Ottawa—Thursday, October 23, 2008, the U.S. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will highlight the exceptional contribution made by Canada’s National Film Board (NFB) to international cinema. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) is taking the opportunity of the award ceremony to highlight for Canadians the significance of this preeminent Canadian cultural institution.
“If the NFB did not exist, we would have to invent it,” said Paul Moist, CUPE national president. “It is important for Canadians to understand the extraordinary impact the NFB has had on Canadian culture. Imagine, the film board has produced more than 12,000 films in its 65-year lifetime; earned some 5,000 international prizes for Canada and, has received more than 70 Oscar nominations—winning 12.”
CUPE national secretary-treasurer, Claude Généreux remembers that “since its foundation the NFB has always had its finger on the pulse of Canada’s most important social debates. Not only has the film board reflected Canadian discourse and values at any particular time since its creation, but it continues to act as Canada’s collective memory. The award is well deserved and throws incredible light on the artists who have made it shine.”
The tribute event will take place at the William G. McGowan theatre at the National Archives of the United States in Washington, D.C. It was organized in collaboration with the Charles Guggenheim Center for the Documentary Film and the American National Archives Foundation. Sid Ganis, president of the Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences will be in attendance.
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Contact:
Robert Bellerose, CUPE Communications, 514 247-9266 (cell)