Series

Everybody loves a good "how-to" film. Here we've assembled a selection of short films demonstrating how to do everything from getting the centres in chocolates to recycling paper. And as an added bonus, we've included the timeless classic, How to Build an Igloo.

Short, surprising and always entertaining! Watch a collection of one-minute animated shorts from our Hothouse animation apprenticeship program, past and present.

Take an intimate look at the rise of 5 aspiring athletes in Ryan Sidhoo's nine part docu-series that captures the raw emotion of navigating today’s youth basketball machine.

In 1969, Canada passed Bill C-150 into law, which partially decriminalized homosexuality in Canada. Fifty years later, the NFB presents Five@50, a unique collection of five-minute shorts reflecting on contemporary LGBTQ2+ lives and identities. These intimate documentaries range from personal reflection to cultural history, and include experimental forms, animation, and dramatization. When it comes to progress and queer culture, what have we gained? And what have we lost along the way? Featuring films by Michèle Pearson Clarke, Thirza Cuthand, Tiffany Hsiung, Vivek Shraya and Michael V. Smith.

Freedom Road is a five-part documentary series that tells the inspiring story of Shoal Lake 40 Anishinaabe First Nation and their battle to build a road, after their community was forcibly relocated and cut off from the mainland over 100 years ago, so that water could be diverted to the city of Winnipeg.

Based on a French-language comic book, The Great List of Everything features artists Cathon and Iris—two curious, quirky, and imaginative young women.

A must-see documentary series that offers fresh perspectives and a sensitive, hopeful look at environmental challenges through the eyes of some colourful and inspiring characters.

The Lake Winnipeg Project is a four-part documentary series that calls attention to stories of ingenuity and resilience in four diverse communities surrounding Lake Winnipeg, at a time when many external forces are imposing change.

Shot unscripted and unrehearsed, this NFB documentary series for television is a seminal offering in the history of doc filmmaking.

The first NFB series made specifically for television, On the Spot consisted of 15-minute documentary reports (which later ran 30 minutes) on different aspects of life in Canada.

This TV series from the mid-1950s blended documentary and fiction to tell Canadian stories from a Canadian perspective.

Discover the fascinating people and unique places found in the Prairies, as seen in this series of half-hour episodes from the WEST television series.

This documentary television series from 1975 focused the NFB lens on British Columbia and all it had to offer.

Discover this series of classic shorts exploring every facet of Canadian culture and history.

A doc series that shined a light on Canada’s position in the global economy in the late 20th century, especially in relation to its closest neighbour, the United States.

This documentary TV series explored Quebec in the 1970s, focusing on culture and moving beyond an antiquated, folkloric view of the province.

The Alambic collection invites you to experience the unique and stunning vision of a group of emerging filmmakers, in a series of films each under three minutes long. Alambic is an experimental creative lab offering early-career artists the opportunity to craft original visual stories in the space of a few months.

Magical Caresses is a series of animated documentaries by Lori Malépart-Traversy, creator of the popular short film Le clitoris. A skillful blend of humour and confession, these four-minute episodes provide a range of female perspectives, taking a healthy and uninhibited approach to demystifying masturbation. The films’ source material is adapted from intimate accounts published in the Caresses magiques book series written and edited by Sarah Gagnon-Piché and Sara Hébert. Using the tremendous creative freedom afforded by animation, Malépart-Traversy tells these stories from a new angle, crafting a bold and insightful original series about solo sexuality.

The Capital Project is a documentary about the inner workings of an eclectic local music scene, that examines the relationship between music, the artist, and the community. It was inspired by the music scene that has been taking place in the Fredericton, New Brunswick over the last few years. Although small in population, the city is rich in musical talent across a wide range of genres including rock, punk, hip-hop, metal, country, pop, jazz, classical, and everything in-between.

Laurie Rousseau-Nepton is a young, Quebec-born Innu astrophysicist who’s leading a massive research project at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. Drawing on a worldview rooted in a love of nature, as well as her talents as a science communicator, she shares her passion for the study of celestial objects. Ranging from Ashuapmushuan to Wendake, Hawaii and Mont-Mégantic, Laurie’s inspiring journey will leave viewers starry-eyed. North Star is directed by Patrick Bossé. View the study guide.