National Film Board of Canada - Definition and Overview

The National Film Board of Canada (or NFB) is a Canadian public film-making organization organized to both fund and produce films that educate Canadians and promote Canada around the world. Its French-language wing is known as the Office national du film or ONF. The NFB is best known for its documentaries and animated short films.

Formed in 1939 and initially run by John Grierson (a specialist in the psychology of propaganda), to create propaganda to garner support for the Second World War. When Norman McLaren 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 section eventually gained distinction, particularly with the pioneering work of Norman 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 cel animation.

The NFB's Toronto headquarters have viewing stations in the lobby, where visitors can watch up to 90 minutes of NFB productions, at private digital viewing stations.

The Scottish music act Boards of Canada takes its name from the NFB.

External links

• National Film Board of Canada web site (http://www.nfb.ca/)
• The Big Cartoon DataBase entry for National Film Board of Canada (http://www.bcdb.com/cartoons/Other_Studios/N/National_Film_Board_of_Canada/index.html)