The National Film Board of Canada, in collaboration with 7th Floor Media at Simon Fraser University, has released an innovative new educational Web space devoted to documentary filmmaking, Documentary Lens.
VANCOUVER April 15, 2005
Documentary Lens features an online library of 86 selected films in both English and French dating from the 1940s to the 1990s as well as supporting materials, such as the original promotional posters that were created for the films. The site includes 50 English and 50 French film excerpts and access to the complete films online. Documentary Lens is designed to help students hone their critical thinking skills while learning the basics of documentary cinema. Detailed teachers' guides and interactive tools encourage students to explore the art of storytelling and documentary making and to think critically about the vision of Canada represented in the films. Interviews with NFB filmmakers allow students a look into the process of creating documentary films and the skills required to bring ideas to the screen.
"The National Film Board has always been a powerful presence in Canadian classrooms" said Noni Mate, co-director of 7th Floor Media, "and 7th Floor Media has a long association with its work, both as teachers and as multimedia developers. The quality and breadth of the NFB collection makes it a tremendous resource for Canadians and we are very proud to have been a part of this initiative."