NFB and Firefly Books announce National Film Board of Canada Collection
Expanding on a strong legacy of multi-genre storytelling, the National Film Board of Canada have this week announced their partnership with Firefly Books as the official publisher of the upcoming National Film Board of Canada Collection.
The new series will be adapting titles from the NFB’s film catalogue to print, including their animated films, documentaries and media projects. In the near-eight decades of the NFB’s existence the organisation has produced over 13,000 titles, garnering over 5,000 awards, over 70 Academy Award® nominations and 12 Oscar® wins, and the newly announced collection promises to be “a rich resource for both entertainment and education” and “an exciting opportunity to bring iconic Canadian productions and creators to new audiences worldwide”.
Firefly has been distributing and publishing children’s books since 1980, and this is one of the best developments in our history. We’re proud to be linked to the work of this important institution and the animators, filmmakers, and writers who have so many works and awards to their credit.
-Lionel Koffler, President of Firefly Books
Alongside a new book showcasing the work of photojournalist George Hunter in George Hunter’s Canada, two of the NFB’s most popular Oscar®-nominated animated shorts will be adapted into children’s books – Cordell Barker‘s The Cat Came Back and Torill Kove‘s My Grandmother Ironed the King’s Shirts.
Images courtesy of The NFB
It’s tremendously exciting to see these adaptations of great NFB works. The NFB has always been about telling timeless Canadian stories, in all genres, and for people of all ages—working with some of the country’s finest creative talents. These new Firefly editions will give these visions a bold new life on the printed page, proving that strong, authentic storytelling can work in any and all genres, when handled with passion and care. We look forward to partnering with Firefly to bring new and classic NFB works—capturing the richness, uniqueness and diversity of Canada—to new formats and ever-wider audiences.
-Claude Joli-Cœur, NFB Chairperson
Described as “a timeless classic loved by all ages”, Cordell Barker’s The Cat Came Back won 16 awards on top of its 1989 Academy Award® nomination. Alongside a strong commercial career, Cordell’s other film work includes his first stop-motion endeavour If I Was God… in 2015, 2001’s Strange Invaders (also nominated for an Academy Award®) and the Genie Award-winning Runaway (2009).
My Grandmother Ironed the King’s Shirts by Torill Kove was nominated for an Academy Award® in 2000, subsequently winning 17 other awards. Among Torill Kove’s other work are the short films Me and My Moulton (2014), and the Oscar®-winning The Danish Poet (2006).
Visit nfb.ca and fireflybooks.com for more info