NFB Indigenous Action Plan

The complete text of the plan (2017) is available here.

Click here for an overview of Indigenous filmmaking at the NFB (2017).

In 2017, the NFB launched a plan outlining a series of commitments that respond to the work and recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) and Indigenous creators’ longstanding concerns about systemic inequities in the existing Canadian production landscape.

As Canada’s public producer and distributor of documentary, animation and interactive/immersive experiences that reflect Canada and Canadian perspectives to Canadian and global audiences, the NFB has been producing works by First Nations, Métis and Inuit directors since 1968. Today, more than 465 titles by Indigenous filmmakers are available online, free of charge, on the NFB's Indigenous Cinema page. This enduring commitment to working with Indigenous storytellers and making these films broadly accessible to Canadian audiences, as well as the relationships built with Indigenous filmmakers, communities and partners over the course of the years, form the foundation for the NFB’s plan.

Developed in collaboration with an Indigenous advisory group, the plan contains 33 commitments grouped under four main areas:

• Institutional Transformation
• Industry Leadership
• Production
• Distribution, Collection Management and Education

Highlights include a commitment to achieving representational parity in the NFB workforce by 2025; an immediate commitment to ensuring 15 percent of production spending is on Indigenous-directed projects; and a commitment to working with Indigenous partners to develop protocols/guidelines for the production and distribution of works on Indigenous content/themes as well as protocols for access to and reuse of archives.

To implement these commitments, the NFB engages Indigenous organizations and experts in working-group discussions on key areas such as education, production, archives, and treatment of the collection. Our advisory group assists in identifying the appropriate experts and filmmakers to ensure a representative approach (e.g., across the Nations, across the generations, and across the disciplines). This process counts on broad participation by NFB staff in all branches.

Indigenous Advisory Group Members

• Adam Garnet Jones, Director of TV Content and Special Events, APTN
• Monique Manatch, Founder and Executive Director of Indigenous Culture and Media Innovations
• Janine Windolph, Acting Director of Indigenous Arts at Banff Centre Arts and Creativity
• Kendall (Dell) Dyck, Lawyer 
• Meika Ellis, Associate at Ridout & Maybee LLP in Ottawa 
• Danielle Audette, Program Manager for the National Screen Institute and freelance consultant in the film and television industry
• Susan Blight, Interdisciplinary Artist, Chair in Indigenous Visual Culture at OCAD University and Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Arts & Science
• Tom Mcleod, Inuvialuit Storyteller and Co-CEO with Inuit TV
• Donna Cowan, Arts & Culture worker, participant in the Advanced Policy Analyst Program–Indigenous within the federal government
• Daniel Brière, Filmmaker, Teacher at the Kiuna Institution
• Jerri Thrasher, Director, Television Producer with the Inuvialuit Communications Society
• Odile Joannette, Director, Creating, Knowing and Sharing: The Arts and Cultures of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples, Canada Council for the Arts
• Leslie McCue, Arts Facilitator, Performer & Freelancer
• Jessica Lea Fleming, Director, Growth and Inclusion, Canada Media Fund
• Christopher Auchter, Animator & Illustrator
• Geronimo Inutiq, Independent Artist
• Nicolas Renaud, Filmmaker, Editor & Video Installation Artist

NFB Staff

• Alanis Obomsawin, Cultural Attaché, First Nations, and Producer-Director, Quebec & Atlantic Studio
• J’net Ayayqwayaksheelth, Director, Indigenous Relations and Community Engagement
• Coty Savard, Producer, North West Studio
• Victoria Anderson-Gardner, Coordinator, Indigenous Relations and Community Engagement
• Leena Minifie, Marketing Manager
• Amanda Roy, Associate Producer, Quebec & Atlantic Studio
• Chehala Leonard, Producer, North West Studio
• Everett Sokol, Associate Producer, North West Studio
• Mélanie Brière, Producer, Quebec, Canadian Francophonie & Acadian Documentary Studio