February 28, 2012

National Film Board: From Paper to Film


With the recent Academy Awards ceremonies, I'd like to recognize the numerous contributions of the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) to promoting Canadian literature.  As the NFB has been nominated for more Oscars than any production company or organization outside of Hollywood and has provided work experience for every Foreign Language film director nominated this year, its reputation for exceptional documentaries, animations and such is well established.

But did you know that there are numerous short and full-length films available for viewing on the National Film Board of Canada website?  As a blogger of Canadian literature for young people (as well as a teacher-librarian), I love the short films of popular Canadian children's books that offer a different perspective on the stories. (If you're a teacher, using text and film versions of a story is a great way to teach a variety of writing and reading skills.  Just look for resources about teaching with movies.)

Explore for yourself the variety of films available for viewing at the National Film Board of Canada website, including these particular favourites of mine:

by Manjusha Pawagi
Illustrated by Leanne Franson
Second Story Press, 1998

Director:  Jo Meuris
Producer:  Tamara Lynch
2006

by Rachna Gilmore
Illustrated by Alice Priestley
Second Story Press, 1994

Director:  Michel Vo
Producer:  Tamara Lynch
2001

by Lynette Comissiong
Illustrated by Marie Lafrance
Annick Press, 1997

Directors:  Chris Cormier and Derek Cummings
Producer:  Michael Scott
2005

by Paulette Bourgeois
Illustrated by Izabela Bzymek
 Kids Can Press, 2001

Director:  Izabela Bzymek
Producer: Svend-Erik Eriksen
2007

by Itah Sadu 
Illustrated by Roy Condy
Scholastic Canada, 1993

Director:  Vincent Gauthier
Producer:  Tamara Lynch
2001

(The Hockey Sweater)
by Roch Carrier
Illustrated by Sheldon Cohen
Tundra, 1984

Director:  Sheldon Cohen
Producers:  Marrin Canell and David Verrall
1980

by Dayal Kaur Khalsa
Tundra, 1994

Director:  Sheldon Cohen
Producer:  Marcy Page 
2002

by Madeleine Thien
 Illustrated by Joe Chang
Walrus Books, 2001

Director: Joe Chang
Producer: George Johnson
2002


(The Snow Cat)
by Dayal Kaur Khalsa
Tundra, 1992

Director:  Sheldon Cohen
Producers:  Sheldon Cohen, Kenneth Hirsch, Marcy Page
1998

1 comment:

  1. Oh wow! These are fab. I have used the NFB site in the past for bringing Canadian culture to my kids (Logdriver's Waltz!) but I had no idea about these picture books on the site. This is fab- especially since NFB does not geoblock, so this is perfect for expat Canadians.

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