Richard Cormier departs the NFB

Richard Cormier
The National Film Board of Canada confirmed that Cormier left the organization as of Dec. 10, 2024.

Richard Cormier has departed from his role as director general, programming creation, distribution and markets and head of programming at the National Film Board of Canada (NFB).

Cormier, who had assumed the role from Julie Roy in September 2023, publicly announced his departure via LinkedIn on Monday (Jan. 13).

“A dedicated and solid core of individuals will continue to drive the modernization of the NFB, focusing on innovative distribution strategies and enhancing discoverability,” said Cormier in the post. “As the entire industry is learning the hard way, it’s already a challenge to produce; it’s an even greater one to be viewed.”

The NFB confirmed to Playback Daily Cormier left the organization on Dec. 10, 2024.

“We are grateful for Mr. Cormier’s contributions as director general, programming, creation, distribution and marketing during his time with us and wish him all the best in his future endeavors,” said Lily Robert, the NFB’s director of communications and public affairs. She also confirmed that no decision has been made in filling the role at this point.

Cormier has more than three decades of experience in audiovisual production and post-production and content creation in the U.S. and Canada. Prior to joining the NFB, he spent almost three years at Quebecor’s MELS, including time as VP, creative services and executive producer, virtual production.

For more than three years, Cormier was the head of the content department for Moment Factory and for more than six years, he was the president of RingSide Creative.

In his post, Cormier highlighted some of the accomplishments of the NFB during his tenure. These included a transparent greenlight process for film projects and the launch of an innovation lab. Cormier also discussed the restructuring that allowed the organization to reinvest money in production and the advancement of “a comprehensive programming framework for Canadian filmmakers—a vision I hope will soon come to fruition,” said Cormier.

Near the beginning of Cormier’s tenure in December 2023, the public producer and distributor eliminated two executive producer positions as part of an organizational restructure, letting go of David Christensen and Rohan Fernando.

The following January, the organization shuttered its interactive studios in Vancouver and Montreal to reinvest $3.5 million into other ventures. The reinvestment included roughly $1.5 million for animation and documentary production and $2 million dedicated for a new initiative to enhance production and distribution tools, as well as boost audience engagement.

Most recently, as part of a modernization initiative, the NFB cut 55 staff members across all sectors in April 2024 in order to reallocate $5 million to production budgets for documentary and animation.

Photo by Pierre-Luc Dufour for the NFB