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Section II: Analysis of Program Activities by Strategic Outcome

 

Strategic Outcome

In pursuing its mandate, the National Film Board aims to achieve the following strategic outcome:

Canadian stories and perspectives are reflected in audiovisual media and accessible to Canadians and the world.

The NFB achieves this strategic outcome through two main program activities: Audiovisual production and Accessibility and audience engagement. By producing relevant, bold and innovative audiovisual works, the NFB contributes to a better understanding of our country and the world beyond. The NFB uses new technologies to facilitate and broaden access to its own and its partners’ works in both official languages for Canadians in all parts of Canada, while consolidating Canada’s presence in the digital environment through its world-renowned brand.

 

Program Activity: Audiovisual Production

Program Activity Description

This program activity contributes to Canadians’ understanding of the issues facing our country and raises awareness of Canadian viewpoints around the world. As a public sector producer, the NFB produces original audiovisual works that reflect diverse Canadian perspectives, including cultural, regional and Aboriginal, and emanate from the diverse creators and communities that make up the country. This program activity operates where the private sector does not, allowing creators to explore artistic and technological advances in form and content. It also ensures the identification, development and nurturing of talent and creative skills within filmmaking and other creative communities. NFB programming is necessary to ensure that Canadians have access to diverse voices and content in both official languages. It promotes Canadian culture and values in events of national historic and cultural significance. As Canadians’ media consumption migrates online, the NFB provides leadership in the creation of innovative digital content in both official languages. Production activities include the conceptualization, research, development and production of documentaries, animation films, new media content and other emerging forms.

Financial resources ($ thousands)
2012-13 2013-14 2014-15
40,755 40,755 40,755

 

Human resources (Full-time equivalent – FTE)
2012-13 2013-14 2014-15
245 245 245

 

Program Activity Expected Results Performance Indicators Targets
The NFB's audiovisual works are innovative.
 
Emerging and established Canadian creators at the NFB reflect Canada's diversity.
 
Events of historic and cultural significance promoting Canadian culture and values include NFB participation.
Percentage of Canadian public that perceives the NFB as an innovative, creative institution 65%( innovative) by March 31, 2015
75% (creative) by March 31, 2015
Percentage of prestige awards and tributes among total number of awards earned at Canadian and International festivals (i.e. innovation related awards, creative excellence awards, tributes, Canada award for diversity) 15% (i.e. Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, Webby, Annecy, TIFF, etc...) by March 31, 2014
Percentage of completed audiovisual works by emerging filmmakers
Criteria for emerging: 1st, 2nd and 3rd film
23% by March 31, 2014
Numbers of emerging filmmakers working on a film at the NFB or participating in NFB organized talent-nurturing initiatives, including competitions 110 by March 31, 2014
Percentage of completed audio-visual works by culturally, regionally and linguistically diverse filmmakers, Aboriginal filmmakers and people with disabilities 51% by March 31, 2014
Number of productions for major national and international projects 13 by March 31, 2014

 

Planning Highlights

The NFB plays an active role in finding and cultivating talent, mentoring and developing creative artists, among both emerging and established filmmakers. As part of its commitment to young filmmakers, the NFB will develop and launch new training projects in the Far North for emerging filmmakers and artists from Nunavut, the Yukon and northern Ontario, in cooperation with a number of local partners. To support initiatives to develop professional audiovisual expertise in Aboriginal communities, the NFB will pursue its partnership with the First Nations Education Centre (FNEC) by establishing the Tewekan Vision Aboriginal production centre.

The NFB works with leading developers and artists to create productions that take a highly original point of view on the world or society. Again this year, the NFB will test the boundaries of both content and form by using new tools and technologies and by exploring other platforms to present its works. This year’s programming will feature a particularly large number of POV animated productions. Original projects such as Circa 1948 by well-known artist Stan Douglas, a mobile app for visiting a Vancouver neighbourhood that no longer exists, and Theodore Ushev’s 3D animated film Gloria, Victoria will be launched over the course of the year.

The NFB also plays a crucial role in marking the major changes and events taking place in Canadian society and in making sure they find an echo with all Canadians. In 2012–2013, the NFB will focus on some significant historic events, such as the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, which it will commemorate by creating a three-film souvenir DVD set that will include a new production, Hubert Davis’s The Portrait. The NFB will launch an educational interactive project on the bicentennial of the War of 1812, a decisive moment in Canada’s history. It will also produce a film commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Royal 22e Régiment, which has played a key role in integrating French-speaking Canadians into the country’s armed forces.

