Directing

David Bairstow

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Acting credits

Behind the camera

Arrival poster
NR

This drama portrays an immigrant family and the mingled feelings of hope and despair that characterize their life in a strange land. An Italian wife joins her husband in a large Canadian city. After two years in Canada the husband feels his dream of a better life is close to realization, but his wife feels that differences of language and custom are insurmountable. How such feelings are dispelled by simple gestures of friendship from Canadian-born neighbours gives a heartening conclusion to the film.

Arrival

1957

No artwork available
NR

This short fictional film features the picturesque seaside landscape of Prince Edward Island as the setting for a summer romance between a girl from Winnipeg and a young fisherman from North Rustico, PEI. The young couple visits historic and scenic sites such as Government House in Charlottetown and Cavendish, of Green Gables fame. The film is a classic summertime romance and a nostalgic visit to the delightfully sun-soaked PEI of the past.

Island Romance

1957

Morning on the Lièvre poster
9.0

This short film offers a picturesque tour through the maple-wooded hills alongside Québec's Lièvre River in autumn to the accompaniment of acclaimed poet Archibald Lampman’s poem Morning on the Lièvre. Trees are ablaze with colour, and their splendor is reflected in the mirrored surfaces of the water, offering a glimpse of the landscape Lampman knew so well through the poet’s eyes and words. Lampman’s poem is read by broadcaster and poet George Whalley, with accompanying score by composer Eldon Rathburn.

Morning on the Lièvre

1961

Royal Journey poster
7.5

A documentary account of the five-week visit of Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh to Canada and the United States in the fall of 1951. Stops on the royal tour include Québec City, the National War Memorial in Ottawa, the Trenton Air Force Base in Toronto, a performance of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in Regina and visits to Calgary and Edmonton. The royal train crosses the Rockies and makes stops in several small towns. The royal couple boards HMCS Crusader in Vancouver and watches Native dances in Thunderbird Park, Victoria. They are then welcomed to the United States by President Truman. The remainder of the journey includes visits to Montreal, the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, a steel mill in Sydney, Nova Scotia and Portugal Cove, Newfoundland.

Royal Journey

1951

Family of Ghana poster
NR

The story of a fishing family, their daily lives, and the son’s wish for a modern boat

Family of Ghana

1958

No artwork available
7.0

Highlights of the 1951 visit of Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh to Canada and the United States. - NFB

Highlights from Royal Journey

1953

Alexander Mackenzie: The Lord of the North poster
10.0

Filmed on the great Mackenzie River, this short fiction film recreates the amazing voyage of the man who gave his name to it. Following the path outlined in Mackenzie's journal, the film depicts his arduous journey by canoe all the way to the salt water of the Arctic Ocean - one of the great epics of northern exploration.

Alexander Mackenzie: The Lord of the North

1964

Alexander Mackenzie: The Lord of the North poster
10.0

Filmed on the great Mackenzie River, this short fiction film recreates the amazing voyage of the man who gave his name to it. Following the path outlined in Mackenzie's journal, the film depicts his arduous journey by canoe all the way to the salt water of the Arctic Ocean - one of the great epics of northern exploration.

Alexander Mackenzie: The Lord of the North

1964

No artwork available
NR

A BAFTA Special award nominated edition from a Canadian series that illustrates methods of industrial accident prevention.

Accidents Don't Happen - No 5.

1946

No artwork available
9.0

At the microphone with Max Ferguson, radio satirist, as he creates his weekday-morning program. Filmed inside his CBC broadcasting booth, this film watches and records as Max ad-libs his way through zany interpretations of news events. His only script is the morning paper and with it he tilts at humbug with a flair that has made him a national figure.

Max in the Morning

1965

No artwork available
9.0

At the microphone with Max Ferguson, radio satirist, as he creates his weekday-morning program. Filmed inside his CBC broadcasting booth, this film watches and records as Max ad-libs his way through zany interpretations of news events. His only script is the morning paper and with it he tilts at humbug with a flair that has made him a national figure.

Max in the Morning

1965

Gentleman Jekyll and Driver Hyde poster
9.0

This short doc is a novel look at driver safety and the consequences of a change from Jekyll to Hyde behind the wheel of a car.

Gentleman Jekyll and Driver Hyde

1950

The Story of H.M.S. Shannon poster
NR

This animated short describes an incident in the War of 1812. Here, colourful drawings give a satirical twist to the engagement between a British ship, the H.M.S. Shannon, and an American ship, the U.S.S. Chesapeake. Sung to guitar accompaniment by Canadian folksinger Tom Kines.

The Story of H.M.S. Shannon

1958

Accidents Don’t Happen: Safe Clothing poster
NR

Brogan thinks Foreman McCardle has gone clean off his rocker when he has him, Brogan, carted away to the clinic although he’s perfectly well. When Nurse Gilfillan starts to operate - on Brogan’s trailing necktie, baggy-sleeved sweater, cuffed pants and worn-out shoes - horrid tales of workers who had worn similar clothing and been reduced to near-hamburger make everything quite clear.

Accidents Don’t Happen: Safe Clothing

1948

Our Street Was Paved with Gold poster
6.0

Filmmaker Albert Kish revisits Montreal's St Lawrence Boulevard in the '70s. The street, also known as "The Main," is a little Europe with many languages, foods and small courtesies that make a stranger feel at home.

Our Street Was Paved with Gold

1973

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Thus, a City is Born

1951

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Thus, a City is Born

1951

No artwork available
NR

West German soil resounds again to the tread of marching feet and the rumble of armored vehicles--but this time for the preservation of peace. The film presents an eye-witness account of training activities of the Royal Canadian 27th Infantry Brigade stationed at Hanover--Canada's forceful contribution to NATO ground forces for the defense of Western Europe. A sight-seeing tour of German countryside, an intense mock ground attack, and a military parade on Hanover's public square are the main features. Everywhere in the background is the mute eloquence of the last defeated aggression.

Eye Witness No. 42 - Armed Forces Abroad: The 27th Brigade in Germany

1952

No artwork available
7.0

A two-part study of nuclear power with Larry Henderson, skilled observer, analyst and commentator on public affairs as guide. Part 1 shows civilian applications outside Canada. Part 2 shows the history of atomic energy development in Canada, from the outset of World War II to the installations at Chalk River.

The Power of Matter

1960

Fish Spoilage Control poster
9.0

In UPA-esque animation, the NFB entertainingly explains the causes of fish spoilage and the steps required to keep today's catch fresh until it reaches your dining room table.

Fish Spoilage Control

1956