th Academy Awards. The 12 minute 18 second film features a humorous look a wife's plans to throw a surprise birthday party for her husband on his 40th...
, (Alison SnowdenAlison SnowdenAlison Snowden Alison Snowden Alison Snowden (born in Alison Snowden (born in Alison Snowden (born in [[Nottingham 4 April 1958) is a voice actress, producer, and screenwriter best known for [[Bob and Margaret]].- Life and work :...
and David FineDavid FineDavid Sylvan Fine is an American domestic terrorist who was one of four perpetrators of the August 24, 1970, Sterling Hall bombing on the campus University of Wisconsin–Madison, in an act of political protest to the University's research efforts on behalf of the United States armed forces. The...
) - 1988: Academy Honorary AwardAcademy Honorary AwardThe Academy Honorary Award, instituted in 1948 for the 21st Academy Awards , is given by the discretion of the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to celebrate motion picture achievements that are not covered by existing Academy Awards, although prior winners of...
- National Film Board - 1983: Academy Award for Documentary Short SubjectAcademy Award for Documentary Short SubjectThis is a list of films by year that have received an Oscar together with the other nominations for best documentary short subject. Following the Academy's practice, the year listed for each film is the year of release: the awards are announced and presented early in the following year.-1940s:*1941...
, Flamenco at 5:15Flamenco at 5:15Flamenco at 5:15 is a 1983 short documentary film directed by Cynthia Scott, taking audiences inside a flamenco dance class. Produced by Studio D, the women's studio of the National Film Board of Canada, the film won an Academy Award in 1984 for Documentary Short Subject.-External links:*...
, (Cynthia ScottCynthia ScottCynthia Scott, RCA, is a film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. She won the 1983 Academy Award for her short documentary Flamenco at 5:15, produced by the National Film Board of Canada....
) - 1982: Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject, If You Love This PlanetIf You Love This PlanetIf You Love This Planet is a 1982 short documentary film recording a lecture given to SUNY Plattsburgh students by physician and anti-nuclear activist Dr. Helen Caldicott about the dangers posed by nuclear weapons. The movie was directed by Terri Nash and produced by Edward Le Lorrain for Studio...
(Terri Nash) - 1979: Academy Award for Animated Short Film, Every ChildEvery Child (film)Every Child is an animated short film produced in 1979 by the National Film Board of Canada in association with UNICEF.This is a film without words, incorporating sounds by Les Mîmes Électriques .-Description:...
(Eugene Fedorenko) - 1978: Academy Award for Animated Short Film, Special Delivery (Eunice Macaulay and John WeldonJohn Weldon (animator)John Weldon , is a Canadian actor, composer, animator and movie director, known for his National Film Board of Canada animated shorts...
) - 1977: Academy Award for Live Action Short FilmAcademy Award for Live Action Short FilmThis name for the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film was introduced in 1974. For the three preceding years it was known as "Short Subjects, Live Action Films." The term "Short Subjects, Live Action Subjects" was used from 1957 until 1970. From 1936 until 1956 there were two separate...
, I'll Find a WayI'll Find a WayI'll Find a Way is a 1977 short documentary film directed by Beverly Shaffer about nine-year-old Nadia DeFranco, who has spina bifida. Produced by the National Film Board of Canada, the film won an Academy Award in 1978 for Best Short Subject....
(Beverly ShafferBeverly ShafferBeverly Shaffer is a filmmaker in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Shaffer spent the bulk of her professional career with the National Film Board of Canada , directing short documentaries and dramas, including I'll Find a Way, a documentary about a young girl with spina bifida which won the 1977 Academy...
) - 1977: Academy Award for Animated Short Film, The Sand CastleThe Sand CastleThe Sand Castle is a 1977 stop motion animated short by Co Hoedeman. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 50th Academy Awards, the film was produced by Gaston Sarault for the National Film Board of Canada.-External links:*...
(Co HoedemanCo HoedemanJacobus Willem Hoedeman is a Dutch-Canadian filmmaker known for his mastery of stop motion animation and technical innovation in films that reveal his close observation of human and social interaction.-Biography:...
) - 1952: Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject, NeighboursNeighbours (film)Neighbours is a 1952 anti-war film by Scottish-Canadian filmmaker Norman McLaren. Produced at the National Film Board of Canada in Montreal, the film uses the technique known as pixilation, an animation technique using live actors as stop-motion objects...
(Norman McLarenNorman McLarenNorman McLaren, CC, CQ was a Scottish-born Canadian animator and film director known for his work for the National Film Board of Canada...
) - 1941: Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject, Churchill's IslandChurchill's IslandChurchill's Island is a 1941 propaganda film chronicling the defence of Great Britain during World War II...
(Stuart LeggStuart LeggStuart Legg was a documentary film-maker.As part of the British Documentary Film Movement, he worked with the General Post Office film unit from 1933, before replacing Paul Rotha as head of Strand Films in 1937...
)
Nominated: (incomplete list)
- 2008: Academy Award for Animated Short Film, Madame Tutli-PutliMadame Tutli-PutliMadame Tutli-Putli is a 2007 stop motion-animated short film by Montreal filmmakers Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, collectively known as Clyde Henry Productions, and produced by the National Film Board of Canada...
, (Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski). - 2001: Academy Award for Animated Short Film, Strange InvadersStrange Invaders (animated short film)Strange Invaders is a 2002 short animated film by animator Cordell Barker. It tells the story of Roger and Doris, a couple who lead a quiet life. When a child crashes into their living room, the couple are initially enthralled. However, the child becomes increasingly destructive and proceeds to...
