Behind the Scenes
Interviews with filmmakers, making-of clips and master classes will be featured with the aim of giving you a sneak peek at what goes into the making of a film.
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 attempting to cover everything...
Farewell to the King of All Wild Things
This is a guest blog post written by NFB animation producer, Marcy Page. Marcy, along with Spike Jonze and Vince Landay, produced Higglety Pigglety Pop! Or There Must be More to Life, based off beloved author Maurice Sendak’s book of the same name.
Although Sendak is most famous for...
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 it.
I’m going to do...
If I was god: A Chronicle of Anticipated Pain
I’m well into the beginning pre-production of my new film, tentatively titled If I was god... and decided that it might be nice to publicly note the various stages of the inevitable self-doubt I experience as I carve my way towards the end. It might be interesting (if...
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 on Quebec. With these...
Interpreting the North: An interview with Joe Otokiak
Seeing we seem to be on a confession roll here, I don't see much point in withholding the following information from you guys. Friends, readers - I'm a huge nerd.
Now, that wouldn't be so bad if I was super nerdy about this one thing, like say, brain surgery,...
The NFB at the Annies and the Oscar Nominee Luncheon (PHOTOS)
DAY ONE: The Annie Awards
My lovely and talented producing colleague, Marcy Page, and I have been in LA for the past few days on an adventure entirely new to anyone at the NFB. Accompanied by 3 inestimably gifted filmmakers—Patrick Doyon, Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby—we came here to...
Oscar nominees Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby discuss Oscar exposure and creative risk-taking
A few short weeks ago, 2 NFB films were nominated for Best Short (Animated) at the 2012 Oscars. Wild Life, by Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby, was one of them. (The other is Patrick Doyon’s Sunday. You can watch and download both here).
The nomination marked the Forbis-Tilby duo's...
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 a huge splash in...
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 can still occasionally see...
Pink Ribbons Inc.: The people behind the film
*Photo: Filmmaker Léa Pool (3rd from left) on set. Photo credit: Nancy Guérin.
Following is a short bio of each person who appeared in the film Pink Ribbons Inc., a feature documentary that shows how the devastating reality of breast cancer, which marketing experts have labeled a “dream...
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 that works for me...
