MONTREAL — The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) announced today Julie Roy (pictured) has been appointed as the new director general of creation and innovation at the NFB, effective immediately.
Roy has 25 years of experience in film, including six as executive producer of the NFB’s French animation studio and more than 13 years as a producer.
Her chief mandate will be to strengthen the NFB’s creative leadership and establish an integrated programming vision in line with the organization’s strategic plan, says the news release. This programming framework will serve as a springboard for producers and executive producers in the English and French programs to launch their documentary, animation and interactive projects, while remaining true to the unique character of each studio and complementing the creativity of Canadian artists, the release says.
With more than 50 productions to her credit, Roy is well-known in the production and programming worlds, regularly serving as a speaker, panellist and programmer for events and festivals in Canada and around the world (in countries including Morocco, Austria, Italy and South Korea).
She was vice-president of Femmes du cinéma, de la télévision et des médias numériques (FCTMN) from 2012 to 2014 and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She holds a master’s degree in film studies from Université de Montréal, a certificate in marketing from HEC Montréal and a bachelor’s degree in education from the Université du Québec à Montréal.
“Julie has the leadership and determination to inspire a vision of programming that encourages team synergy and the production of unique and innovative projects. She is a woman of action and conviction. Julie takes the interests of all her teams and collaborators to heart, including the creators with whom she’s developed such honest and open working relationships over time. In addition, her years in marketing throughout the early 2000s have contributed to her keen audience awareness,” said Claude Joli-Coeur, government film commissioner and chairperson of the NFB, in the news release.
The NFB also announced Marc Bertrand will be acting as interim executive producer for the French animation studio, the position vacated by Roy following her appointment.