, (Cordell BarkerCordell BarkerCordell Barker is a Canadian animator based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He began animating in his late teens after taking on an apprenticeship at Kenn Perkins Animation. He has worked on commercial campaigns for entities such as Coca-Cola, Bell Canada, Lors, Nike, and the Government of Canada...
) - 1999: Academy Award for Animated Short Film, My Grandmother Ironed the King's ShirtsMy Grandmother Ironed the King's ShirtsMy Grandmother Ironed the King's Shirts is a 1999 animated short by Torill Kove. Co-produced by Marcy Page of the National Film Board of Canada and Lars Tømmerbakke of Studio Magica in Norway, the film humorously recounts a tall tale about the filmmaker's grandmother in Oslo, Norway, during World...
(Torill Kove) - 1999: Academy Award for Animated Short Film, When the Day BreaksWhen the Day BreaksWhen the Day Breaks is an Canadian animated short co-directed by Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis.Produced by the National Film Board of Canada in 1999, the 9 min. 40 sec. film garnered numerous awards, including the Genie Award for Best Animated Short and the Short Film Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film...
(Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis) - 1998: Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject, Sunrise Over Tiananmen SquareSunrise Over Tiananmen SquareSunrise Over Tiananmen Square is a 1998 National Film Board of Canada short animated documentary directed by Shui-Bo Wang. It is an autobiography about the director's life, career and ultimate disillusionment with The People's Republic of China...
(Shui-Bo Wang) - 1996: Academy Award for Animated Short Film, La SallaLa SallaLa Salla is a 1996 computer animated short by Richard Condie, produced in Winnipeg by the National Film Board of Canada.The film is a farcical comic opera, with a libretto written by Condie and translated into Italian, then recorded by Jay Brazeau....
(Richard CondieRichard CondieRichard Condie, RCA is a Canadian animator, film maker and musician living and working in Winnipeg, Manitoba.-Education and career:...
) - 1992: Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject, The Colours of My Father: A Portrait of Sam BorensteinThe Colours of My Father: A Portrait of Sam BorensteinThe Colours of My Father: A Portrait of Sam Borenstein is a 1992 short animated documentary directed by Joyce Borenstein about her father, the Canadian painter Sam Borenstein. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short. In Canada, it was named best short documentary at the...
(Joyce Borenstein) - 1991: Academy Award for Animated Short Film, BlackflyThe Black Fly Song"The Black Fly Song" is a song by Wade Hemsworth, written in 1949, about working in the wilds of Northern Ontario. It is an enduring classic of Canadian folk music, covered by a variety of other artists...
, (Christopher HintonChristopher Hinton (animator)Christopher Hinton is a Canadian film animator and professor, living in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He has been twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, in 1991 for the National Film Board of Canada animated short Blackfly and in 2003 for his independently made short...
) - 1991: Academy Award for Animated Short Film, StringsStrings (1991 film)Strings is a 1991 Canadian paint-on-glass animation short film by Wendy Tilby, produced by the National Film Board of Canada.The 10 min. 23 sec. animated short simultaneously follows a woman preparing for a bath and her upstairs neighbour rehearsing with his string quartet, exploring the...
, (Wendy Tilby) - 1988: Academy Award for Animated Short Film, The Cat Came Back, (Cordell BarkerCordell BarkerCordell Barker is a Canadian animator based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He began animating in his late teens after taking on an apprenticeship at Kenn Perkins Animation. He has worked on commercial campaigns for entities such as Coca-Cola, Bell Canada, Lors, Nike, and the Government of Canada...
) - 1987: Academy Award for Animated Short Film, George and RosemaryGeorge and RosemaryGeorge and Rosemary is a 1987 animated short co-directed by Alison Snowden and David Fine, about two "golden agers" who prove that passion is not exclusively for the young...
, (Alison Snowden and David Fine) - 1985: Academy Award for Animated Short Film, The Big SnitThe Big SnitThe Big Snit is a 10-minute short-subject animated cartoon written and directed by Richard Condie and produced by the National Film Board of Canada. It was released in 1985.-Plot:...
, (Richard CondieRichard CondieRichard Condie, RCA is a Canadian animator, film maker and musician living and working in Winnipeg, Manitoba.-Education and career:...
and Michael J.F. Scott) - 1984: Academy Award for Animated Short Film, Paradise/Paradis, (Ishu PatelIshu PatelIshu Patel is an animation film director/producer and educator. Over a period of twenty-five years at the National Film Board of Canada he developed animation techniques and styles to support his themes and vision.-Background:...
) - 1984: Academy Award for Animated Short Film, The Tender Tale of Cinderella PenguinThe Tender Tale of Cinderella PenguinThe Tender Tale of Cinderella Penguin is a 1981 animated short by Janet Perlman that comedically adapts the tale of Cinderella with penguins. Produced by the National Film Board of Canada, it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 54th Academy Awards, losing to...
, (Janet PerlmanJanet PerlmanJanet Laurie Perlman is a Canadian animator and children's book author and illustrator whose work includes the short film The Tender Tale of Cinderella Penguin, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 54th Academy Awards and received a Parents' Choice Award....
