Production Line Animals

The Barn is Burning

April 2025 •English

After a devastating fire ravages a milking parlor, a family and its community rally together. This short documentary showcases a journey of resilience, as a family farm rises from the ashes into a new era of cutting-edge robotic technology. The film explores the innovation in modern agriculture, shedding light on the strength of farming communities and the power of perseverance in the face of adversity.

The Seeds of Vandana Shiva

November 2021 •English

How did the willful daughter of a Himalayan forest conservator become Monsanto’s worst nightmare? The Seeds of Vandana Shiva tells the remarkable life story of Gandhian eco-activist Dr. Vandana Shiva, how she stood up to the corporate Goliaths of industrial agriculture, rose to prominence in the regenerative food movement, and inspired an international crusade for change.

Look & See: A Portrait of Wendell Berry

March 2016 •English

A cinematic portrait of farmer and writer Wendell Berry. Through his eyes, we see both the changing landscapes of rural America in the era of industrial agriculture and the redemptive beauty in taking the unworn path.

Older, Stronger, Wiser

January 1989 •English

In this short documentary, five black women talk about their lives in rural and urban Canada between the 1920s and 1950s. What emerges is a unique history of Canada’s black people and the legacy of their community elders. Produced by the NFB’s iconic Studio D.

Seeds of Death: Unveiling the Lies of GMOs

December 2012 •English

This documentary exposes the massive public health dangers of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The film features the world's leading scientists, physicians, professors, politicians, attorneys, and environmental activists who reveal the frightening truth surrounding the vast use of GMOs in our food supply. You'll see the deception and deep layers of corruption being perpetuated against the public at large by the world's largest and most powerful biotechnology companies, chemical companies, agricultural companies, and governments.

Time of the Gifts

February 2010 •French

A documentary investigation of the world of French agriculture today through various testimonials. A world that manages to resist the upheavals that it faces – economic, scientific, social – and which continues, for better or for worse, to maintain the link between generations.

Grain Elevator

January 1981 •English

This documentary short is a visual portrait of “Prairie Sentinels,” the vertical grain elevators that once dotted the Canadian Prairies. Surveying an old diesel elevator’s day-to-day operations, this film is a simple, honest vignette on the distinctive wooden structures that would eventually become a symbol of the Prairie provinces.

Trois frères pour une vie

December 1999 •French

Together, the three Bertrand brothers work their farm in a small Savoyard village. In 1972, they took the enormous risk to invest in the construction of an ultra modern stable for 82 milk cows. With modern organisation, they hoped to lead a better life. Almost 30 years later, the farm is successful. Their work is meticulous and the milk is graded top quality. The human cost is much more sombre. Indeed these thirty years can be summarised in one word : work. The brothers are bachelors and – each one now over sixty years old – a bitterness when they recall their past. The younger brother says it himself: "It's an economic success, but it's a human failure...".

Vesnice na rozcestí

January 1948 •Czech

Víťazstvo na pustatine

January 1949 •Slovak

První žně pětiletky

January 1949 •Czech

ciao Aracà

September 2020 •English

"...a charming depiction of life as I knew it with my grandparents in my own village..." Clara Caleo Green, Cinema Italia UK "The sum of the individual fates and life choices paints a picture, the validity of which extends far beyond this village." Joachim Manzin, Black Box This documentary records the thoughtful and emotional confrontation with time, change, loss and hope related by the members of a small community in the idyllic Ligurian countryside who are dealing with a rapidly changing agricultural industry, transformed by globalisation and technological advances and an increasing number of foreigners buying the empty houses in their village. Forgoing the use of music and voice over, the film lets Aracà's inhabitants tell their own stories and allows the audience to dive into the rich soundscape of the ligurian alpine countryside.

Žně míru

December 1950 •Czech

Documentary about the harvest of 1950 conceived as a celebration of the joint work of Czechoslovak cooperatives.

Družstevníci z Poběžovic

December 1950 •Czech

A film about the work of the unified agricultural cooperative in Poběžovice, which became the winner of the JZD competition in 1950.

Semences : les gardiens de la biodiversité

March 2014 •French

Terres nourricières

February 2020 •French

Fragile Harvest

February 1986 •English

How safe is the future of the world’s food? This documentary explores a growing crisis in world agriculture. Plant breeding has created today’s crops, which are high yielding but vulnerable to disease and insects. To keep crops healthy, breeders tap all the genetic diversity of the world’s food plants. But that rich resource is quickly being wiped out. (NFB)

Slow Food Revolution

Invalid date •English

Speed - the obsession of the modern world - is determining what people should eat and how. Traditional foods are at risk of disappearing forever. An international eco-gastronomic movement known as Slow Food champions the protection of traditional culture, the environment and biodiversity while encouraging regional production, food education and pleasure. For these passionate and dedicated food lovers, sustainability, community and lifestyle are as important as seasonality, quality and taste.

Henry Browne, Farmer

November 1942 •English

Henry Browne, an African American farmer, and his family are profiled in this film. The important job of a farmer during times of war is highlighted, specifically his efforts growing peanuts and cotton. This role is made even more poingnant when they visit the eldest son who is a cadet in the 99th Pursuit Squadron.

Jednotné roľnícke družstvá budujú

December 1950 •Slovak

Document about the achievements of unified agricultural cooperatives in Slovakia. In the form of an excursion, he takes the viewer around individual cooperatives in order to convince him of the success of new working methods in agriculture.