National Film Board of Canada

MediaSmarts has had a very special relationship with the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) going back to 1996 when MediaSmarts (formerly Media Awareness Network) was first created. We started life under the auspices of the NFB as they provided critical financial support and sheltered us in their Ottawa offices. As a newly formed not-for-profit, we received financial assistance for start-up costs and the development of our communications capacity. This support of our organization continues today through the NFB’s annual Associate Sponsorship.

The first Chair of our Board of Directors was Sandra MacDonald, Government Film Commissioner and Chairperson and the NFB continues its Board involvement today through the participation of the current Government Film Commissioner and NFB Chair Tom Perlmutter.

We greatly value our long-standing relationship with the NFB, and we look forward to continuing to work with them to advance our vision and mission.

Partnerships and programs we have worked with the NFB on include:

• Media Literacy Week collaboration: Each year in recognition of Media Literacy Week the NFB’s Montreal and Toronto locations host hands-on production programming based on a media literacy framework.
• Digital Literacy in Canada: From Inclusion to Transformation: This discussion paper was a response to the Government of Canada's Digital Economy Consultation, launched in 2010. The NFB helped to fund the development of the paper, which called for federal leadership in the creation of a national digital literacy strategy.
• Young Canadians in a Wired World: Phase II (YCWW): The NFB was an active partner in 2004, in Phase II of MediaSmarts’ ongoing YCWW research project. Its involvement included participation on the research advisory committee and hosting of the parent and youth focus groups at the Toronto NFB offices.