500 Newfoundlanders wound up on the same cruise and it turned into a rocking kitchen party

The old National Film Board of Canada headquarters in Montreal, with its smokestack and beige brick facade, was the very image of a film factory. Until it moved to its new offices in 2019, the NFB had the distinctly nondescript aesthetic of a mid-century institutional building, a simple utilitarian look that contrasted sharply with the imaginations let loose within. Set up in 1939 to produce and distribute original Canadian film content, it kick-started numerous careers, stimulated the development of entire sectors of the industry (notably in animation), and served as an incubator for...