Our Collection

The National Film Board of Canada’s film collection now comprises over 13,000 titles, available in English and in French. This imposing archive consists of social documentaries in a range of styles, Second World War propaganda films, newsreels or newsmagazines, and sponsored films commissioned by other federal government departments. It also includes experimental films, Web documentaries, interactive productions, and auteur animation created with an endless variety of animation techniques (some developed entirely or partly at the NFB), as well as short- and feature-length dramas made for television or theatrical release. The NFB collection reflects more than 75 years of Canadian history, from the founding of the NFB in 1939 to the present day. Through their works, the NFB’s filmmakers—whether seasoned veterans or emerging directors, Indigenous people, members of Canada’s cultural or linguistic minorities or English- or French-speaking majority—document social issues and the concerns and lives of Canadians in every region of the country, and of people around the world, from authentically Canadian perspectives. Over the years, the films in the NFB collection have garnered more than 5,000 awards and honours, including 5 Palmes d’or at Cannes and 12 Oscars.