A new book looks back at the NFB's program that gave a platform to the disenfranchised.

Documentary film has a long tradition of exploring social justice issues ranging from segregation and women's rights to, more recently, globalization and environmental degradation. Once, publicly funded institutions played a prominent role in supporting left-leaning grassroots organizations trying to affect change, most notably the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) through numerous and sometimes ground-breaking docs. Often, these films were presented in small, intimate venues where discussion was encouraged afterwards, making the viewing experience interactive rather than passive.

As we enter another new decade, documentary film is undergoing a sea change as digital cross-platform storytelling revolutionizes the traditional linear narrative. No longer the preserve of the auteur, the digital doc is becoming increasingly interactive and radically more inclusive, encouraging filmmaker, subject, and audience to engage in a shared process of discovery and activism.

Bringing welcome historical context to this new age of actuality is Challenge for Change: Activist Documentary at the National Film Board of Canada; a timely chronicle named after the NFB's groundbreaking initiative that supported anti-poverty activist documentaries from 1967 to 1980. Edited by academics Thomas Waugh, Michael Brendan Baker, and Ezra Winton, Challenge for Change tells the story of perhaps the first time that Canada's poor and disenfranchised were given a voice.

Originally intended to bring together documentary filmmakers, community activists, the government, and regular citizens through the film medium, the CFC program provided a platform for disadvantaged groups, including women, minorities, indigenous peoples, and the working poor. Established by the NFB's founder and documentary pioneer, John Grierson, the CFC program attracted many renowned filmmakers including Donald Brittain, Terence McCartney-Filgate, Colin Low, John Kemeny, Peter Pearson, Laura Sky, Peter Katadotis, Kathleen Shannon, and Michel Regnier. Collectively, these and many other talented artists and activists produced over 200 films, beginning with Bill Davies' The 80 Goes to Sparta (1969) – a look at Montreal's politically divided Greek community – and ending with Don Arioli's examination of citizen's rights in You're Under Arrest! (1979).

With a forward by Naomi Klein, whose mother, Bonnie Sherr Klein, was herself a noted NFB contributor (most famously, Not A Love Story), the newly released CFC book is an impressive 500 plus page tome to Grierson's enduring vision and the NFB's critical contribution to raising awareness about social justice issues. A valuable reference work composed of thirty-eight essays written during and after the CFC program, the book features firsthand accounts and critiques from twenty-six authors spanning the fields of filmmaking, journalism, performance, and media studies.

Challenge for Change is divided into five distinct parts, beginning with an overview of the program by Colin Low and followed in part two with a look at the impetus behind the anti-poverty focus that links the films. In part three, the focus shifts to the films and the filmmakers themselves with sixteen essays devoted to analysis of landmark works in this series, including Cree Hunters of Mistassini, Working Mothers, and many more. Part four takes a step back to provide a more theoretical appraisal of the CFC project, its impact, and relevance as documentary ethics and notions of public versus private space and media communication continue to evolve. Concluding in part five, activists Katerina Cizek and Vijaya Mulay discuss how new forms of video-based community activism were developed and refined, based on the CFC experience. Rounding out the volume, the authors also provide a synopsis, production notes, and credits for all 200 CFC films, as well as a comprehensive bibliography and list of contributors. The authors even provide a link to access many of the films at an NFB website.

Challenge for Change provides an invaluable resource for scholars, teachers, students, and anyone interested in learning more about a fascinating period of social activism in Canada. As well, the book makes an excellent film reference, examining the thoughts, ideas, and films of many of Canada's finest documentarians.

During this era of neo-conservative restructuring, the radical voice, once vocal in government institutions like the CBC and the NFB, has fallen silent. The release of Challenge for Change is a dramatic and poignant reminder of what we have lost in transition.