Educational Video Series: National Film Board of Canada

In the spirit of the NFB's long history with dance, enjoy this selection of 7 films that explore, celebrate and interpret one of our most precious art forms.

Experience the National Film Board of Canada’s stop-motion animation workshop online. This web module will teach you how to produce stop-motion animation videos and introduce you to NFB stop-motion animated films. It offers instructional videos and step-by-step lessons. The 7 lessons have been designed for an Intermediate (Grade 7–9) Art Curriculum. However, they can be easily modified to suit other age levels and subject areas.

NFB Education has come up with a rich playlist of documentaries and animated films to mark Media Literacy Week, which takes place annually in November. Reflecting this year’s theme, “Makers and Creators,” the films in the playlist examine the complex relationship between artists and their work while fostering in-depth learning and creativity.

This playlist features a collection of biographies of some of the most famous Canadian artists, from Frederick Varley to Maud Lewis. The first film, What’s This? Understanding Contemporary Art, offers an introduction to the world of art, the materials used, and a close examination of what drives artists to create. The playlist also includes two films about Indigenous art.

On September 29, 1962, Canada joined the space race with the launch of Alouette 1, a satellite designed and built entirely in this country. This Canadian first made us only the fourth country to operate a satellite, after the USSR, the United States and the United Kingdom.
Discover more about this and other extra-planetary events in our playlist of films on space and space exploration.

Empathy—the ability to understand and share the feelings of another—is a vital skill for students navigating the diversity and conflicts inherent in the 21st century. Through this playlist, educators at the secondary level will find unique Canadian resources exploring the role empathy plays in our world of divergent and often clashing points of view.

Created to mark Media Literacy Week, this rich selection of films examines the role of media in various aspects of contemporary life. Covering an array of topics, such as the politics of gender, class, and race identity, and the challenges of online social relationships and expression, the playlist assembles the inspiring stories of individuals from every corner of the globe who owe their survival to their creative use of media.

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, it is estimated that 10% to 20% of Canadian youth are affected by mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.
This playlist of films on mental health can be used to start a conversation with youth; or for your own professional and personal development.

NFB films encompass a wide variety of war topics studied in both elementary and high schools. War is an important theme in Canadian and World Studies, Science, English Language Arts, History, Geography, Citizenship and the Arts. The films on this playlist make up only a fragment of the NFB’s remarkable collection of films on war and history. Educators are also encouraged to view other NFB titles apart from the films seen here should they wish to pursue a specialist path.