) - 1983: Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, The Profession of ArmsThe Profession of Arms (1983 film)The Profession of Arms is a 1983 Canadian documentary film directed by Michael Bryans and Tina Viljoen. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
(Michael Bryans, Tina Viljoen) - 1979: Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, Going the DistanceGoing the Distance (1979 film)Going the Distance is a 1979 Canadian documentary film directed by Paul Cowan about the 1978 Commonwealth Games. Produced by the National Film Board of Canada, it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
(Paul Cowan) - 1979: Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject, Nails (film)Nails (film)Nails is a 1979 Canadian short documentary film directed by Phillip Borsos. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.The subject of the film was simply the manufacturing process used to make nails.-External links:*...
(Phillip BorsosPhillip BorsosPhillip Borsos was Canadian film director and film producer.Borsos showed an early interest in film-making while attending high school in Maple Ridge, B.C...
) - 1977: Academy Award for Documentary Feature, High Grass CircusHigh Grass CircusHigh Grass Circus is a 1976 Canadian documentary film co-directed by Tony Ianzelo and Torben Schioler, exploring 24 hours in the life of the Royal Brothers' traveling circus. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
(Tony IanzeloTony IanzeloTony Ianuzielo, CM, RCA is a Canadian documentary director and cinematographer.He was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and attended Toronto’s Ryerson Polytechnical School...
and Torben Schioler) - 1977: Academy Award for Animated Short Film, Bead GameBead GameBead Game is a 1977 animated short film by Ishu Patel, creating by arranging beads into the shapes of real and mythical creatures, who absorb and devour another, evolving into scenes of modern human warfare...
, (Ishu PatelIshu PatelIshu Patel is an animation film director/producer and educator. Over a period of twenty-five years at the National Film Board of Canada he developed animation techniques and styles to support his themes and vision.-Background:...
) - 1976: Academy Award for Documentary Feature, Volcano: An Inquiry Into the Life and Death of Malcolm LowryVolcano: An Inquiry Into the Life and Death of Malcolm LowryVolcano: An Inquiry Into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry is a 1976 Canadian documentary film about writer Malcolm Lowry. Written and directed by Donald Brittain and John Kramer, it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
(Donald BrittainDonald BrittainDonald Brittain, O.C. was a film director and producer with the National Film Board of Canada.Fields of Sacrifice is considered Brittain's first major film as director....
and John Kramer) - 1976: Academy Award for Animated Short Film, The StreetThe Street (film)The Street is a 1976 animated short by Caroline Leaf, based on a short story of the of same name by Mordecai Richler.Set on Saint Urbain Street in Montreal, the explores the reactions of Jewish family in the early 20th century to the death of a grandmother.Animated using paint on glass animation,...
, (Caroline LeafCaroline LeafCaroline Leaf is a Canadian-American filmmaker and animator.Leaf made her first film, Sand, or Peter and the Wolf, in 1968 at Harvard University. The short was made by dumping sand on a light box and manipulating the textures frame-by-frame.Her second film, Orfeo , had her painting directly on...
and Guy Glover) - 1975: Academy Award for Animated Short Film, Monsieur PointuMonsieur Pointu (film)Monsieur Pointu is a 1975 animated film about Quebec fiddler Monsieur Pointu, the stage name for Paul Cormier. In this 12-and-a-half-minute film, Pointu and his violin break into pieces that take on a life of their own, dancing to the artist's music. The film was directed by Bernard Longpré and...
, (René JodoinRené JodoinRené Jodoin is an animation director and producer who founded the French-language animation studio of the National Film Board of Canada.-Joining the NFB:...
, Bernard Longpré and André Leduc) - 1974: Academy Award for Animated Short Film, The Family That Dwelt Apart, (Yvon Mallette and Robert Verrall)
- 1974: Academy Award for Animated Short Film, HungerHunger (1974 film)Hunger/La Faim is a 1974 animated short film produced by the National Film Board of Canada. It was directed by Peter Foldes and is one of the first computer animation films...
, (Peter FoldesPeter FoldesPeter Foldes, born in 1924 in Budapest, Hungary and died March 29, 1977 in Paris, was a director and animator of British nationality.-Biography:...
and René JodoinRené JodoinRené Jodoin is an animation director and producer who founded the French-language animation studio of the National Film Board of Canada.-Joining the NFB:...
) - 1972: Academy Award for Animated Short Film, EvolutionEvolution (1971 film)Evolution is a 1971 Canadian animated short by Michael Mills, offering a humorous portrayal of evolution. Evolution was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 44th Academy Awards, and received nearly 40 international film awards...
, (Michael Mills) - 1971: Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film, BlakeBlake (film)Blake is a 1969 short documentary by Bill Mason about his friend and fellow filmmaker Blake James, who pilots his own plane. The film was produced by the National Film Board of Canada . Awards for the film included two Golden Sheaf Awards and an Etrog Award for Best Film under 30 minutes...
, (Bill MasonBill MasonBill Mason was an award-winning Canadian naturalist, author, artist, filmmaker, and conservationist, noted primarily for his popular canoeing books, films, and art as well as his documentaries on wolves. Mason was also known for including passages from Christian sermons in his films...
) - 1969: Academy Award for Animated Short Film, WalkingWalkingWalking is one of the main gaits of locomotion among legged animals, and is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an 'inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults over the stiff limb or limbs with each step...
, (Ryan LarkinRyan LarkinRyan Larkin was a Canadian animator, artist, and sculptor who rose to fame with the psychedelic 1969 Oscar-nominated short Walking and the acclaimed Street Musique . He was the subject of the Oscar-winning film Ryan.-Home life and education:Ryan Larkin's father was an airline mechanic...
