Roch Carrier’s The Hockey Sweater and its 1980 adaptation are embedded in Canadian popular culture for their depiction of a young Quebec boy’s humiliation at receiving a Toronto Maple Leaf’s sweater (rather than the Montreal Canadiens jersey he wanted) through the Eaton’s catalogue. The Sweater is just one of the hundreds of films available through the National Film Board of Canada’s (NFB) Online Screening Room.

In 2009, the NFB, the federal cultural agency responsible for producing and distributing public films in Canada, celebrated its 70th anniversary. To honour the anniversary, the NFB has made over 800 full-length films, trailers, and clips available for viewing online. The streaming video content includes animation, documentaries, and drama; the films cover a wide range of topics and dates, from archival footage of the Second World War to Oscar®-winning films from Canadian directors.

The Brock Library has acquired an educational license for the NFB online screening room, which allows for classroom use and public performance rights. These films may be integrated into the classroom to highlight a particular period in Canadian history or a relevant social issue. At the NFB Screening Room, viewers can watch and share individual films through social networking tools, and can share comments. Take a moment to explore this extraordinary collection of films and please send any feedback to Justine Cotton, communications librarian.

Quick link:
The Sweater by Sheldon Cohen