The National Film Board of Canada was founded in 1939 in part as a way to distribute World War II propaganda throughout the Great White North, but went on to become a bastion for experimental animation, “socially relevant documentaries” and other film projects “which provoke discussion and debate on subjects of interest to Canadian audiences and foreign markets.”Sadly, this government agency which supported so many significant avant-garde filmmakers and animators has been subject to countless budget cuts and department closures over the last 15 years.
However, recently the NFB created a great "online screening room" for your free web-based viewing pleasure. Many of these films haven't been so easy to find (on video at least), so this is a pretty big deal. Below are some of my favorites...
Norman McLaren's Neighbors (1952)
Arthur Lipsett's 21-87 (1964)
Jacques Drouin's Mindscape (1976)
Robert Kennedy's I've Never Had Sex... (2007)
No doubt countless more films are waiting to be discovered...
(Thanks to the Arthur Magazine Blog for the heads up about this new website)
--Klax
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