) - 1968: Academy Award for Animated Short Film, The House That Jack BuiltThe House That Jack Built (1967 film)The House That Jack Built is a 1967 National Film Board of Canada animated short based on the nursery rhyme "This Is the House That Jack Built." Directed by Ron Tunis, written by Don Arioli and produced by Wolf Koenig, eight-minute film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short...
, (Ron Tunis) - 1967: Academy Award for Animated Short Film, What on Earth!What on Earth!What on Earth! is a 1966 National Film Board of Canada animated short co-directed by Les Drew and Kaj Pindal, which takes a humorous look at car culture from the point of view of fictional Martians, who mistake automobiles for Earth's true inhabitants and people as their parasites...
, (Les Drew and Kaj Pindal) - 1966: Academy Award for Documentary Feature, Helicopter CanadaHelicopter CanadaHelicopter Canada is a 1966 Canadian documentary film directed by Eugene Boyko. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.Filmed in CinemaScope, the film was made for international distribution during the Canadian centennial...
(Eugene BoykoEugene BoykoEugene Boyko known to many as "Jeep", he was a Canadian filmmaker who worked with the National Film Board of Canada. Born in Saskatoon in 1923. An early film of his, Helicopter Canada was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
) - 1966: Academy Award for Animated Short Film, The Drag, (Wolf KoenigWolf KoenigWolf Koenig is a Canadian film director, producer, animator, cinematographer, and a pioneer in Direct Cinema at the NFB.-Early life:...
and Robert Verrall) - 1964: Academy Award for Animated Short Film, Christmas CrackerChristmas Cracker (film)Christmas Cracker is a 1963 animated short about Christmas, co-directed by Norman McLaren, Gerald Potterton, Grant Munro and Jeff Hale. The film consists of three segments: a rendition of "Jingle Bells" in which cutout animation figures dance, a dime-store rodeo of tin toys and a story about...
, (Norman McLarenNorman McLarenNorman McLaren, CC, CQ was a Scottish-born Canadian animator and film director known for his work for the National Film Board of Canada...
, Jeff Hale, Gerald PottertonGerald PottertonGerald Potterton is a British/Canadian director, producer and animator. He is best known for directing the cult classic Heavy Metal and his animation work on Yellow Submarine....
and Grant MunroGrant Munro (filmmaker)Grant Munro O.C. is a Canadian animator, filmmaker and actor.-Early life:He was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He has one sister and a brother . Brian Munro spent his adult life in the Canadian Forces, serving with Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry...
) - 1964: Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject, Eskimo Artist: KenojuakEskimo Artist: KenojuakEskimo Artist: Kenojuak is a 1964 Canadian short documentary film about Inuit artist Kenojuak Ashevak, directed by John Feeney. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short....
(John FeeneyJohn FeeneyJohn Feeney was a New Zealand-born director of documentary films. He worked with the New Zealand National Film Unit, National Film Board of Canada and made films and did photography in Egypt. He was nominated for two Academy Awards.-Early life:Feeney was born in Ngaruawahia and attended at...
) - 1963: Academy Award for Animated Short Film, My Financial CareerMy Financial CareerMy Financial Career is a 1962 animated short directed by Gerald Potterton, based on a story of the same name from Stephen Leacock's Literary Lapses collection of short fiction. The six and a half minute film takes a humorous look at a young man's attempt to open a bank account...
, (Gerald PottertonGerald PottertonGerald Potterton is a British/Canadian director, producer and animator. He is best known for directing the cult classic Heavy Metal and his animation work on Yellow Submarine....
) - 1962: Academy Award for Live Action Short Film, Very Nice, Very NiceVery Nice, Very NiceVery Nice, Very Nice is a 7 minute long avant-garde film made by Arthur Lipsett in 1961, and produced by the National Film Board of Canada....
, (Arthur LipsettArthur LipsettArthur Lipsett was a Canadian avant-garde director of short experimental films.In the 1960s he was employed as an animator by the National Film Board of Canada . Lipsett's particular passion was sound. He collected pieces of sound from a variety of sources and fit them together to create an...
) - 1960: Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject, Universe (Colin LowColin Low (filmmaker)Colin Archibald Low, CM, RCA is a Canadian animation and documentary filmmaker.Born in Cardston, Alberta, Low attended the Banff School of Fine Arts and the Calgary Institute of Technology, now known as the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology...
, Roman KroitorRoman KroitorRoman Kroitor is a Canadian filmmaker who is known as an early practitioner of Cinéma vérité, as co-founder of IMAX, and as creator of the Sandde hand-drawn stereoscopic animation system...
) - 1958: Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject, The Living StoneThe Living StoneThe Living Stone is a 1958 Canadian short documentary film directed by John Feeney about Inuit art. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.-External links:*...
(John Feeney) - 1958: Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject, OvertureOverture (1958 film)Overture is a 1958 Canadian short documentary film directed by Gian Luigi Polidoro. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short....
(Gian Luigi PolidoroGian Luigi PolidoroGian Luigi Polidoro was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed 15 films between 1958 and 1998...
) - 1957: Academy Award for Live Action Short Film, City of Gold, (Colin LowColin Low (filmmaker)Colin Archibald Low, CM, RCA is a Canadian animation and documentary filmmaker.Born in Cardston, Alberta, Low attended the Banff School of Fine Arts and the Calgary Institute of Technology, now known as the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology...
, Wolf KoenigWolf KoenigWolf Koenig is a Canadian film director, producer, animator, cinematographer, and a pioneer in Direct Cinema at the NFB.-Early life:...
