Raison d’être, Mandate and Role: Who We Are and What We Do – 2020-2021

The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) was created by an Act of Parliament in 1939 and is a federal agency within the Canadian Heritage portfolio. The NFB’s mandate is to produce and distribute original and innovative audiovisual works that add to our understanding of the issues facing Canadians and raise awareness of Canadian values and viewpoints across the country and around the world. Over the decades, it has become the standard for audiovisual innovation in Canada and plays an important role by highlighting the changes and key events in Canadian society.

As a producer and distributor of audiovisual works, the NFB fulfills an essential role by providing a unique perspective on Canada’s cultural wealth and diversity. The NFB explores contemporary social issues through point-of-view documentaries, auteur animation and -interactive content. Today, the NFB’s artists and artisans continue to lead the way with advances in form and content in audiovisual production.

As Canada’s public producer and distributor of audiovisual works, the NFB documents the history and culture of the nation for both domestic and international audiences. Over the past 75 years, the NFB has produced more than 13,000 works and received more than 7,000 awards, inspiring and influencing generations of filmmakers in Canada and across the globe. Its audiovisual works offer special insight into the diversity and vitality of our culture and are an essential part of our national heritage.

The NFB is governed by the National Film Act and a series of other statutes, including the Financial Administration Act (which sets out the government’s financial administration structure and process), the Access to Information Act, the Privacy Act, the Official Languages Act and the Canadian Multiculturalism Act.