The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is Canada’s public film and digital media producer and distributor. Founded in May of 1939, the NFB just celebrated its 85th Anniversary! In celebration, we have gathered films from the NFB’s directory that centre craft. Find a variety of media – ranging from experimental short films to feature-length documentaries – below.
WABAN-AKI: PEOPLE FROM WHERE THE SUN RISES
Alanis Obomsawin, 2006
In this feature-length documentary, Alanis Obomsawin, renowned documentarian, singer, artist, and activist, takes us home to her Abenaki community of Odanak, Quebec. This powerful film highlights the community’s history of basket weaving and canoe making and the contemporary reality of her people, who once occupied much of present-day New England, the Maritimes and South-Eastern Quebec.
QUILT
Gayle Thomas, 1996
The NFB describes this film as an “abstract animated film is a tribute to the unique and long-established art form of patchwork quilting. Using computer animation, digital drafting, and experimental design techniques, this mesmerizing film choreographs quilt motifs and designs and sets them to music.”
KAMIK
Elise Swerhone, 1989
In this short documentary, Ulayok Kaviok, a skilled Inuk seamstress, is shown straddling two worlds: the semi-nomadic life of her childhood and her children’s settled lives in Arviat, Nunavut. A bridge between both, Ulayok Kaviok creates kamik—sealskin boots—by integrating new materials into her time-honoured practice.
I DON’T HAVE TO WORK THAT BIG
Michael McKennirey, 1973
The short documentary I Don’t Have to Work That Big follows Canadian artist Joe Fafard, known for his figurative clay sculptures and depictions of farm life. Before Fafard’s passing in 2019, he was awarded the Order of Canada and the Saskatchewan Order of Merit. This film offers a glimpse into his creative process in the 1970s.
STANDING BUFFALO
Joan Henson, 1968
Standing Buffalo centres the women of the Sioux Handicraft Co-operative (SHC) on the Standing Buffalo Reserve in the Qu’Appelle Valley of southern Saskatchewan. Known for their skill at crafting vivid textile pieces, this short film shows the SHC women’s collaborative process of making wool latch-hooked rugs, which they named Ta-hah-sheena.
IN PRAISE OF HANDS
Donald Winkler, 1974
Created in 1974 in accordance with the Biennial Conference of the World Crafts Council in Toronto, this short documentary depicts fine craft from around the world in a variety of media. Footage includes craft from the Canadian Arctic, India, Nigeria, Japan, Mexico, and Poland.
HANDS OF HISTORY
Loretta Todd, 1994
The NFB describes this film, writing: “In this acclaimed 1994 documentary, Loretta Todd, a leading figure in Indigenous cinema in Canada, profiles four contemporary female artists – Doreen Jensen, Rena Point Bolton, Jane Ash Poitras and Joane Cardinal-Schubert – who seek to find a continuum from traditional to contemporary forms of expression. Each artist reveals her practice and journey in her own words. The film is a moving testimony to the vital role Indigenous women play in nurturing Indigenous cultures.”
THE MAGIC QUILT
Bettina Matzkhun, 1985
Created by our very own Regional Representative for British Columbia, Bettina Matzkhun, this short film uses cutout and embroidery animation to depict Canada’s multiculturalism. A cheerful piece, this film leaves viewers of all ages with an important message: cooperation is necessary to mend and maintain both quilts and nations.
ON THE ICE FLOE
Stéphane Lahoud, 2012
The short documentary On the Ice Floe depicts French artist Joseph Kieffer’s metal sculptures in the seasonal fishing community that comes together on the ice around Rimouski, Quebec.
VOICES ACROSS THE WATER
Fritz Mueller, 2022
This beautiful feature-length documentary follows two master canoe builders—Alaskan Tlingit carver Wayne Price and Francophone artist Halin de Repentigny—as they practice their art and find a way back to balance and healing.