--- title: "National Film Board | History of Canada" description: "National Film Board of Canada is the government film agency that produced documentaries and animation shaping Canadian identity in History of Canada 1867 to Present." canonical: "https://fiveable.me/history-canada-after-1867/key-terms/national-film-board" type: "key-term" subject: "History of Canada – 1867 to Present" unit: "Unit 7" --- # National Film Board | History of Canada ## Definition The National Film Board of Canada is a government film agency founded in 1939 that made documentaries, animation, and short films about Canadian life. In History of Canada after 1867, it shows how the state helped shape Canadian identity and culture. ## What It Is The National Film Board of Canada, or NFB, is Canada’s public film and media producer, created in 1939 to make Canadian stories visible on screen. In this course, it shows up as a government-backed cultural institution that responded to a media world dominated by Hollywood and to a need for Canadian representation. The NFB was not just a movie studio. It was a state institution with a purpose: produce films that could explain Canada to Canadians, especially during the Depression and the years around the Second World War. That meant short documentaries, educational films, and later animation and experimental work that dealt with social problems, everyday life, and national themes. A big part of its early identity came from documentary film. Instead of polished entertainment, many NFB films used real footage, narration, and plainspoken storytelling to show economic hardship, labour issues, northern life, or the lives of ordinary people. That documentary style fit the Depression era, when artists and governments were both trying to make sense of social strain and national recovery. The NFB also mattered because it helped build a sense of Canadian identity. In the 1940s and 1950s, it produced films that emphasized landscapes, communities, history, and values that felt distinct from the United States. That does not mean the films gave one simple version of Canada. They often presented a selective, state-shaped view of the country, which is exactly why they are useful historical evidence. Later, the NFB became known for innovation, especially in animation and experimental film. That matters in Canadian history because it shows culture was not limited to high politics or military events. Film became one of the ways Canada explained itself, argued about itself, and reached both domestic and international audiences. ## Why It Matters The National Film Board is one of the clearest examples of cultural nationalism in modern Canadian history. When you see it in a timeline or reading, it usually points to a bigger question: how did Canada try to create its own identity while living next to a much larger American media industry? It also connects directly to the Depression and the postwar years. In the 1930s, film became a way to show social conditions, rural hardship, labour conflict, and public policy in a format ordinary people could actually watch. After the war, the same institution helped project a more confident picture of Canada, one built around shared history, regional difference, and national unity. The NFB matters because it shows that culture can be policy. Governments did not just fund roads, armies, and railways. They also funded media that shaped public memory and civic identity. That makes the NFB useful for essays about Canadian nationalism, public culture, and the state’s role in shaping what counts as “Canadian.” It also gives you a concrete source type to analyze. If a question asks how Canadians were encouraged to see themselves, the NFB is a strong example because it sits right between art, propaganda, education, and public information. ## Connections ### Documentary Film The NFB became famous for documentary film because documentaries were the easiest way to present real Canadian people, places, and problems. When you connect the two, think about narration, short-form structure, and visual evidence. NFB documentaries often turned social issues into public stories, which made film a tool for education as well as culture. ### Cultural Policy The NFB is a direct example of cultural policy in action. Instead of leaving media production entirely to private companies, the Canadian government helped shape national culture through film. That makes the NFB useful for explaining how the state supported art, identity, and public messaging in the twentieth century. ### Social Realism Many early NFB films fit the social realism mood of the Depression era. Social realism focuses on working people, economic struggle, and everyday conditions rather than idealized scenes. If you are comparing cultural trends, the NFB shows how realism moved from painting and literature into film. ### [Canadian Broadcasting Corporation](/history-canada-after-1867/key-terms/canadian-broadcasting-corporation) The CBC and the NFB both helped build Canadian media institutions with a national purpose. The CBC reached audiences through radio and later television, while the NFB used film. Together, they show how Canada tried to create media that reflected Canadian life instead of relying only on foreign content. ## On the AP Exam A quiz