National Film Board of Canada Focuses on Educators and Canadian Content
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is strategically refocusing its efforts to support educators and highlight distinctly Canadian stories, according to Anne-Claire Lefaivre, Director General, Programming and Audience Engagement. This initiative aims to provide valuable resources for teachers addressing specific and sometimes challenging subjects, while bolstering the visibility of Canadian content in a competitive media landscape.
Expanding Educational Resources
The NFB offers over 7,000 films online, with 1,400 accompanied by ready-to-employ pedagogical guides. These resources are designed for teachers and, potentially, parents, to facilitate learning across various subjects. The NFB views education as a key pathway to reach audiences, with teachers serving as a primary point of access.
A Return to Educational Roots
Lefaivre notes that the NFB historically engaged in specifically educational production during the 1960s and 1970s. Today, the organization’s mandate centers on representing Canadian realities through 100% Canadian-produced content – encompassing music, editing, filming locations, and filmmakers.
Content Highlights and Usage
The NFB’s website features 350 educational film selections categorized by age group and subject matter, including topics like mental health, human rights, Black Canadian communities, Canadian poets and jazz, scientific phenomena, and World War I. Each film is paired with a pedagogical guide developed by Canadian teachers, offering mini-lessons designed to support 75 minutes of instruction. Approximately 3 million views annually originate from within Canada, with 35% coming from Quebec.
Indigenous Voices at the Forefront
Films focusing on Indigenous perspectives are particularly popular in educational settings. We Were Children (2012), a documentary about residential schools, is the most-viewed film within the NFB’s collection. Other frequently used titles include Reel Injun (2012), which examines the portrayal of Indigenous people in American films, and Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance (1993), documenting the Oka Crisis. The NFB boasts one of the world’s largest online collections of Indigenous films, created by Indigenous filmmakers.
Recent Productions and Accessibility
Recent productions gaining traction in classrooms include the five-episode series Étoile du Nord (2023), which bridges science and Indigenous spirituality, La fille au béret rouge (2023), a five-minute animated film for French language learners, and Dans l’ombre du Star Wars Kid (2022), addressing online bullying.
Organizational Structure and Future Vision
As of December 11, 2025, Stéphanie L’Écuyer has been appointed Director General, Programming and Production, and Anne-Claire Lefaivre serves as Director General, Programming and Audience Engagement. These appointments reflect a restructuring within the NFB, abolishing previous directorial positions to streamline production and audience engagement. The NFB currently produces 40 new films annually and aims to diversify its formats, with a particular focus on democratizing the documentary genre.
The NFB is also working on improving the search functionality on its website to make its extensive catalog more accessible.