Albert Ohayon
Albert Ohayon studied film production and journalism at Concordia University in Montreal. He has worked at the National Film Board of Canada since 1984. He is currently the English film collection analyst. He is responsible for programming English titles on the NFB’s online screening room (nfb.ca). He regularly publishes articles on the history of the NFB, its filmmakers and its films on the site.
A Trip Down Memory Lane: A Phantasmagoria of the 20th Century Compressed by Arthur Lipsett
May 13th marks the 76th anniversary of the birth of experimental filmmaker Arthur Lipsett. I thought it appropriate to talk about his films and why they have become such cult classics. I could easily write a 200-page book on his oeuvre, so instead of...
Max Ward: The NFB Profiles a Canadian Aviation Legend
Do you remember Wardair? It was a very prominent Canadian airline in the 1970s and 1980s. We have recently added a documentary about the airline’s founder, Max Ward, to NFB.ca, and I thought it would be a great time to write a post about...
Pacificanada: British Columbia Seen through the NFB Lens
A few months back I wrote a piece on the West television series (you can read it here), the NFB’s second documentary series on the various regions of Canada. West had focused on the Prairies, and it followed the immensely successful Adieu Alouette series...
Irving Layton, Canadian Poet Extraordinaire
March 12, 2012, will mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of the great Canadian poet Irving Layton. To commemorate this occasion, we are adding Donald Winkler’s 1986 documentary Poet: Irving Layton Observed to the NFB.ca screening room. It focuses on Layton discussing his...
Churchill’s Island: The National Film Board’s First Oscar Winner
On February 26, 1942, National Film Board of Canada Commissioner John Grierson accepted the Academy Award for documentary short for the film Churchill’s Island. Originally produced for a Canadian audience as part of the Canada Carries On series of newsreels, the film would make...
Theatrical shorts at the NFB: Cornet at Night
Once upon a time in movie theatres across North America, a short film (or 2) would precede the main feature. Sadly, this practice has gone the way of the dinosaur. The screening of shorts in Canadian theatres existed as late as the 1970s. We...
Waterwalker: Bill Mason’s Masterpiece
I have viewed over 7,000 NFB films as part of my work. People often ask me what my favourite film is and I never hesitate to answer Bill Mason’s ode to the majesty of nature, Waterwalker (1984). There is so much about this film...
Canada Vignettes: Essential Canadiana, eh!
You’ve all seen them on television. Those wonderful, short, fascinating Canada Vignettes that cover the history of Canada, from the ill-fated establishment of the Republic of Manitoba to the exploits of train robber Bill Miner. This series of over 120 short films has played...
Bush Pilot: Canada’s History Comes Alive
Warning: The following blog post is unashamedly written from the point of view of an aviation enthusiast. Reading it will make you want to discover more about Canada’s aviation history.
Bush Pilot: Reflections on a Canadian Myth was originally to be a film on the...
Focus on the Prairies: The West TV Series
In 1972, the National Film Board produced the television series Adieu Alouette, which consisted of 12 documentary episodes shot in English and intended to dispel stereotypes about Quebec. It was felt that most people in Canada had a very limited view of the province...
Satellites of the Sun: The Wonders of Earth and Space
Quick, what are 1685 Toro and 3753 Cruithne?
If you guessed asteroids that were both incorrectly identified as Earth’s second moon, go to the front of the class.
I first found out about Toro when I viewed Satellites of the Sun, a film we produced in...
John Law and the Mississippi Bubble: The Madness of Crowds
When most people think about Richard Condie’s films, his classic Oscar-nominated short The Big Snit (1985) immediately springs to mind. While I agree that it is brilliant, I prefer his earlier film John Law and the Mississippi Bubble, released in 1979. I love the...
