By Connie Thiessen
The National Film Board (NFB) has announced it’s undertaking a major modernization initiative that will see 55 employees depart the Crown agency and another 23 new positions created.
NFB says the move is expected to translate into roughly $5 million in savings that can be allocated directly to the production of animated films and documentaries.
“By reorganizing its resources and improving its practices and management tools, the NFB has begun a process that will move it into the future while keeping it aligned with the realities of today’s production and work methods,” the public producer and distributor said, in a statement issued late Thursday.
“For the NFB, continuing to innovate in all of its activities remains a critical goal. Directors will continue to develop their projects in a highly creative environment, and teams will meet with filmmakers and new talent across the country,” the statement continued. “The organization is committed to fulfilling its mission by respecting its commitments to equity, diversity and inclusion, in particular with respect to Indigenous and BPOC communities, as well as official-language minorities.”
Founded in May 1939, the reorganization comes as the organization celebrates its 85th anniversary. NFB previously announced in January that it would be shuttering its Vancouver and Montreal interactive studios to reinvest in production. That resulted in the loss of 14 full-time positions, and the apparent creation of a half-dozen new jobs.
The organization’s budget was for 2023-24 was $76.3 million, with $72 million of that supported by federal funding.
