national film board of canada office national du film du canada national film board of canada logo abbreviation nfb formation 1939 type federal agency purpose film and interactive media producer and distributor headquarters montreal quebec canada official language english french government film commissioner and nfb chairperson claude joli coeur website nfb.ca 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 and digital media producer and distributor . an agency of the government of canada the nfb produces and distributes documentary films animation web documentaries and alternative dramas . in total the nfb has produced over 13 000 productions which have won over 5 000 awards . 1 the nfb reports to the parliament of canada through the minister of canadian heritage . it has english language and french language production branches . contents 1 mission 1.1 partial timeline 2 operations 3 history 4 documentary 4.1 cin ma v rit and direct cinema 4.2 challenge for change societ nouvelle 4.3 giant screen cinema 4.4 studio d 5 animation 5.1 drawn on film animation 5.2 pinscreen animation 5.3 stop motion animation 5.4 computer animation 5.5 traditional animation 5.6 sand animation 5.7 paint on glass animation 6 interactive 6.1 platforms 6.2 interactive works 7 aboriginal filmmaking 8 training 9 nfb structure 9.1 branches and studios 9.2 former studios and departments 9.2.1 still photography division 9.2.2 public access facilities in montreal and toronto 10 people 10.1 government film commissioners 11 awards 11.1 film and television awards 11.1.1 genie awards 11.1.2 academy awards 11.1.3 peabody awards 11.1.4 annie awards 11.2 interactive awards 11.2.1 webby awards 11.2.2 others 12 controversy 13 nfb on tv 14 logo 15 nfb in popular media 16 see also 17 references 18 further reading 19 external links 19.1 external links 19.2 articles concerning the nfb mission edit nfb headquarters building montreal . partial timeline edit 1939 the government of canada proposed the creation of a national film commission to complement the activities of the government motion picture bureau . the legislation stipulated that the nfb was to make and distribute films designed to help canadians in all parts of canada to understand the ways of living and the problems of canadians in other parts . legislation also stated that the nfb would co ordinate the film activities of federal departments . 1950 canada s parliament passes the the national film act which states that nfb s mandate is to produce and distribute and to promote the production and distribution of films designed to interpret canada to canadians and to other nations . this act also stipulates that the nfb is to engage in film research . 1965 as a result of a report written by producer gordon sheppard on canadian cultural policies and activities the nfb began regionalizing its english production activities with producers appointed in major cities across canada . 1984 minister of communications francis fox released a national film and video policy which added two new elements to the mandate with the nfb also tasked with being a world centre of excellence in production of films and videos and a national training and research centre in the art and technique of film and video . 2008 the nfb announces a strategic plan that includes its first digital strategy . 2 operations edit the national film board currently 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 . 3 the nfb hq building is also named for mclaren and is home to much of its production activity . in the fall of 2017 the nfb is scheduled to move to its headquarters to montreal s quartier des spectacles in a new building being constructed by the city of montreal adjacent to the place des festivals fr square . the nfb will occupy the first four floors of the structure which will allow the nfb to closer contact with the public and expanded digital media research and production facilities . 4 the nfb s offices in toronto . the ground floor mediatheque was closed in april 2012 . 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 located in the woodward s building 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 . 5 in june 2011 the nfb appointed a producer to work with film and digital media makers across saskatchewan to be based in regina . 6 outside quebec french language productions are also made in moncton studio acadie . 7 the nfb also offers support programs for independent filmmakers in english via the filmmaker assistance program fap and in french through its aide du cin ma ind pendant 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 . 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 . as a result of cuts imposed by 2012 canadian federal budget by 2015 the nfb s public funding will be reduced by 6.7 million to 60.3 million . 8 on march 8 2016 international women s day nfb head claude joli coeur announced a new gender parity initiative with the nfb committing that half of all its production spending will be earmarked for films directed by women . 9 10 as part of the 2016 canadian federal budget the nfb will receive an additional 13.5 million in funding spread out over a five year period . 11 history edit in 1938 the government of canada invited john grierson a british documentary film pioneer who coined the very term documentary 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 national film commission which was subsequently renamed the national film board . in part it was founded to create propaganda in support of the second world war . 12 in 1940 with canada at war the nfb launched its canada carries on series of morale boosting theatrical shorts . 13 the success of canada carries on led to the creation of the world in action which was more geared to international audiences . 14 in this period other nfb films were issued as newsreels such as the war is over 1945 intended for theatrical showings . these films were based on current news and often tackled wartime events as well as contemporary issues in canadian culture . early in its history the nfb was a primarily english speaking institution . based in ottawa 90 % of its staff were english and the few french canadians in production worked with english crews . there was a french unit which was responsible for versioning films into french but it was headed by an anglophone . and in nfb annual reports of the time french films were listed under foreign languages . screenwriter jacques bobet hired in 1947 worked to strengthen the french unit and retain french talent and was appointed producer of french versions in 1951 . 15 during that period commissioner albert trueman sensitive to how the quiet revolution was beginning to transform quebec society brought in pierre juneau as the nfb s french advisor . juneau recommended the creation of a french production branch to enable francophone filmmakers to work and create in their own language . 16 in 1956 the nfb s headquarters was relocated from ottawa to montreal improving the nfb s reputation in french canada and making the nfb more attractive to french speaking filmmakers . in 1964 a separate french production branch was finally established with bobet as one of its four initial executive producers . 15 during the 40s and early 50s the nfb employed travelling projectionists who toured the country bringing films and public discussions to rural communities . 17 18 a revision of the national film act in 1950 removed any direct government intervention into the operation and administration of the nfb . 19 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 . 20 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 . 21 the national film board produced several educational films in partnership with parks canada during the 1960s and 1970s including bill schmalz s bears and man . 22 in the early 1970s the nfb began a process of decentralization opening film production centres in cities across canada . the move had been championed by nfb producers such as rex tasker who became the first executive producer of the nfb s studio in halifax . 23 main article canada vignettes 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 as interstitial programs . the vignettes became popular because of their cultural depiction of canada and because they represented its changing state such as the vignette faces which was made to represent the increasing cultural and ethnic diversity of canada . in 1996 the nfb operating budget was cut by 32 % forcing it to lay off staff and to close its film laboratory sound stage now privatized and 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 budget has since been cut again . the six storey john grierson building at its montreal headquarters has been unused 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 . in march 2012 the nfb s funding was cut 10 % to be phased in over a three year period as part of the 2012 canadian federal budget . 24 the nfb eliminated 73 full and part time positions . 8 beginning may 2 2014 the nfb s 75th anniversary was marked by such events as the release of a series of commemorative stamps by canada post 25 and an nfb documentary about the film board s early years entitled shameless propaganda . 26 documentary edit cin ma v rit and direct cinema edit in the post war era the nfb became a pioneer in new developments in documentary film . the nfb played a key role in both the cin ma v rit and direct cinema movements working on technical innovations to make its 16 mm synchronized sound equipment more light weight and portable most notably the