This week’s NFB.ca debut of the documentary Evan’s Drum (2021), by Inuk filmmaker Ossie Michelin, provides an opportunity to give an overview of Inuit cinema at the NFB. But before we get into the first of these films, shot in the 1970s, we need to […]
Although I didn’t know it at the time, I remember clearly the moment the idea for The Storm took root. A woman had come to the hospital in labour, her partner at her side, and together with her nurse, we all guided the baby safely […]
A spirit of pure invention informs the latest edition of Hothouse which got underway on November 15. That’s when the National Film Board opened the doors of its famous animation studios, now housed in new headquarters in downtown Montreal, to six young animation artists from […]
From its creation in 1939 all the way through to the 1980s, the National Film Board of Canada was mandated to produce films for all federal government departments and agencies. These sponsored films were made according to the needs of the agency or department, to […]
ONFB XP is an exciting new incubator at the National Film Board designed for animators to test out new ideas and find technology solutions for animation problems. As Michael Fukushima, former Executive Producer of the Animation Studio, described it: “It’s a technology playground for animation […]
I have always been fascinated with Greek mythology. I’m especially fascinated by the movie versions of these incredible tales (Clash of the Titans is a personal favourite). While most Greek mythology has come down in the form of epic poems, it was motion pictures that brought to life these fantastic stories filled with deities, heroes and mythological creatures. For International Animation Day, I thought I’d try […]
Shannon was made to feel uncomfortable for being gay. This film is going to make you feel uncomfortable, but that’s why her story is so important. I hope that when watching this film, people will reflect on the fact that their actions, words, and acceptance […]
An internationalist impulse has fuelled NFB animation from the get-go, instilled at the outset by Norman McLaren, the cosmopolitan and wildly inventive young Scot who founded the tradition back in 1941. Eight decades down the road, as Canada’s public producer enters its ninth decade, McLaren’s […]
As the country and the world face the historic challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, production is now under way at the NFB on The Curve, a collection of approximately 30 projects by more than 40 Canadian creators that will give voice to those touched by […]
When confronted by a crisis of faith, people react in many different ways. Two filmmakers from different generations recently completed animated shorts that grapple with this topic. Internationally renowned German filmmaker Andreas Hykade, director of Altötting—which examines the stages of religious experience and personal growth […]