Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Presents 19 NFB Films in Inaugural Program

The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) has been chosen to be part of the inaugural film program at the new Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles, where 19 NFB works will be featured in continuous screenings in the museum's two theatres. Founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, the museum opened its doors on September 22.

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art's film program is an open-door presentation that celebrates cinema as both a powerful vehicle for storytelling and a groundbreaking technology for creating moving visual experiences.

'We are grateful for the partnership with the NFB. Their immense catalogue and ongoing support of independent filmmakers is deeply important to the history and practice of moving image art. The Lucas Museum film program shares in their mission to celebrate experimentation and innovation in cinema and has been enriched through the inclusion of so many important titles from their holdings,' said Ryan Linkof, Lucas Museum Senior Curator and Head of Film Programs.

'We're thrilled that the Museum has chosen to feature the National Film Board of Canada in its inaugural film program. For 87 years, the NFB has advanced the art and technology of cinematic storytelling, giving creators a unique space for experimentation and risk-taking. Its works have had a profound impact on audiences in Canada and around the world—including, I know, a young USC film student named George Lucas. Today, the NFB continues to inspire emerging filmmakers while working with a new generation of creators whose stories reflect the rich diversity of Canadian experiences—reminding us that our differences are a source of strength and that the stories we share can bring us together,' said Suzanne Guèvremont, Government Film Commissioner and Chairperson of the National Film Board of Canada.

Spanning nearly seven decades, from 1941 to 2009, the selection of NFB titles includes 15 animated films, three documentaries and an experimental film. Together, the works reflect the NFB's enduring contribution to cinema, from early classics by Norman McLaren and Evelyn Lambart to more recent acclaimed works by Martine Chartrand, Christopher Hinton and Theodore Ushev.

Among the NFB highlights are McLaren's Academy Award–winning Neighbours; Begone Dull Care, co-directed by McLaren and Evelyn Lambart; Ishu Patel's Bead Game; Martine Chartrand's Golden Bear–winning Black Soul; Arthur Lipsett's influential experimental film 21-87; Jean-Claude Labrecque's 60 Cycles; and Theodore Ushev's Tower Bawher.

In Martin Lavut's NFB documentary Remembering Arthur, available to stream on NFB, museum co-founder George Lucas describes the profound influence of Arthur Lipsett and 21-87 on his own legendary body of work.

Tickets are on sale for visits from opening day through February 2027 at lucasmuseum.org.

Complete list of NFB films at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

21-87 (1963), Arthur Lipsett

60 Cycles (1965), Jean-Claude Labrecque

Around Is Around (1951), Norman McLaren assisted by Evelyn Lambart

Bead Game (1977), Ishu Patel

Begone Dull Care (1949), Norman McLaren and Evelyn Lambart

Black Soul (2000), Martine Chartrand

Blinkity Blank (1955), Norman McLaren

Boogie-Doodle (1941), Norman McLaren

Carried Away (1985), Vonnie Von Helmolt and Alan Pakarnyk

A Chairy Tale (1957), Norman McLaren and Claude Jutra

cNote (2004), Christopher Hinton

Dancers of the Grass (2009), Melanie Jackson

Epilogue (1971), William Pettigrew

Gathering Storm (2003), David Rimmer

How Wings Are Attached to the Backs of Angels (1996), Craig Welch

Jeu (2006), Georges Schwizgebel

Metadata (1971), Peter Foldès

Neighbours (1952), Norman McLaren

Tower Bawher (2005), Theodore Ushev

About the National Film Board of Canada

Internationally renowned for its diverse storytelling and innovative techniques, the NFB is a one-of-a-kind producer, co-producer and distributor of engaging, relevant and innovative works of cinema. This excellence has been recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, with NFB productions garnering 79 Oscar nominations and winning 12 Oscars—including this year's Oscar-winning animated short The Girl Who Cried Pearls. In 1989, the NFB also received an Honorary Academy Award for 'overall excellence in cinema.' To date, the NFB has produced more than 14,000 works, 7,000 of which can be streamed free of charge at nfb.ca.

About the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

George Lucas and Mellody Hobson co-founded the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art to honour the universal tradition of telling stories through images. Encompassing everything from prehistoric cave paintings to today's screen art, the Museum explores and celebrates the power of visual storytelling to inspire individuals, give shape to beliefs and ideals, and forge community. Built in Los Angeles's Exposition Park, the Museum is housed in a 300,000-square-foot building designed by Ma Yansong of MAD with Stantec to embody the emotional power of narrative art, creating a sense of wonder, possibility, and connection to something larger than ourselves. The building is integrated into a new 11-acre campus including a park designed by Mia Lehrer of Studio-MLA: a green, multilayered gathering place for local communities and an extraordinary programming resource that brings learning and engagement outdoors.

Photo Credit: Iwan Baan and Hufton Crow (Courtesy of Lucas Museum of Narrative Art)