The NFB is committed to respecting your privacy

We use cookies to ensure that our site works efficiently, as well as for advertising purposes.

If you do not wish to have your information used in this way, you can modify your browser settings before continuing your visit.

Learn more
Skip to content Accessibility

Natural Resources (60)

  1. Available in English Options
5 years old
18 years old
  • Another Side of the Forest
    Another Side of the Forest
    Raoul Fox  &  Strowan Robertson 1974 20 min
    This documentary looks at developments in the Canadian forestry industry from the 1970s. Turning a Newfoundland bog into woodland, fostering British Columbia seedlings that withstand mechanical planting, inoculating Ontario elms against the bark beetle, devising ways of controlling fire... these are some of the experiments shown being carried out in laboratories and in the field to protect and conserve the country's vast forests.
  • Across Arctic Ungava
    Across Arctic Ungava
    1949 20 min
    This documentary follows four scientists and their Native guides into the unmapped wilderness of the Ungava Peninsula, in northern Quebec. Crossing this territory in large canoes, they collect samples of Arctic flora and rocks, take readings of soil temperature and record the correct bearings for rivers and lakes en route. The keen excitement of opening a new chapter in Canadian exploration is evident throughout the film.
  • The Back-breaking Leaf
    The Back-breaking Leaf
    Terence Macartney-Filgate 1959 29 min
    Here is a graphic picture of the tobacco harvest in southwestern Ontario. At the end of July, transient field workers move in for a brief bonanza when the plant is ripe. The tobacco harvesters call it "the back-breaking leaf."
  • Battle for the Trees
    Battle for the Trees
    John Edginton 1993 57 min
    This documentary examines the battle strategies of citizens, scientists, loggers, environmentalists and First Nations people who are fighting over the liquidation of public forests and, with it, a way of life.
  • Economics
    Economics
    Philip Eddolls 2020 3 min
    Economist Armine Yalnizyan offers a radically honest and deliciously sweet review of our absurdly dysfunctional economic system and what we must do in order to survive and thrive in the 21st century.
  • Cities
    Cities
    Lillian Chan 2020 3 min
    Designer Bruce Mau views the COVID-19 pandemic as a short-term crisis in a long-term trend toward positive development. He dares us to abandon our toxic lifestyle habits and urges us toward bolder urban design.
  • Chemical Conquest
    Chemical Conquest
    Larry Gosnell 1956 25 min
    A documentary about the chemical research that was used against crop-threatening insects, plant diseases and weeds in the 1950s. The film shows laboratory experiments at a government research station and poses questions about the ultimate effects of toxic substances on food-producing soil.
  • City of Gold
    City of Gold
    Colin Low  &  Wolf Koenig 1957 21 min
    This classic short film from Pierre Berton depicts the Klondike gold rush at its peak, when would-be prospectors struggled through harsh conditions to reach the fabled gold fields over 3000 km north of civilization. Using a collection of still photographs, the film juxtaposes the Dawson City at the height of the gold rush with its bustling taverns and dance halls with the more tranquil Dawson City of the present.
  • Country Threshing
    Country Threshing
    Wolf Koenig 1958 30 min
    This short documentary records the rural sights and sounds of the Chateauguay Valley of Quebec. The day of the big stationary threshing machine is almost over, as the machine is pushed into obscurity by the combine harvester. But there are still parts of Canada where crops are gathered in the old-fashioned way as the men work out in the fields and the women manage the kitchen. This film offers a rare and charming glimpse into mid-20th-century rural and family life in Canada.
  • Canada the Land
    Canada the Land
    We're sorry, this content is not available in your location.
    Rex Tasker  &  Jean-Claude Labrecque 1971 7 min
    Filmed for the most part from a low-flying aircraft, this documentary short presents a breathtaking view of Canada from coast to coast. Showing the varied terrain, from craggy coast to towering glacier, the film illustrates Canada’s pristine wilderness as well as today's industrial and urban realities.

