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Over at the new National Film Board site* (see note below) you can watch full-length NFB documentaries, animations and dramas online. They have a number of educational resources up already. It is an amazing resource for teachers, students and people who like to learn things by watching films.

Here is an oldie-but-goodie to get you started:

A Chairy Tale by Claude Jutra and Norman McLaren, 1957, 9 min 54 s.

In this Oscar-nominated short film, a chair, animated by Evelyn Lambart, refuses to be sat upon, forcing a young man ...
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In this Oscar-nominated short film, a chair, animated by Evelyn Lambart, refuses to be sat upon, forcing a young man to perform a sort of dance with the chair. The musical accompaniment is by Ravi Shankar and Chatur Lal. This virtuoso film is the result of a collaboration between Norman McLaren and Claude Jutra.

*Okay NFB... here's a little glitch. I just checked into the cafe on my desktop computer which is older (2005) than the laptop upon which I viewed the video. I cannot see the video without the latest version of the flash player. I cannot download the latest version of the flash player because I am using OS 10.39 instead of OS 10.4. I cannot upgrade to 10.4 without installing more RAM and paying about $200 for the upgrade. Aaaargh! Planned obsolescence sux! And actually it seems to be a major glitch if your most excellent content is only available to people who can upgrade their computers the recommended every 5 years. Most literacy workers, learners and programs do not fall into that category.

I just mentioned this to NFB via twitter ... we'll see what they say.

I did find out that many NFB shorts are available on You Tube as well and that the NFB is NOT going to request that they be removed. A Chairy Tale is there:

But, of course many school boards and other institutions block You Tube. But of course there are You Tube workarounds .. and round and round we go.