) - 1957: Academy Award for Live Action Short Film, A Chairy TaleA Chairy TaleA Chairy Tale is a 1957 animated short film co-directed by Norman McLaren and Claude Jutra, and starring Jutra and a most uncooperative chair....
, (Norman McLarenNorman McLarenNorman McLaren, CC, CQ was a Scottish-born Canadian animator and film director known for his work for the National Film Board of Canada...
, Claude JutraClaude JutraClaude Jutra was a Canadian actor, film director and writer. The Prix Jutra are named in his honor because of his importance in Quebec cinema history. He was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec....
) - 1954: Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, The Stratford AdventureThe Stratford AdventureThe Stratford Adventure is a 1954 documentary film about the founding of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, directed by Morten Parker. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-Cast:* Michael Bates - Himself...
(Morten Parker) - 1952: Academy Award for Animated Short Film, The Romance of Transportation in CanadaThe Romance of Transportation in CanadaThe Romance of Transportation in Canada is a 1952 animated short directed by Colin Low animated by Wolf Koenig and Robert Verrall and narrated by Guy Glover. Eldon Rathburn composed the film score...
, (Colin LowColin Low (filmmaker)Colin Archibald Low, CM, RCA is a Canadian animation and documentary filmmaker.Born in Cardston, Alberta, Low attended the Banff School of Fine Arts and the Calgary Institute of Technology, now known as the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology...
) - 1950: Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject, The Fight: Science Against CancerThe Fight: Science Against CancerThe Fight: Science Against Cancer is a 1950 Canadian short documentary film directed by Morten Parker. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short....
(Morten Parker) - 1949: Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject, The Rising TideThe Rising Tide (film)The Rising Tide is a 1949 Canadian short documentary film directed by Jean Palardy. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short....
(Jean Palardy) - 1942: Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject, Inside Fighting ChinaInside Fighting ChinaInside Fighting China is a 1941 Canadian short documentary film directed by Stuart Legg, and narrated by Lorne Greene. The film documents China's resistance to Japan's invasion during World War II...
(Stuart Legg) - 1941: Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject, Warclouds in the Pacific (Stuart Legg)
Peabody Awards
As of April 2011, the NFB has received four Peabody AwardPeabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
s: for the Rezolution Pictures
Rezolution Pictures
Rezolution Pictures is a film and television production company based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, focusing primarily on Canadian Aboriginal productions. The company was founded by the husband and wife team of Ernest Webb and Catherine Bainbridge in 2001...
/NFB co-production Reel Injun
Reel Injun
Reel Injun is a 2009 Canadian documentary film directed by Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond, Catherine Bainbridge and , that explores the portrayal of Native Americans in film...
(2011), Karen Shopsowitz's NFB documentary My Father's Camera (2002), the NFB/Télé-Action co-produced mini-series The Boys of St. Vincent
The Boys of St. Vincent
The Boys of St. Vincent is a 1992 film directed by John N. Smith for the National Film Board of Canada. It is a two part docudrama based on real events that took place at the Mount Cashel Orphanage in St. John's, Newfoundland, one of a number of child sexual abuse scandals in the Roman Catholic...
(1995) and the NFB documentary Fat Chance (1994).
Interactive awards
In June 2011, NFB received the Award of Excellence in Interactive Programming from the Banff World Media FestivalBanff World Media Festival
The Banff World Media Festival is an international media event in held in the Canadian Rockies at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta, Canada. The Festival is dedicated to world television and digital content and its creation and development...
. In August 2011, the NFB received an outstanding technical achievement in digital media award from the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.
Webby Awards
As of May 2011, NFB web documentaries have won four Webby AwardsWebby Awards
A Webby Award is an international award presented annually by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences for excellence on the Internet with categories in websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile....
, presented International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences
International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences
The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences or IADAS was founded in 1998 in New York to help drive the progress of the Internet and evolving forms of new media. The academy selects the nominees and winners for the Webby Awards, and their European equivalent, the Lovie Awards.Membership...
for excellence on the internet. Filmmaker-in-Residence, a project by Katerina Cizek
Katerina Cizek
Katerina Cizek is a Canadian documentary filmmaker and web creator whose credits include the 2010 web documentary Out My Window, winner of the inaugural IDFA DocLab Award for Digital Storytelling at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam...
about St. Michael's Hospital
St. Michael's Hospital (Toronto)
St. Michael's Hospital is a teaching hospital and medical centre in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was established by the Sisters of St. Joseph in 1892, with the founding goal of taking care of the sick and poor of Toronto's inner city. The hospital provides tertiary and quaternary services...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, was named best online documentary series at the 2008 Webbys. In 2010, the NFB website Waterlife
Waterlife
Waterlife is a 2009 documentary film and web documentary about the state of the Great Lakes.-Film:Kevin McMahon began filming Waterlife in 2007. The film explores the beauty of the Great Lakes as well as their degradation due to water pollution. The film looks at the water system from its...
, on the state of the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
, won in the Documentary: Individual Episode category. In 2011, Welcome to Pine Point
Welcome to Pine Point
Welcome to Pine Point is a 2011 interactive web documentary by Michael Simons and Paul Shoebridge, collectively known as The Goggles, formerly creative directors of Adbusters magazine. The website explores the memories of residents from the former mining community of Pine Point, Northwest...
received two Webbys, for Documentary: Individual Episode in the Online Film & Video category and Netart in the Websites category.
