Keywords Film

John Grierson resigned in 1945 and was replaced by his deputy, Ross McLean, who faced considerable difficulties in the postwar years. Budgets and staff were reduced and the NFB came under attack for allegedly harbouring left-wing subversives and as a monopoly that threatened the livelihood of commercial producers. McLean's replacement (1950), Arthur IRWIN, calmed the storm, initiated a new National Film Act, restructured the NFB along modern bureaucratic lines and planned to move the NFB from Ottawa to Montréal (completed 1956 under Irwin's successor, Albert TRUEMAN).

Also during the postwar decade, production expanded into new areas: the first dramatic films were made, new techniques were explored in animation, and the information film and production for TV were initiated. Filmmakers paid more attention to style and technical polish, and new approaches emerged, more intimate in tone than the didactic approach of the war years. These were clearly evident in the films of one production group, Unit B, headed by Tom DALY, whose work led in the late 1950s to the world's first consistent use of direct cinema in the Candid Eye TV series.

In Québec the NFB was viewed for some years as a federalist agency that denied Québec's cultural aspirations. French-language production was minimal until the late 1950s when the demands of TV and the move to Montréal provided catalysts for expansion. Many young Québec filmmakers were hired who were to play seminal roles in the flowering of Québec cinema in the 1960s, both within and outside the NFB. These filmmakers refused to accept the anglophone domination of the NFB's administration.

After a series of protests, the appointment of the first French-speaking commissioner, Guy Roberge, initiated a series of changes that culminated (1964) in a total separation of production along linguistic lines.

Women filmmakers made major contributions during the war years but were then virtually absent from active production until the early 1970s. Encouraged by such series as En tant que femmes and Working Mothers, and the development of Studio D under Kathleen SHANNON, women have since made significant contributions both as directors and technicians. First Nations peoples objected for many years to the folkloric and condescending images of themselves projected in NFB films. Only in the late 1960s, in such programs as Challenge for Change, did a truer portrait emerge. At the same time, First Nations and Inuit peoples were given access to NFB equipment to produce their own films. These initiatives later led to such films as the highly successful feature film ATANARJUAT (The Fast Runner) (2002), a co-production of the NFB and the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network.

This initial impetus towards an increasing accessibility to the means of production was continued through the 1970s as the NFB established regional production centres across Canada. Animation has always been an NFB priority and, though the work of such pioneers as Norman MCLAREN is widely recognized, it has been the continuing commitment to encourage new talent that has maintained the vigour of this section and made it one of the most admired in the world (see FILM ANIMATION). NFB film animators continue to win major festival prizes, such as those for When the Day Breaks in 1999 and The Stone of Folly in 2002 at the Cannes Film Festival.

Production of dramatic feature films for theatrical release began in 1963-64 and has continued, despite debate about the appropriateness of such production within a state institution. Many NFB feature films have won international awards and have had wide release, including, in the 1980s, a number of intensely realist social dramas and comedies produced at modest cost. However, severe reductions in the NFB's budgets in the 1990s virtually eliminated this aspect of its program. The same budget cuts also forced the NFB to eliminate other programs and reduce its staff. A major review of its mandate in 2002 under a new film commissioner, Jacques Bensimon, emphasized digital production and distribution, the mentoring of young filmmakers, a renewed commitment to community involvement and expanded partnerships with commercial producers. About one-half of all NFB productions and co-productions are now by emerging filmmakers. The NFB is also making extensive use of the Internet.

The once dominant position of the NFB has been significantly reduced since the 1960s by the growth of the commercial film industry and the expansion of television production. Its role in Canadian film has been further eroded by recent cuts to its budget. But it has been able to adapt to changing realities, attract talented new filmmakers, emphasize high qualities of production and maintain its position as the world's most widely respected national film agency. NFB films have garnered 70 Academy Award nominations. Twelve have earned Oscars, beginning with the first award in 1941 for Churchill's Island and including the more recent Bob's Birthday in 1995, Ryan in 2005 and The Danish Poet in 2007. In 1989, the NFB won an honorary Oscar in recognition of its 50th anniversary and its record of filmmaking excellence.

Grierson, John
"Art is not a mirror," Grierson (right) said, "but a hammer. It is a weapon in our hands to see and say what is good and right and beautiful" (courtesy Library and Archives Canada/C-11550).

Mourir à tue-tête
Monique Miller and Micheline Lanctôt in Mourir à tue-tête, NFB (courtesy Cinémathèque Québécoise).

McLaren, Norman
Innovative filmmaker Norman McLaren was Canada's leading director of animated films (courtesy Library and Archives Canada).

Author PETER MORRIS

Suggested Reading
Donald Bidd, ed, The NFB Film Guide: The Productions of the National Film Board of Canada from 1939 to 1989 (1991); Gary Evans, In the National Interest: A Chronicle of the National Film Board of Canada from 1949 to 1989 (1991); D.B. Jones, Movies and Memoranda (1982); C. Rodney James, Film as a National Art: NFB of Canada and the Film Board Idea (1977).

Links to Other Sites
National Film Board of Canada
Watch full-length films, clips, and trailers - all free for home viewing. Scroll down the page to see all of the available online features. Kids of all ages can direct their own movie clips and more in NFBKids.ca. From the National Film Board of Canada.

Toronto International Film Festival
The website for the Toronto International Film Festival. Check out the latest film news and links to the Bell Lightbox, the Film Reference Library, Cinematheque Ontario, Sprockets, Reel Learning, Film Circuit, Canada's Top Ten, and related features.

Glossary: Film Terms
A glossary of terminology related to film production. From the National Film Board website. A Microsoft Word document.

Canadian Film Institute
The CFI website profiles notable Canadian filmmakers and showcases various film genre. Also provides information about Canadian film festivals.

Telefilm Canada
The Corporation provides financial assistance and strategic leverage to the industry in producing high-quality works - e.g. feature films, drama series, documentaries, children's shows, variety/performing arts programs, and new media products - that reflect Canadian society, including its linguistic duality and cultural diversity.

World War II and the NFB: On all fronts
Discover several of the National Film Board of Canada films related to World War II. Experienced by millions, both soldiers and civilians, this war was filmed from many angles at the time and has also been revisited by contemporary filmmakers.

Ryan
Chris Landreth’s animated NFB film “Ryan” is dedicated to the talented Canadian animator Ryan Larkin.

NFB Online Photogallery
View production photos from your favourite NFB films.

NFB: John Grierson
An NFB profile of John Grierson, father of the documentary film genre and first film commissioner of the National Film Board.

Portraits
Check out the biographies of the many outstanding filmmakers and other professionals who have been associated with the National Film Board.

Documentary Lens
The purpose of "Documentary Lens" is to show how National Film Board documentaries have portrayed Canada and the world since the founding of the Film Board in 1939. Click on the "View Entire Film" link to watch films online.

Canadian cinema treasures online
A news article about the unveiling of the National Film Board's "Screening Room" website that will allow Internet users to stream a large selection of the board's films representing a wide array of styles from NFB's 70-year catalogue. From the canada.com website.

Jacques Bensimon
A profile of Jacques Bensimon, visionary broadcaster, filmmaker, and former government film commissioner and chairperson of the National Film Board of Canada.

Guy Maddin inspired by railway man film for NFB anniversary short
An interview with Winnipeg-based director Guy Maddin about "Night Mayor," a film made in commemoration of the National Film Board's 70th anniversary.

Filmmaker-In-Residence
The website for “Filmmaker-in-Residence,” an award-winning multimedia documentary project featuring filmmaker Katerina Cizek in collaboration with frontline health care workers in St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. Sponsored by the National Film Board of Canada.