    Canada the Land was specially commissioned for the Canada Pavilion at the Osaka World Fair in 1970.
  • The Chairmaker and the Boys
    The Chairmaker and the Boys
    1959 20 min
    This short fictional film evokes rural life in Cape Breton’s Margaree Valley, with its rich colours, bright sunshine, and crystal-clear streams. The film tells the story of a young boy and his grandfather, a carpenter with a hearing impairment. The young boy frolics joyfully in the rural landscape, but eventually he’ll need to learn a lesson from his grandfather about safety, responsibility, and maturity. The film features original music by Maurice Blackburn, one of Canada’s foremost composers.
  • Danny
    Danny
    We're sorry, this content is not available in your location.
    Justin Simms  &  William D. MacGillivray 2014 1 h 23 min
    Danny Williams was the charismatic and unflinching Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador from 2003 to 2010. By the time he left office, he had become the most popular—and controversial—Canadian politician of his era.

    Laced with humour and revealing back-room anecdotes, Danny is the story of how Williams turned a “have not” into a “have” province. Known as a fighter, Williams famously took on prime ministers and Big Oil to ensure that benefits from the province’s abundant natural resources flowed back to its people. His mantra “no more giveaways” was key to his unprecedented popularity, but pride in his province made Williams a hero to its people.
  • David Suzuki Virtual Classroom: Our Food Systems - Are You Hungry for Change?
    David Suzuki Virtual Classroom: Our Food Systems - Are You Hungry for Change?
    We're sorry, this content is not available in your location.
    Dan Thornhill 2016 1 h 9 min
    The NFB, in partnership with the David Suzuki Foundation and Humber College invite Canadian students to get together—virtually—and talk about the impact that modern food systems might be having on our health, land and food security. Environmentalist and broadcaster Dr. David Suzuki is joined by J.B. MacKinnon, Utcha Sawyers, and Tanya Davis, whose compelling poem appears in the NFB film Island Green, a look at conventional and organic farming on Prince Edward Island. Co-hosted by the NFB, DSF and Humber College, this special event is geared towards high school seniors, student groups and college and university classes.
  • Deserter
    Deserter
    Michel Murray 1991 19 min
    In this short fiction film, the observation satellite Zenon has, on its own, left its assigned orbit and is refusing to send back vital data concerning the Earth's water reserves. Those in charge of the Research Center that sent the satellite up are threatening to destroy this free and intelligent "spirit" if Estelle, the scientist controlling it, cannot make her "friend" see reason.
  • A Day in Forillon
    A Day in Forillon
    Michel Bouchard 1978 7 min
    This short film illustrates a day in the life at Forillon National Park. Situated on the Gaspé peninsula in Quebec, the park offers spectacular views of sea, mountain and forest. A monumental landscape not to be missed. A film without words.
  • Eye Witness No. 15
    Eye Witness No. 15
    1949 11 min
    These vignettes from 1949 cover various aspects of life in Canada and were shown in theatres across the country. Subjects included here are: Man-Made Niagara: the construction of the Des Joachims hydro plant on the Ottawa River adds to Ontario's power resources. Irrigation Revitalizes Dust Bowl: In the southern Alberta drylands, the St. Mary's River is being harnessed to provide life-giving irrigation for prairie crops. Underwater Harvest: Lobster season in New Brunswick provides choice seafoods for epicurean tables.
  • For Future Generations
    For Future Generations
    We're sorry, this content is not available in your location.
    Boyce Richardson 1985 54 min
    This documentary is about the conservation ethic in Canada that led to the national parks systems around the world. Includes interviews with the then-Minister of Natural Resources, Jean Chretien.
  • Foresters
    Foresters
    Werner Aellen 1968 13 min
    This short documentary looks at how modern technology affects the forestry industry and the role of the forester in ensuring the sustainability of this great natural resource. It was in the '60s that people started to realize that the forests did not provide an endless supply of wood, and thanks to recent developments in the science of forestry, people are learning how to manage the resources more effectively.
  • A Friend for Supper
    A Friend for Supper
    Gudrun Bjerring 1944 10 min
    In this short film made during World War II, a teacher explains how children in Russia, China and occupied Europe are going hungry and how Canada is helping to remedy the situation.
