The National Film Board (NFB) is Canada’s public film producer and distributor. Founded in 1939, the NFB is widely recognized as a world leader in documentary and animation. Known for both our impeccable image quality and diverse range of content, NFB ARCHIVES is the licensing branch of the NFB. We offer our clients excerpts and outtakes from more than 13,000 productions, unreleased films, and footage from around the globe, dating from the beginnings of cinema to today. Our collection is rounded out with partner footage from Radio-Canada, EyeSteelFilm, Glacialis and many more. We currently have more than 50,200 shots online, and we’re constantly adding both new and historical material.
We are known for both quality and content. Our 14,000 reels of film are kept in pristine condition and can be transferred in-house to any resolution using our state-of-the-art facilities. Born-digital material from recent productions is carefully selected and put online regularly. A more extensive visual record of Indigenous Peoples in Canada cannot be found, and clients from all countries choose our impeccable footage from both world wars. We cover a huge variety of other subjects, both historical and recent, from Canada and across the globe. NFB ARCHIVES is truly a cut above.
Please note that the films and archives on this site date back up to 120 years, and some may contain scenes or descriptive terms that modern eyes find offensive. Please remember that outdated terminology and documentary practices reflect bygone attitudes of the era in which the material was filmed. We are working to update our descriptions, but due to the massive size of our collection, this takes time; please bear with us while we undertake this process. If you have any concerns about specific content found here, please bring it to our attention. We strive to do better at contextualizing our collection while giving clients and the public access to vitally important historical material.