The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is shuttering its interactive studios in Montreal and Vancouver.

The organization announced the studio closures on Monday (Jan. 22), with a total of 14 full-time positions to be eliminated as a result.

In a statement, NFB commissioner Suzanne Guèvremont said the organization “would have to at least double the studios’ current budgets in order to properly fulfill their mandate.”

“Instead, we’ve chosen to reinvest in production and innovation, to explore new initiatives that will serve production as well as distribution and audience engagement,” she continued.

The NFB will reinvest $3.5 million toward other ventures, with $1.5 million earmarked for animation and documentary production, and $2 million dedicated to a new initiative to enhance production and distribution tools, and boost audience engagement. Roughly six new positions will be created through the reinvestments, according to a news release.

The new initiatives will be co-led by executive producers Louis-Richard Tremblay and Rob McLaughlin, reporting to Richard Cormier, director general of creation, distribution and marketing and chief programming officer.

“This approach is critical if we want to remain at the forefront of the industry’s evolution,” said Cormier. “We will connect with the needs of all branches within the NFB, to try new things, adapt and, ultimately, benefit from the most promising ideas as they emerge.”

When asked about the impact the interactive closure will have on current projects in development and production, McLaughin and Tremblay told Playback Daily that they “will be discussing the implications of the decision with the respective teams in the coming days and making decisions about their future on a case-by-case basis.”

The NFB launched its interactive division in 2009, with McLaughlin and Hugues Sweeney at the helm. More than 200 works were produced with over 500 artists in that time, with projects including Terril Caldwell’s Meneath: The Mirrors of Ethics, Ahnahktsipiitaa’s virtual reality title This Is Not a Ceremony, and augmented reality docuseries Fortune.

“Now, the baton has been passed to the private sector, which has produced many high-profile projects,” read the announcement. “The NFB, in other words, has fulfilled its mission.”

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