As part of its three-year action plan to promote French and enhance the visibility of the NFB’s French-language audiovisual heritage nationally and in French-speaking communities, the NFB will unveil a multiplatform project at the French Language World Forum, to be held in Quebec City in July 2012. The purpose of the project is to create an interactive mosaic of the expression of emotions across the French-speaking world that emphasizes the vitality of the language. In partnership with the University of Moncton, the NFB will also launch the interactive work Ta parole est en jeu, which highlights the colourful variations of French across Canada.

The NFB will continue to seek out new partnerships with the public and private sectors, in Canada and elsewhere. In cooperation with the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC), it will take part in a multiplatform project titled At Home/Chez soi. It will document the impact this unique research project has on mental health and homelessness by telling the stories of participants in five Canadian cities: Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal and Moncton.

Again this year, some major artists are turning to the NFB to produce works that could not be made elsewhere. Internationally renowned director Robert Lepage is currently working with Pedro Pires on the production of Michelle, Marie et Thomas, a series of three short films illustrating a contemporary urban fresco based on the play Lipsynch. Sarah Polley’s documentary The Stories We Tell, which explores the theme of memory and family stories, will also be released this year.

The NFB will produce works in both official languages that meet educational programming requirements. Andrea Dorfman’s animated film Big Mouth, about differences, will add to the Board’s collection of educational films. The NFB is also currently working on an educational project with the Canadian Space Agency to focus public attention on the November 2012 mission of Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, who will become the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station (ISS).

 

Program Activity: Accessibility and Audience Engagement

Program Activity Description

This program ensures that Canadians and world audiences are able to access, view, discuss and engage with innovative Canadian content that reflects Canadian stories and perspectives. As media consumption migrates online, Canadian content must be made available in all digital and mobile forms. Delivery mechanisms include the distribution, marketing and commercialization of audiovisual works via a diverse catalogue, a well-established stock footage library, the development of diversified markets (i.e. theatrical, television, consumer and institutional) via online and traditional channels in Canada and abroad. These activities make works widely accessible across Canada, notably to underserved and remote communities, Aboriginal and Official language minority communities. NFB’s accessibility and audience engagement activities contribute to dynamic Canadian culture and heritage.

Financial resources ($ thousands)
2012-13 2013-14 2014-15
17,779 17,779 17,779

 

Human resources (Full-time equivalent – FTE)
2012-13 2013-14 2014-15
128 128 128

 

Program Activity Expected Results Performance Indicators Targets
Canadian and international audiences view and engage with NFB works Percentage of Canadian population who say they viewed an NFB production in the last year 30% by March 31, 2015
Total number of views of NFB works 35 million by March 31, 2015
Total number of users by level of engagement (registered or customer4) 100,000 registered and 12,000 customers by March 31, 2015

 

Planning Highlights

Conservation and Preservation

NFB productions, regardless of the work’s original source, are preserved and digitized in order to ensure their permanence and their accessibility to Canadians and the world, now and in future generations. This activity reduces the risks of technological obsolescence, minimizes the effects of time on the media on which works are recorded, and guarantees the physical security of works. Preservation and conservation require suitable tools and systems for identification, management, archiving and restoration. As Canadians’ media consumption migrates online, it is imperative that high quality innovative Canadian content is available to them. Without a concerted conservation and preservation activity, this cultural heritage is at risk of loss.

The NFB’s highly valuable audiovisual collection is currently stored in Montreal in a controlled conservation environment to guarantee its longevity. As specified in the risk analysis, the NFB has developed a conservation plan to safeguard the works and ensure that it will be able to access and use them over the long term. In 2012–2013, the NFB will begin phase one of its conservation plan, which will take three years. During this phase, 76 percent of the assets will be relocated immediately. The second phase will see the digitization or duplication of assets with a view to their relocation, and will take another two years.

At the same time, the NFB is continuing the implementation of its digitization and digital archiving plan. The objectives of this major project are to digitize and preserve its active collection over a seven-year period. As a result of its innovative automation and optimization initiatives, the NFB anticipates that by the end of 2012–2013, close to 30 percent of its works will be accessible on demand thanks to a flexible, dynamic master file.

