2024-04-11 20:38:23
The National Film Board (NFB) quietly announced new layoffs last week. In total, this federal agency will have eliminated around 15% of its workforce since December. Management says it wants to save money in order to reinvest directly in the production of documentaries and animated films. However, employees fear that the NFB will soon lack the means to carry out its mission.
“The NFB says that the most recent cuts will allow an additional five million to be added to production to do more and better. We think it’s window dressing. We cannot do more and better when the people who make production possible are no longer there, because we are laying them off,” laments Olivier Lamothe, president of the local section of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
CUPE organized a demonstration on Thursday in front of the NFB headquarters in Montreal to protest against this restructuring. Around a hundred demonstrators gathered there, including employees of the NFB, but also other professionals from the cinema sector.
Last week, a few dozen NFB employees across the country received a layoff notice for the beginning of May. These cuts are in addition to those already implemented last December and January, when the office announced the closure of its interactive studios. Since the end of last year, a total of 83 positions have been eliminated. At the same time, the ONF prides itself on creating 29 new ones, to, among other things, replace those abolished. Laid-off employees have priority to apply. Overall, the fact remains that the organization will have 54 fewer employees, which represents approximately 15% of its staff.
“Our objective in doing this is to give ourselves the means to add value to the productions we produce. For example, for certain projects, it may mean improving the photo direction, putting more money into distribution to attract young people. In short, we want creators to reach the maximum of their creative potential,” reiterated NFB communications director Lily Robert in an interview with Le Devoir on Thursday.
A mission in danger?
Funded by the federal government, the National Film Board’s mission is to produce cinematographic works on more niche subjects, which are often not of interest to private production companies. These are essentially documentaries and animated films on different Canadian and Indigenous realities, among others.
The NFB also has a mandate to give young directors a chance. Renowned filmmakers — Denis Villeneuve, Denys Arcand, Pierre Falardeau — made films for the NFB in their early days. Since its founding in 1939, the office has received 78 Oscar nominations.
“We are not saying that the ONF is dramatically changing its nature. But it is said that its mission may be in danger with the cuts. Among other things, we fear that there will be more and more subcontracting to the private sector; it has already started,” warns Olivier Lamothe, from CUPE.
Other ONF employees and collaborators expressed the same fears to Le Devoir on condition of anonymity. They are outraged, among other things, that the Education section, which produces content for educational purposes, is directly targeted by the recent cuts. Virtually all employees intended for the production of educational materials were in fact informed that their position was going to be eliminated, even if their task is in line with the mission of the NFB.
“The education component remains important for the NFB,” said the director of communications, Lily Robert. “But it was necessary to carry out this restructuring, because we are changing our model. Before, people had to pay to access our educational content. But now, our offer will be free in order to be more accessible. We need to rethink our ways of doing things. Yes, that requires abolishing positions. But we will also create others,” she adds.
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