Sandra M. Macdonald

Last updated

Sandra M. Macdonald is a Canadian film and television executive. She has also held important administrative positions with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) and the National Film Board of Canada (NFB).

Macdonald was born in Prince Edward Island, and earned degrees in philosophy and communications from St. Francis Xavier University, Prince of Wales College and the University of Ottawa. [1] Following her time at university, she worked as a theatrical producer and designer. [1] She then became a partner in an independent film and television production company. [1]

In the 1980s she worked in various capacities for the Canadian government's Department of Communications, before in 1990 she joined the CRTC as its Director-General of Television. [1] In this position, she was responsible for licensing television stations and dealing with Canadian content regulations. [1] In 1992 she became President of the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA), dealing with government bodies and industry regulators to represent independent production companies in Canada. [1]

In April 1995, Macdonald was appointed as the Government Film Commissioner, the Chairperson of the National Film Board. [2] Following a report by a parliamentary committee into the role of the NFB, delivered in January 1996, Macdonald had to oversee a major restructuring of the NFB. [3] Ancitipating a reduction in the NFB's budget of $20 million over the following three years, Macdonald oversaw the closure of the Board's own in-house sound stage and film laboratory; a move to using freelance film directors rather than NFB staff members; the almost-total abandonment of drama film production, and an overall loss of 180 staff positions. [3] There were also positive artistic moments, however; in 1999 the NFB saw two of its animations, My Grandmother Ironed the King's Shirts and When the Day Breaks , nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. [4] In May 2000, the Association of Professional Executives of the Public Service of Canada presented Macdonald with their Leadership Award for her "revitalization" of the NFB. [5]

Macdonald left the NFB in June 2001. [6] At around this time, the CFTPA presented her with its Jack Chisholm Award, in recognition of her lifetime's achievements in the Canadian film and television industry. [6] In September 2002 she became the President of the Canadian Television Fund, responsible for administering government investment in Canadian television production. [7]

Related Research Articles

National Film Board of Canada Canadas public film and digital media producer and distributor

The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; French: Office national du film du Canada is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and alternative dramas. In total, the NFB has produced over 13,000 productions since its inception, which have won over 5,000 awards. The NFB reports to the Parliament of Canada through the Minister of Canadian Heritage. It has English-language and French-language production branches.

Sydney Newman Canadian film and television producer

Sydney Cecil Newman, OC was a Canadian film and television producer, who played a pioneering role in British television drama from the late 1950s to the late 1960s. After his return to Canada in 1970, Newman was appointed Acting Director of the Broadcast Programs Branch for the Canadian Radio and Television Commission (CRTC) and then head of the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). He also occupied senior positions at the Canadian Film Development Corporation and Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and acted as an advisor to the Secretary of State.

Pierre Juneau,, was a Canadian film and broadcast executive, a one-time member of the Canadian Cabinet, the first chairman of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) and subsequently president of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He is credited with the creation, promotion, and championing of Canadian content requirements for radio and television. Juneau is the namesake of the Juno Awards, which were named for him.

Louis Applebaum

Louis Applebaum, was a Canadian film score composer, administrator, and conductor.

CKLN-FM Former campus and community radio station in Toronto

CKLN-FM was a community radio station based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Alanis Obomsawin

Alanis Obomsawin, is an American Canadian Abenaki filmmaker, singer, artist and activist primarily known for her documentary films. Born in New Hampshire, United States and raised primarily in Quebec, Canada, she has written and directed many National Film Board of Canada documentaries on First Nations issues.

Gerry Rogers is a Canadian politician, a former leader of the Newfoundland and Labrador New Democratic Party (2018-2019), and documentary filmmaker. She served in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly as NDP MHA for the electoral district of St. John’s Centre from 2011 to 2019. She became the party's leader after winning the April 2018 leadership election. She resigned as party leader prior to the 2019 provincial election.