Consumer Access and Engagement

This sub-activity delivers Canadian audiovisual works to Canadian and international consumers. It exists to allow individual consumers to access and engage with Canadian cultural products that reflect our history and values and that interpret Canada to Canadians and to other nations. In so doing, national and international consumers share in a dynamic Canadian culture and heritage. Delivery mechanisms include the distribution, marketing and commercialization of audiovisual works via a diverse catalogue, the development of diversified markets and channels, i.e. theatrical, television and Internet/mobile and hard goods in Canada and abroad.

To ensure the availability of its works to Canadians, the NFB plans to increase the number of titles offered in its online Screening Room, NFB.ca, and as buyable downloads. During the year, the NFB will be working on payable downloading for iPhone and iPad. In the interests of making ongoing improvements to customer interaction and loyalty, the NFB will develop new functionality on NFB.ca, including creating, storing and sharing film playlists, and adding video on demand.

In 2012–2013, the NFB will create a space called Mémoires ONF (NFB Memory), where users will be able to discover 70 years of history through the landmarks of Canadian filmmaking. Developed by Denys Desjardins and Joanne Robertson, Mémoires ONF (NFB Memory) will also offer videos on NFB artists and their careers, bringing together biographical information about them all in one place. The NFB will also put together two digital box sets for iPad: the collected works of Norman McLaren and Co Hoedeman’s Ludovic series for children.

To increase the distribution and accessibility of its works, the NFB will continue to enter into agreements with content aggregators such as AOL and Sympatico. It will also enter into strategic partnerships with media content and technology companies. Continuing to explore business opportunities, the NFB will work with smart-TV suppliers to develop applications for Web TV.

And finally, an e-cinema facility will open sometime in the next year in the Acadian town of Bathurst, New Brunswick. As part of its strategic plan, the NFB is focusing on digital technologies to enable underserved communities to experience cultural films in their own language.

Educational and institutional access and engagement

This sub-activity enables Canadian and international educational and institutional groups to provide Canadian cultural products and their inherent values to their members and students. It supports the distribution and the use of Canadian audiovisual works and content, which include educational workshops and pedagogical activities to Canadian and international educational and institutional audiences. NFB productions and content must be widely accessible, promoted and distributed to Canadian and international Educational markets (teachers, schools, school boards, colleges, universities and ministries of education), as well as Institutional markets (public libraries, social and health services, community and cultural associations and businesses) to engage Canadian youth and to support their educational activities. Delivery mechanisms include the distribution, marketing and commercialization of audiovisual works via a diverse catalogue, the development of diversified channels, i.e. Internet, mobile and hard goods in Canada and abroad.

In 2012–2013, the NFB will continue to develop and enhance its online educational offering. The NFB has been a trusted source of quality educational resources in both official languages for Canadian students for over 70 years. To respond to teaching trends and needs, educational playlists and study guides will be designed on the following topics: Aboriginal studies, global issues and learning through empathy. As the NFB intends to be the preferred Canadian educational portal for audiovisual and digital works, it will acquire educational films from its Japanese partner, the national broadcaster NHK, to offer a one-stop shop with a vast array of teaching resources on a wide range of subjects.

This year again, the NFB will work with educators from all over the country to develop classroom guides and activities to help teachers use the works from the Campus educational portal. Teachers who subscribe will find specially designed navigation with improved functionality, such as advanced searches by age group and subject. The NFB will also organize virtual classrooms on a variety of different topics that will allow Canadian students to participate in innovative educational experiences based on Canadian content. The NFB will also pursue the development of applications and content that target mobile learning for students and schools equipped with tablets and other mobile devices.

The NFB will kick off phase two of the Inuit audiovisual heritage enhancement project, Unikkausivut: Sharing Our Stories, which includes negotiating partnership agreements with the government authorities of the four Inuit regions. Taking its agreement with the government of Nunavut as a model, the NFB would like to continue dubbing the collection in Inuktitut and help incorporate those films into the Inuit educational system. Over the course of the year, the NFB will negotiate agreements for the collection with various departments of education, culture and Aboriginal affairs across the country, so that the NFB’s Inuit films can be used for educational purposes. During the year, the NFB will engage in networking to promote the Unikkausivut box set at high-profile events, including the International Polar Year 2012 Conference being held in Montreal in April. Furthermore, new works on Inuit culture will be added to the Unikkausivut section of the online Screening Room, which already has over 40 films.

