The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) announced Monday its 2025-2028 Strategic Plan is now available, along with a podcast featuring NFB Chairperson Suzanne Guèvremont providing an overview of the plan.
The plan lays out the NFB’s key priorities over the next three years in four strategic areas: shaping the NFB for next generations; fostering a culture of creativity and innovation; elevating awareness of the NFB and esteem for the organization; and expanding and understanding NFB audiences.
“These priorities are underpinned by the NFB’s ongoing commitments to gender parity, underrepresented communities, Indigenous communities, Francophone communities and official-language minority communities. The plan supports Indigenous narrative sovereignty and environmental, social and ethical sustainability,” the NFB said in a Monday press release.
In terms of shaping the NFB for next generations, the NFB’s three-year plan includes the following goals: an energized staff and “a dynamic new generation of Canadian and Indigenous storytellers who are equipped with the skills, knowledge and support needed to create fresh, impactful work, leading to a richer national audiovisual landscape”; more youthful and modern cultural narratives, resulting in increased visibility of Indigenous and underrepresented voices and stories; and enhanced engagement with younger generations and new Canadians.
To foster creativity and innovation, the NFB plan outlines the following goals and outcomes: filmmakers and storytellers “inspired and empowered to contribute to Canadian and Indigenous culture with bold, boundary-pushing works”; energized and confident staff equipped with the knowledge, talent and tools to succeed in the future; continued leadership in supporting animation and documentary filmmaking communities; and a resurgence of archival-based stories, “reimagined in innovative ways, that connect the past with the present and inspire future generations.”
The NFB’s goals for elevating awareness of and esteem for the organization include: a “clearer and more cohesive NFB identity that resonates with diverse publics, resulting in stronger audience loyalty, increased content accessibility and broader social and cultural impact”; elevated public recognition and understanding of its purpose, leading to greater engagement, expanded audience reach and enhanced public support for its initiatives; and stronger partnerships “that lead to increased industry collaborations and initiatives that amplify our impact across Canadian and Indigenous cultural sectors.”
Furthermore, in terms of expanding and understanding its audiences, the NFB’s goals include: a more intimate and concrete connection to its audiences, “driven by an informed understanding of who they are and how they live their lives”; an improved ability to produce “original and evocative stories that resonate on a personal level with the public” it serves; a contemporary collection of inclusive programming that reflects and celebrates the full spectrum of Canadian diversity; a younger and more diverse NFB audience “with a meaningful and lasting connection to the NFB in the digital space”; and enhanced public support, higher awareness and greater anticipation for the NFB’s animation and documentary films, including a community of followers who actively share and champion its work.
“Our 2025-2028 Strategic Plan speaks to our determination to tell bold, authentic, courageous stories that invite Canadians to see, listen, question and connect,” Guèvremont said in the NFB’s press release. “This is our collective call to action — to creators, audiences and communities everywhere. In this moment of uncertainty, the role of inspiring and meaningful storytelling has never been more important as a means of protecting and ensuring the survival of our cultural sovereignty and identity. In a world searching for clarity and meaning, the NFB will always be here, crafting essential stories that matter, for a Canada ready to imagine what comes next.”
The NFB’s 2025-2028 strategic plan is the result of multi-month process that included consultations, discussions and surveys conducted with the industry and NFB collaborators, including filmmakers and cultural organizations, the NFB said.
“The plan strengthens the NFB’s dual purpose: to promote, preserve and reflect the Canadian sense of self while also serving as a galvanizing force for the country’s creative community, who hail from all backgrounds, generations and regions,” the NFB’s press release said.
Image courtesy of the National Film Board of Canada