Others
- 2011: Sheffield Documentary Festival, Innovation Documentary Award Welcome to Pine PointWelcome to Pine PointWelcome to Pine Point is a 2011 interactive web documentary by Michael Simons and Paul Shoebridge, collectively known as The Goggles, formerly creative directors of Adbusters magazine. The website explores the memories of residents from the former mining community of Pine Point, Northwest...
- 2011: Bellaria (Italy) Documentary Festival, Best Cross Media Doc Welcome to Pine PointWelcome to Pine PointWelcome to Pine Point is a 2011 interactive web documentary by Michael Simons and Paul Shoebridge, collectively known as The Goggles, formerly creative directors of Adbusters magazine. The website explores the memories of residents from the former mining community of Pine Point, Northwest...
- 2011: The FWA, Site of the Day Highrise- Out My Window Jan 28, 2011
- 2011: The FWA, Site of the Day Holy MountainHoly Mountain (website)Holy Mountain is a 2010 National Film Board of Canada web documentary about Mount Royal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada...
Jan 17, 2011 - 2011: The FWA, Site of the Day Welcome to Pine PointWelcome to Pine PointWelcome to Pine Point is a 2011 interactive web documentary by Michael Simons and Paul Shoebridge, collectively known as The Goggles, formerly creative directors of Adbusters magazine. The website explores the memories of residents from the former mining community of Pine Point, Northwest...
Feb 22, 2011 - 2011: The FWA, Site of the Day Crash Course Jan 9, 2011
- 2011: FITC, Winner, Flash Narrative Welcome to Pine PointWelcome to Pine PointWelcome to Pine Point is a 2011 interactive web documentary by Michael Simons and Paul Shoebridge, collectively known as The Goggles, formerly creative directors of Adbusters magazine. The website explores the memories of residents from the former mining community of Pine Point, Northwest...
- 2011: FITC, Winner, Audio in Flash Highrise-Out My Window
- 2011: Applied Arts Interactive Awards, Winner-Entertainment, Arts & Tourism Welcome to Pine PointWelcome to Pine PointWelcome to Pine Point is a 2011 interactive web documentary by Michael Simons and Paul Shoebridge, collectively known as The Goggles, formerly creative directors of Adbusters magazine. The website explores the memories of residents from the former mining community of Pine Point, Northwest...
- 2011: Applied Arts Interactive Awards, Winner-Entertainment, Arts & Tourism Main Street
- 2011: Applied Arts Interactive Awards, Winner-Entertainment, Arts & Tourism This Land
- 2011: Banff World Television Festival, Interactive Rockie Awards, Winner- Best Francophone - Documentary Holy Mountain
- 2011: Banff World Television Festival, Interactive Rockie Awards, Winner- Best On Line Program - Documentary Welcome to Pine PointWelcome to Pine PointWelcome to Pine Point is a 2011 interactive web documentary by Michael Simons and Paul Shoebridge, collectively known as The Goggles, formerly creative directors of Adbusters magazine. The website explores the memories of residents from the former mining community of Pine Point, Northwest...
- 2011: Communication Arts Interactive Annual, Selected The Test Tube with David Suzuki
- 2011: Communication Arts, Web Pick of the Day Welcome to Pine PointWelcome to Pine PointWelcome to Pine Point is a 2011 interactive web documentary by Michael Simons and Paul Shoebridge, collectively known as The Goggles, formerly creative directors of Adbusters magazine. The website explores the memories of residents from the former mining community of Pine Point, Northwest...
- 2010: IDFA Doc Lab, Winner-Digital Storytelling Highrise-Out My Window
- 2010: BaKaFORUM, Winner- Youth Jury Prize WaterlifeWaterlifeWaterlife is a 2009 documentary film and web documentary about the state of the Great Lakes.-Film:Kevin McMahon began filming Waterlife in 2007. The film explores the beauty of the Great Lakes as well as their degradation due to water pollution. The film looks at the water system from its...
- 2010: SXSW Interactive, Winner-Activism Category WaterlifeWaterlifeWaterlife is a 2009 documentary film and web documentary about the state of the Great Lakes.-Film:Kevin McMahon began filming Waterlife in 2007. The film explores the beauty of the Great Lakes as well as their degradation due to water pollution. The film looks at the water system from its...
- 2010: Emmy Awards, International Digital Emmy, Non Ficton Highrise-Out My Window
- 2010: SXSW Interactive, Winner, Activism Category WaterlifeWaterlifeWaterlife is a 2009 documentary film and web documentary about the state of the Great Lakes.-Film:Kevin McMahon began filming Waterlife in 2007. The film explores the beauty of the Great Lakes as well as their degradation due to water pollution. The film looks at the water system from its...
- 2010: The FWA, Site of the Day WaterlifeWaterlifeWaterlife is a 2009 documentary film and web documentary about the state of the Great Lakes.-Film:Kevin McMahon began filming Waterlife in 2007. The film explores the beauty of the Great Lakes as well as their degradation due to water pollution. The film looks at the water system from its...