National and International Industry Outreach

Through this sub-activity, the NFB enables the Canadian and international audiovisual industry to participate in the promotion of Canadian culture and heritage via private and public sector partnership. These partnerships facilitate the exchange of knowledge and creativity, foster a close collaboration with industry in major festivals and markets (i.e. MIP, BANFF, Hotdocs, Sunny Side of the doc) through panel discussions, Q&A, competitions, awards, etc.) Activities also include the marketing and promotion of NFB audiovisual works and thematic compilations in major national and international festivals/markets as well as events of significance (such as Oscars nominations, World Expositions, Quebec City’s 400th anniversary), and the marketing and promotion of retrospectives of the NFB and its notable filmmakers (Norman McLaren, Pierre Perrault, Alanis Obomsawin.)

Every year, NFB productions are screened at some 250 major festivals around the world. This year again, the NFB will have films at Berlin, Cannes, TIFF, Hot Docs and many other important festivals.

In the coming year, NFB productions will be increasingly available in public places. For instance, building on the success of the Montreal Identity program, better known as L’Aérogalerie, run by Aéroports de Montréal, the NFB is talking to other Canadian airport authorities about offering works selected for and adapted to their facilities. The NFB is also negotiating with various airlines to extend its In Flight program so that travellers can watch our productions on flights taking off from Canada.

The NFB is currently investing in developing partnerships with Canadian museums so that people all over the country will have access to varied content and unique artistic and cultural experiences. For instance, the NFB is contributing content to a large-scale project on the North at the Canadian Museum of Nature and is involved in several projects under an agreement with the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau. These partnerships may take a number of forms, including screenings, installations, workshops, discussions and co-productions.

To conclude, the NFB will attend the world congress of the Fédération internationale des professeurs de français in Durban, in July 2012, primarily to present CAMPUS, its educational portal.

 

Program Activity: Internal Services

Program Activity Description

Internal Services are groups of related activities and resources that are administered to support the needs of programs and other corporate obligations of an organization. These groups are: Management and Oversight Services; Communications Services; Legal Services; Human Resources Management Services; Financial Management Services; Information Management Services; Information Technology Services; Real Property Services; Material Services; Acquisition Services; and Travel and Other Administrative Services. Internal Services include only those activities and resources that apply across an organization and not to those provided specifically to a program.

Financial resources ($ thousands)
2012-13 2013-14 2014-15
8,248 8,248 8,248

 

Human resources (Full-time equivalent – FTE)
2012-13 2013-14 2014-15
55 55 55

 

Planning Highlights

The NFB’s Internal Services support the achievement of this strategic outcome, as well as two program activities, while at the same time respecting its mandate and vision. The NFB needs to be flexible, efficient and forward-thinking if it is to fulfill its mission. The shift to digital and organizational renewal are top priorities of the five-year strategic plan. Thanks to new management methods and new technologies, the NFB’s administrative structure has been streamlined, so more resources can be allocated to production and in-house digitization.

In the same spirit of sound, responsible management, the NFB will set up working committees to develop, implement and closely monitor the application of government policies and guidelines on departmental security, integrated risk management and information management. After notifying the various teams of the main objectives, the NFB will institute a formal risk analysis process, to be carried out before any new project is undertaken.

Human Resources developed the 2011–2014 Human Resources Strategic Plan out of a desire to meet the NFB’s current and future needs and follow best HR management practices. This strategic plan will be implemented in 2012–2013, supported by an internal communications plan.

Discussions about moving the Montreal office to a more central location are continuing. The next step is to present a business plan laying out funding options and to work with the Treasury Board, Canadian Heritage and Public Works and Government Services Canada to carry out the project.

Management accountability framework
At the NFB, compliance with the government’s sound management requirements is an ongoing process as well as an organizational priority.

In fiscal year 2011–2012, the NFB received the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat’s final evaluation report as part of Round VIII of the Management Accountability Framework (MAF). This year, the NFB will implement its action plan to follow up on suggested improvements and provide sound management in the areas where our performance was highlighted. In an effort to follow best management practices, the NFB will also implement action plans for aspects not assessed and review methods annually for each point of the MAF.

The NFB will start to implement the recommendations and action plans stemming from the evaluations completed in 2011–2012, that is, assessment of the e-cinema pilot project, rights management processes and the online Screening Room, NFB.ca. Throughout the year, the NFB will continue to assess various activities under its 2011–2015 five-year assessment plan.

Performance framework
In 2011–2012, the NFB revised its Management Resources and Results Structure (MRRS) and submitted a final version to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. The strategic planning team presented the NFB’s new Performance Measurement Framework (PMF) at meetings of the operating committee and explained the impacts on each of the organization’s teams. The PMF will be effective and implemented as of 2012–2013.