The NFB has added high-definition and 3D films to its online offerings in another bid to connect with Canadians through their computers. The board, which this time last year posted selections from its library online, has revealed high-definition versions of 26 titles and a handful of 3D shorts, viewable with special glasses.

Munro Ferguson’s Falling in Love Again, a Genie winner from 2003, and Theodore Ushev’s Drux Flux, originally a 2D film, are now online at www.nfb.ca/3d along with Facing Champlain, a special project created to mark the recent 400th anniversary of Quebec City.

The NFB describes the 3D material as an experiment, meant to bring Canadians ‘into the creative workshop,’ according to chairman Tom Perlmutter.

‘It’s a little retro at the moment with the funky glasses,’ Perlmutter said in a statement, ‘but it’s a playroom, it’s the skunk work of testing things out while we figure out how to make this fully part of the NFB online experience.’ Watching the 3D requires a pair of the old-style, blue- and red-tinted glasses, which the board is offering to ship for free around Canada.

The titles now viewable in high-definition (at www.nfb.ca/hd) include Chris Landreth’s Oscar winner Ryan, Cordell Barker’s fan favorite The Cat Came Back and, fittingly, the new media-minded doc RiP: A Remix Manifesto.

The NFB’s recent enthusiasm for the online world was marked late last year by the debut of its much-praised iPhone app. As of mid-January, the free movie viewer had been installed 171,000 times on the portable devices, leading to some 527,000 movie viewings in Canada and around the world.

‘Online is the new public space and as a public institution the NFB has a responsibility to occupy that space,’ said Perlmutter, adding that, henceforth, the board plans to announce ‘major new innovations’ at the start of each year. ‘What we’ve done is only the start.’