June 24, 2010 - 2010: The FWA, Site of the Day The Test Tube with David Suzuki Oct 5, 2010
- 2010: The FWA, Site of the Day NFB Interactive Nov 11, 2010
- 2010: CNMA (Canadian New Media Awards), Community Campaign of the Year The Test Tube with David Suzuki
- 2010: CNMA (Canadian New Media Awards), Best On Line Program GDP
- 2010: Applied Arts Interactive Awards, Winner - Experimental and Artistic Flub and Utter
- 2010: Applied Arts Interactive Awards, Winner - On Line Video Flub and Utter
- 2010: Applied Arts Interactive Awards, Winner - Experimental and Artistic The Test Tube with David Suzuki
- 2010: Applied Arts Interactive Awards, Winner - Public Service Charity The Test Tube with David Suzuki
- 2010: Applied Arts Interactive Awards, Winner - Net Art Holy Mountain
- 2010: Applied Arts Interactive Awards, Winner - Entertainment, Arts and Tourism Holy Mountain
- 2010: Applied Arts Interactive Awards, Winner - Entertainment, Arts and Tourism NFBNFBThe acronym NFB may refer to:* National Federation of the Blind, organization representing blind people in the United States* National Film Board of Canada, Canada's public film producer and distributor...
- 2010: Applied Arts Interactive Annual, Selected The Test Tube with David Suzuki
- 2010: On Line Journalism Awards, Winner- Multi Media Feature Presentation, Small Site This Land
- 2010: Communication Arts Interactive Annual, Selected WaterlifeWaterlifeWaterlife is a 2009 documentary film and web documentary about the state of the Great Lakes.-Film:Kevin McMahon began filming Waterlife in 2007. The film explores the beauty of the Great Lakes as well as their degradation due to water pollution. The film looks at the water system from its...
- 2010: Communication Arts, Web Pick of the Week The Test Tube with David Suzuki
- 2010: Adobe Site of the Day The Test Tube with David Suzuki
- 2009: Hot Docs, Winner- Special Jury Prize WaterlifeWaterlifeWaterlife is a 2009 documentary film and web documentary about the state of the Great Lakes.-Film:Kevin McMahon began filming Waterlife in 2007. The film explores the beauty of the Great Lakes as well as their degradation due to water pollution. The film looks at the water system from its...
- 2009: CNMA (Canadian New Media Awards), Winner- Best Cross Platform Project WaterlifeWaterlifeWaterlife is a 2009 documentary film and web documentary about the state of the Great Lakes.-Film:Kevin McMahon began filming Waterlife in 2007. The film explores the beauty of the Great Lakes as well as their degradation due to water pollution. The film looks at the water system from its...
- 2009: Digital Marketing Awards, Winner- Best of Show WaterlifeWaterlifeWaterlife is a 2009 documentary film and web documentary about the state of the Great Lakes.-Film:Kevin McMahon began filming Waterlife in 2007. The film explores the beauty of the Great Lakes as well as their degradation due to water pollution. The film looks at the water system from its...
- 2009: On Line Journalism Awards, Winner- Best Multi Media Feature Presentation WaterlifeWaterlifeWaterlife is a 2009 documentary film and web documentary about the state of the Great Lakes.-Film:Kevin McMahon began filming Waterlife in 2007. The film explores the beauty of the Great Lakes as well as their degradation due to water pollution. The film looks at the water system from its...
- 2009: Adobe Site of the Day WaterlifeWaterlifeWaterlife is a 2009 documentary film and web documentary about the state of the Great Lakes.-Film:Kevin McMahon began filming Waterlife in 2007. The film explores the beauty of the Great Lakes as well as their degradation due to water pollution. The film looks at the water system from its...
- 2009: Applied Arts Interactive Annual, Selected Capturing Reality
- 2009: Digital Marketing Awards, Winner-DMA Award Capturing Reality
Controversy
In addition to NeighboursNeighbours (film)
Neighbours is a 1952 anti-war film by Scottish-Canadian filmmaker Norman McLaren. Produced at the National Film Board of Canada in Montreal, the film uses the technique known as pixilation, an animation technique using live actors as stop-motion objects...
, other NFB productions have been criticized for their content, for moral and social reasons or because the production presents an unpopular interpretation of widely held beliefs.
Two NFB productions broadcast on CBC Television criticizing the role of Canadians in wartime were the source of controversy, including questions in the Canadian Senate
Canadian Senate
The Senate of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the House of Commons, and the monarch . The Senate consists of 105 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister...
. The Kid Who Couldn't Miss
The Kid Who Couldn't Miss
The Kid Who Couldn't Miss is a 1982 docudrama directed by Paul Cowan. Produced by the National Film Board of Canada, it combines fact and fiction to question fighter pilot Billy Bishop's accomplishments during World War I, featuring excerpts from John MacLachlan Gray's play Billy Bishop Goes to...
(1982) cast doubt on the accomplishments of Canadian World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
flying ace Billy Bishop
Billy Bishop
Air Marshal William Avery "Billy" Bishop VC, CB, DSO & Bar, MC, DFC, ED was a Canadian First World War flying ace, officially credited with 72 victories, making him the top Canadian ace, and according to some sources, the top ace of the British Empire.-Early life:Bishop was born in Owen Sound,...
, sparking widespread outrage, including complaints in the Senate subcommittee on Veterans' Affairs.
A decade later, The Valour and the Horror
The Valour and the Horror
The Valour and the Horror was a Canadian television documentary miniseries, which aired on CBC Television in 1992. It was a co-production between the CBC. the National Film Board of Canada and Galafilm Inc. The films were also broadcast by Radio-Canada, the French network of the CBC...
outraged some when it suggested that there was incompetence on the part of Canadian military command, and that Canadian soldiers had committed unprosecuted war crime
War crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
s against German soldiers. The series became the subject of an inquiry by the Senate.
