NFB and Radio-Canada announce stock footage partnership

NFB.ca/images (http://www.nfb.ca/images) to add 2,000 hours of Radio-Canada footage by 2011

MONTREAL, April 12 /CNW Telbec/ - The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and Radio-Canada will join forces to showcase over 2,000 hours of new stock footage online at NFB IMAGES (http://www.nfb.ca/images), the NFB's web destination for stock footage professionals.

NFB IMAGES clients will begin to notice big changes starting this fall, with the arrival of 500 hours of Radio-Canada footage. There will be 2,000 hours of Radio-Canada footage on http://www.nfb.ca/images by 2011.

With today's announcement, these two public organizations are pooling their resources to ensure that filmmakers and their audiences have unparalleled access to the audiovisual history of Canada and Quebec, including a vast selection of francophone stock footage.

"When we started NFB IMAGES in 2008, our goal was to use the latest online technology to give filmmakers greater access to the best of Canada's images, as selected from the NFB's archives. Along the way, we've added partner archives and improved the site - but nothing matches the significance of this new partnership. The addition of Radio-Canada's archives will make NFB IMAGES an even more indispensible destination for film professionals. We are delighted to extend the ways in which we are working with Radio-Canada." said Tom Perlmutter, Government Film Commissioner and Chairperson of the National Film Board of Canada.

"Radio-Canada has always been aware of its critical role as an instrument of democracy and French-language culture, a role it continues to fulfill on a daily basis. In this spirit, public television has tended its archives with the utmost care. The NFB's Images website is ideal for showcasing these invaluable documents; it puts our collective memory within reach of journalists, filmmakers, and designers. Radio-Canada is proud to contribute to this effort," said Radio-Canada Executive Vice President Sylvain Lafrance.

Today's announcement covers a wealth of archival material dating back to Radio-Canada's creation in 1952, including one-of-a-kind footage about Canada and the world from Radio-Canada's news and public affairs departments, as well as iconic dramas and cultural and variety programming that have played a key role in reflecting and defining French-Canadian and Quebec culture for over 60 years.

This new material joins over 1,000 hours of NFB footage already online, including almost 200 hours of High Definition footage, rare images from Canada's past and a wealth of contemporary footage. It's also the latest addition to the NFB's growing list of international partnerships in high-quality film and video archives, which already includes the National Geographic and Gaumont-Pathé archives in Canada as well as high definition footage from independent productions.

Launched two years ago, NFB IMAGES gives researchers, producers, directors and editors the power to view, edit and share stock footage from a century's worth of cinema - all online. Advanced research tools make finding the shots easier than ever; free downloads allow immediate offline editing. A bilingual team of stock footage experts is also available to help filmmakers meet tight deadlines, providing superb research assistance and rights clearance support.

About Radio-Canada

Radio-Canada, the public television network of French-speaking Canadians since 1952, offers quality programming, most of it produced in Canada. Its schedule includes newscasts and current affairs programs, original drama series, cultural series, variety shows, youth programs, prestigious sporting events, and programs focused on areas such as the agri-food system, science and spirituality. Radio-Canada plays a key cultural role by producing or supporting the production of numerous drama series showcasing local talent, and by making a tangible contribution to French-language film production in Canada. www.Radio-Canada.ca

About the NFB

Canada's public film producer and distributor, the National Film Board of Canada creates social-issue documentaries, auteur animation, alternative drama and digital content that provide the world with a unique Canadian perspective. The NFB is expanding the vocabulary of 21st-century cinema and breaking new ground in form and content through community filmmaking projects, cross-platform media, programs for emerging filmmakers, stereoscopic animation - and more. It works in collaboration with creative filmmakers and co-producers in every region of Canada, with Aboriginal and culturally diverse communities, as well as partners around the world. Since the NFB's founding in 1939, it has created over 13,000 productions and won over 5,000 awards, including 12 Oscars (http://nfb.ca/oscars) and more than 90 Genies. The NFB's new website features over 1,400 productions online, and its iPhone app (http://blog.nfb.ca/2009/10/20/nfb-iphone-app/) has become one of the most popular and talked about downloads. Visit http://nfb.ca/ today and start watching.

For further information: Marc Pichette, Public Relations, Promotions and Partnerships, Société Radio-Canada, [phone], [email protected]; Nadine Viau, NFB publicist, [phone], Cell.: [phone], [email protected]; Source: National Film Board of Canada, Société Radio-Canada