  • Fire - Energy
    Fire - Energy
    We're sorry, this content is not available in your location.
    Michel Barbeau 2000 21 min
    This short documentary is about Canada's energy resources: wind, water, sun, oil, uranium and natural gas. The film is part of the TRANSIT series on Canada's geography, which travels from the humid rainforests of British Columbia, to the desert-like badlands of Alberta; from the frosty Arctic where no trees grow, to the fertile farmland of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Region.
  • From Ashes to Forest
    From Ashes to Forest
    Tony Ianzelo 1984 52 min
    Filmed in several of Canada's national parks (including Banff and Wood Buffalo), this feature documentary looks at forest fires versus fire suppression. Sometimes forest fires are essential for plant renewal, healthy growth, soil enrichment and new environments for wildlife.
  • The Forest Watchers
    The Forest Watchers
    Peter Raymont 1975 25 min
    This 1975 documentary examines the challenges faced by the Canadian forestry industry, such as deforestation, pest control and forest fire.
  • The Great Clean-up
    The Great Clean-up
    James Carney 1976 52 min
    This documentary is about pollution in the Great Lakes. To tidy up the biggest body of fresh water in the world is a massive operation. The Great Clean-up documents changes to legislation affecting the emission of industrial pollutants into the environment on both sides of the Canada/U.S. border.
  • The Hole Story
    The Hole Story
    Richard Desjardins  &  Robert Monderie 2011 1 h 19 min
    In this feature documentary, Richard Desjardins and Robert Monderie continue in the same provocative vein as their earlier Forest Alert, this time turning their lens on Canada's mining industry. Using striking images, rare archival footage and interviews, The Hole Story analyzes company profits and the impact of mining on the environment and workers’ health.
  • High Arctic: Life on the Land
    High Arctic: Life on the Land
    Dalton Muir 1958 21 min
    An ecological study of plant and animal life on the Queen Elizabeth Islands in the Canadian Arctic. The film includes profiles of animals such as musk-oxen, lemmings, arctic hares and various forms of plant life.
  • Hand.Line.Cod
    Hand.Line.Cod
    Justin Simms 2016 13 min
    Set in the coldest waters surrounding Newfoundland’s rugged Fogo Island, this short film follows a group of “people of the fish”—traditional fishers who catch cod live by hand, one at a time, by hook and line. Filmmaker Justin Simms takes viewers deep inside the world of these brave fishermen. Travel with them from the early morning hours, spend time on the ocean, and witness the intricacies of a 500-year-old tradition that’s making a comeback.
  • Helicopter Canada
    Helicopter Canada
    We're sorry, this content is not available in your location.
    Eugene Boyko 1966 50 min
    This short documentary offers a narrated tour—from a helicopter—of the ten Canadian provinces in 1966. The result is a big, beautiful and engrossing bird's-eye portrait of the country. Nothing here is quite the same as seen before, even Niagara Falls. Canadians will be thrilled by this panoramic view of familiar territory. This film was produced for international distribution on the occasion of the Canadian centennial.
  • Recycle Paper?
    Recycle Paper?
    Winston Washington Moxam 1999 4 min
    This short film depicts what happens to all that paper we put in our recycling boxes.
  • High Tide in Newfoundland
    High Tide in Newfoundland
    We're sorry, this content is not available in your location.
    Grant McLean 1955 21 min
    This 1950s account of the Newfoundland fishing industry shows equipment and methods of fishing. The film also documents the processing and marketing of fish. A record of the problems confronting fishermen in Newfoundland during the past, it also serves as a comparison with present-day Newfoundland fishing.
  • The Lumberfros
    The Lumberfros
    Stéphanie Lanthier 2010 1 h 11 min
    In Abitibi, hundreds of kilometres from the city, thousands of workers go North, as did Jos Montferrand and François Paradis. Working as brush cutters, these 21st-century lumberjacks discover Quebec's boreal forest. Far from their families, they spend 5 or 6 months a year in logging camps that mirror a new Quebec, those of French-Canadian descent and neo-Quebecers from Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia. All have come to earn a living in the forest. Filmmaker Stéphanie Lanthier invites us to spend an entire season inside this northern micro society. Using a direct cinema technique in the style of Pierre Perrault, she documents the lives of the brush cutters.