<i>Madame Tutli-Putli</i>

Madame Tutli-Putli is a 2007 stop motion-animated short film by Montreal filmmakers Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, collectively known as Clyde Henry Productions, and produced by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). It is available on the Cinema16: World Short Films DVD and from the NFB.

Tracey Penelope Tekahentakwa Deer is a screenwriter, film director and newspaper publisher based in Kahnawake, Quebec. Deer has written and directed several award-winning documentaries for Rezolution Pictures, an Aboriginal-run film and television production company. In 2008 she was the first Mohawk woman to win a Gemini Award, for her documentary Club Native. Her TV series Mohawk Girls had five seasons from 2014 to 2017. She also founded her own production company for independent short work.

André Lamy was a Canadian film producer, who served as Canada's Government Film Commissioner from 1975 until 1979. In this position he was the Chairman of the National Film Board of Canada (NFB).

Hugh Archibald McPherson, better known as Hugo McPherson, was a Canadian professor, who served as Canada's Government Film Commissioner from 1967 until 1970. In this position he was the Chairman of the National Film Board of Canada.

Grant McLean, CM was a Canadian film director and producer. For most of his professional career he worked with the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), serving as its acting Commissioner for a period during the 1960s.

William Arthur Irwin, often credited as W. Arthur Irwin, was a Canadian journalist and diplomat. He is best known for his work on Maclean's, a magazine with which he held various positions across a quarter of a century. He also served as the Commissioner of the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), and as Canadian high commissioner or ambassador to various countries.

Ross McLean (civil servant)

John Ross McLean, the 11th of 12 children of a Northern Manitoba minister and farmer, was born in the small prairie village of Ethelbert in 1905. He became a Canadian journalist and civil servant. In the latter role he served as the Commissioner of the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) in the 1940s, having previously been instrumental in the foundation of the Board the previous decade.

James de Beaujeu Domville was a French-born Canadian theatrical producer and administrator. In addition to his theatrical work, Domville served in several important Canadian cultural positions, including five years as Commissioner of the National Film Board of Canada (NFB).

François N. Macerola

François N. Macerola was a Canadian lawyer and film executive. He held a number of senior positions with the National Film Board of Canada and Telefilm Canada.

Joan Pennefather is a Canadian film and cultural executive. She was the first woman to be the Commissioner of the National Film Board of Canada (NFB).

Shaw Media

Shaw Media was the television broadcasting division of Shaw Communications. Shaw Media owned the Global Television Network, which broadcasts nationally via 13 television stations, as well as 19 specialty channels including Slice, HGTV Canada, Showcase, Food Network Canada, and History.

Aurélie Resch Canadian writer and filmmaker

Aurélie Resch is an author, travel writer and filmmaker from Toronto, Canada.

Trish Dolman is a Canadian film and television director and producer. She is most noted for her 2017 documentary film Canada in a Day, for which she won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Direction in a Documentary Program at the 6th Canadian Screen Awards in 2018.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Macdonald, Sandra M." National Film Board of Canada. Archived from the original on April 3, 2012. Retrieved February 13, 2010.
  2. ↑ "1995". National Film Board of Canada. Archived from the original on 2009-06-04. Retrieved February 13, 2010.
  3. 1 2 "1996". National Film Board of Canada. Archived from the original on 2009-06-04. Retrieved February 13, 2010.
  4. ↑ "1999". National Film Board of Canada. Archived from the original on 2009-06-04. Retrieved February 13, 2010.
  5. ↑ "2000". National Film Board of Canada. Archived from the original on 2009-06-05. Retrieved February 13, 2010.
  6. 1 2 "2001". National Film Board of Canada. Archived from the original on 2009-06-05. Retrieved February 13, 2010.
  7. ↑ Vamos, Peter (January 19, 2004). "Sandra Macdonald on the record". Playback . Retrieved February 13, 2010.
Cultural offices
Preceded by
Joan Pennefather 		Government Film Commissioner and
Chairperson of the National Film Board of Canada
1995-2001		Succeeded by
Jacques Bensimon
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.