Film Archives

The National Film Board


The National Film Board (or the NFB) is a great resource for sourcing Canadian films (both documentary and fiction), allowing you to watch much of their collection online, or in the actual mediatheque located at   150 John Street (fairly close to Union Station). The NFB website is very user-friendly, allowing you to search by specific director, title,  or by category. For example, if you were searching for a film by its theme –– say a film on the genocide crisis in Rwanda –– you might first click on "foreign countries"  and then follow divergent categories such as "United Nations" or "Conflict and Civil War," which would bring you to a series of titles on your chosen topic. For my own research, some of the documentaries on Indigenous conflict with white/dominant culture may be of interest, as I might be discussing the politics of Gary McHale's racist projection of victimhood onto the white community of Caledonia during the Six Nations land claims protest.  

One thing that is important to note is that even though the NFB catalogues films made by Canadians, the scope of films archived here is not relegated to this nation alone (as my previous example shows). Thus, like the CBC Digital Archives, the NFB has a wealth of interesting films for those working outside of a Canadian context as well! Another feature that I would like to point out is the ability for viewers to develop their own archive on the website itself by developing a "homepage," to which they can add films and television programs they wish to view.  All that is required is that you submit your email and create a username and password!

N.B. I advise that you look into changing your profile picture... the one the site selected for me was a historical photograph of an Indigenous person (???)



Toronto International Film Festival archive (at the Lightbox)


Another extensive archive of films is located at the TIFF Lightbox, at Peter St. and King. If you haven't had a chance to see a film here, I highly recommend it!

In terms of archival material, TIFF specializes in Canadian directors. It has extensive collections of material from film itself to notes, correspondence, storyboards, and etc. in its Film Reference Library, which is free and accessible to the public. The TIFF also has special collections that can only be accessed by appointment, and sometimes with a fee. These collections include the Deepa Mehta Archive, the David Cronenberg Archive, and the Guy Maddin Archive (as well as many more...)