The 1982 film If You Love This Planet
If You Love This Planet
If You Love This Planet is a 1982 short documentary film recording a lecture given to SUNY Plattsburgh students by physician and anti-nuclear activist Dr. Helen Caldicott about the dangers posed by nuclear weapons. The movie was directed by Terri Nash and produced by Edward Le Lorrain for Studio...
, which won an Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for best documentary short subject, was labelled foreign propaganda under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938
Foreign Agents Registration Act
The Foreign Agents Registration Act is a United States law passed in 1938 requiring that agents representing the interests of foreign powers be properly identified to the American public. The act was passed in response to German propaganda in the lead-up to World War II...
in the United States.
Not a Love Story: A Film About Pornography was a 1981 Studio D documentary critiquing pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
that was itself banned in the province of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
on the basis of pornographic content.
During the height of the pro-rights and pro-life abortion debate of the 1980s, the NFB released the documentary film Abortion: Stories from North and South (1984).
NFB on TV
The NFB is a minority owner of the digital television channel, Documentary in Canada. NFB-branded series RetrovisionRetrovision
Retrovision is a semi-regular retrogaming event in the UK, presented as a social opportunity for retro gamers to meet each others and also to play games on hardware provided by the venue....
appeared on VisionTV, along with the French-language Carnets ONF series on APTN
Aboriginal Peoples Television Network
Aboriginal Peoples Television Network is a Canadian broadcast and cable television network. APTN airs and produces programs made by, for and about Aboriginal Peoples...
. Moreover, in 1997 the American cable channel Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
created a weekly 30-minute show called O Canada specifically showcasing a compilation of NFB-produced works; the segment was discontinued in favour of Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
. As of 2010, many of the NFB children's shows are available on the children's IPTV service Ameba.
Logo
Human eye
The human eye is an organ which reacts to light for several purposes. As a conscious sense organ, the eye allows vision. Rod and cone cells in the retina allow conscious light perception and vision including color differentiation and the perception of depth...
with legs. Launched in 1969, the logo symbolized a vision of humanity and was called "Man Seeing / L'homme qui voit". It was designed by Georges Beaupré. It was updated in 2002 by the firm of Paprika Communications.
NFB in popular media
- The ScottishScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
music act Boards of CanadaBoards of CanadaBoards of Canada are a Scottish electronic music duo consisting of brothers Mike Sandison and Marcus Eoin...
takes its name from the NFB. - The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode "E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt)E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt)"E-I-E-I-" is the fifth episode of the eleventh season of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 7, 1999. In the episode, inspired by a Zorro movie, Homer begins slapping people with a glove and challenging them to duels...
", has the Simpson family watching a Zorro movie whose production is credited to the National Film Board of Canada. Similarly in the episode "The Italian BobThe Italian Bob"The Italian Bob" is the eighth episode of The Simpsons seventeenth season. It features Kelsey Grammer in his ninth appearance as Sideshow Bob and is the first time the Simpsons visit Italy.-Plot:...
" has the students of Bart's class watching a diversity film created by PBS in association with the National Film Board of Canada. - In the 1960 film Psycho, directed by Alfred HitchcockAlfred HitchcockSir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
, the car Marion CraneMarion CraneMarion Crane is a fictional character from the 1960 film Psycho, directed by Alfred Hitchcock.-Fictional character biography:Unhappy in her relationship with her boyfriend, Sam Loomis , Marion rejects his idea to take the afternoon off and rushes back to her storefront real estate office. Her boss,...
buys from a used-car dealership has the license plate NFB 418. NFB, obviously standing for National Film Board, while 418 is the area code for Quebec City. Alfred Hitchcock filmed I ConfessI Confess (film)I Confess is a drama film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and starring Montgomery Clift as Fr. Michael William Logan, a Catholic priest, Anne Baxter as Ruth Grandfort, and Karl Malden as Inspector Larrue. This was the only film Hitchcock made with these three actors...
in Quebec CityQuebec CityQuebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
in 1953 and met with producers of the National Film Board in MontrealMontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. In the opening scene of the film, Marion and Sam are making love in a hotel room numbered 514. 514 is the area code for Montreal.
See also
- Cinema of Quebec
- Cinema of Canada
- From NFB to Box-OfficeFrom NFB to Box-OfficeFrom NFB to Box-Office is a 2009 documentary by Quebec film director and producer Denys Desjardins. The film documents the development of Quebec cinema, from the founding of the National Film Board of Canada in 1939 to the creation of the Canadian Film Development Corporation in 1968, recounting...
- Documentary Organization of CanadaDocumentary Organization of CanadaThe Documentary Organization of Canada is a non-profit organization representing the interests of independent documentary filmmakers in Canada...
NFB web sites
- NFB History
- NFB Web Site
- GDP - Measuring the human side of the Canadian economic crisis - NFB web documentary Web site
- CITIZENShift - online media for social change
- NFB Animation Web Site
- Across Cultures Web site
- NFB Facebook page
Articles concerning the NFB
- Historica: The Canadian Encyclopedia - National Film Board of Canada
- A Chronology of Canadian Film and Television
- United Nations of animation - National Film Board of Canada
- National Film Board is the 'Eyes of Canada', CBC Digital Archives
- O Canada: - Canadian animators
- National Film Board of Canada at the Big Cartoon DataBaseBig Cartoon DataBaseThe Big Cartoon DataBase is an online database of information about animated cartoons, animated feature films, animated television shows and cartoon shorts....