or short-answer prompt might ask you to identify the NFB from a description of government-sponsored films about Canadian life. In an essay, you could use it as evidence that Canada used cultural institutions to strengthen national identity, especially during the Depression and the postwar years. If you get a source-based question, look for clues like documentary style, social issues, or mention of state support. A good response usually explains both what the NFB did and why that mattered, not just that it made films. You might connect a film clip, poster, or historical passage to broader themes like cultural nationalism, media competition with the United States, or changing ideas of what counted as Canadian culture. ## National Film Board vs Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The NFB and CBC are both government-linked media institutions, but they do different things. The CBC is mainly a broadcaster for radio and television, while the NFB is a producer of films and documentaries. If a source is about film production, animation, or documentary shorts, NFB is usually the better fit. ## Key Takeaways - The National Film Board of Canada is a government film agency founded in 1939. - In Canadian history, the NFB is tied to documentary film, public education, and the shaping of national identity. - Its early work reflects Depression-era concerns such as social hardship, labour, and everyday life. - The NFB also shows how Canada used culture, not just laws and elections, to build a stronger sense of nationhood. - Its animation and experimental films matter because they helped make Canadian cinema distinctive instead of simply copying Hollywood. ## FAQs ### What is the National Film Board in History of Canada? The National Film Board of Canada is a public film agency created in 1939. In History of Canada after 1867, it is usually discussed as a cultural institution that produced documentaries, short films, and animation about Canadian life. It mattered because it gave the federal government a way to promote Canadian identity through media. ### Why was the National Film Board created? It was created because Canadian representation in film was limited while Hollywood dominated the market. The government wanted Canadian stories, Canadian settings, and Canadian issues to appear on screen. That made the NFB part of a larger effort to build national culture during a period of economic and social stress. ### How is the National Film Board different from the CBC? The CBC is a broadcaster, so it distributes radio and television programming. The NFB is mainly a producer of film and media, especially documentaries and animation. They are related because both were public institutions that helped shape Canadian identity, but they worked through different media. ### How do you use the National Film Board in an essay? Use it as evidence that Canada used cultural policy to promote national identity. You can connect it to the Depression, postwar nation-building, or cultural nationalism. If the question asks how Canadians saw themselves, the NFB is a strong example of state-supported media shaping public memory. ## Related Study Guides - [7.4 Cultural and Artistic Developments during the Depression](/history-canada-after-1867/unit-7/cultural-artistic-developments-depression/study-guide/6mBjhhuops8vJkV1) - [9.4 Cultural Developments and the Emergence of Canadian Identity](/history-canada-after-1867/unit-9/cultural-developments-emergence-canadian-identity/study-guide/gyjze86vcA3hsqK1) ## About This Document Canonical Fiveable pages are available as Markdown at the same path plus `.md`. - [llms.txt](https://fiveable.me/llms.txt): index of Fiveable's sections and URL patterns - [llms-full.txt](https://fiveable.me/llms-full.txt): complete subject and unit listing - [MCP server](https://fiveable.me/mcp): call Fiveable as tools instead of fetching pages (`https://fiveable.me/api/mcp`) - [MCP server for AP teachers](https://fiveable.me/mcp/teachers): a teacher's classes, assignments and AP-rubric grading (`https://fiveable.me/api/mcp/teacher`) ## Structured Data ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"LearningResource","@id":"https://fiveable.me/history-canada-after-1867/key-terms/national-film-board#resource","name":"National Film Board | History of Canada","url":"https://fiveable.me/history-canada-after-1867/key-terms/national-film-board","learningResourceType":"Concept explainer","educationalLevel":"AP® / High School","about":{"@id":"https://fiveable.me/history-canada-after-1867/key-terms/national-film-board#term"},"audience":{"@type":"EducationalAudience","educationalRole":"student"},"dateModified":"2026-07-03T02:21:33.837Z","isPartOf":{"@type":"Collection","name":"History of Canada – 1867 to Present Key Terms","url":"https://fiveable.me/history-canada-after-1867/key-terms"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Fiveable","url":"https://fiveable.me"}},{"@type":"DefinedTerm","@id":"https://fiveable.me/history-canada-after-1867/key-terms/national-film-board#term","name":"National Film Board","description":"The National Film Board of Canada is a government film agency founded in 1939 that made documentaries, animation, and short films about Canadian life. 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