Kate Vollum appointed as NFB Ontario Studio Producer

Executive Producer Chanda Chevannes announced today that Kate Vollum has been hired as Producer at the National Film Board of Canada’s Ontario Studio in Toronto.

Kate’s career with the NFB began in 2007 at the Mediatheque in Toronto, where she gave stop-motion and documentary workshops to school groups. Soon after, she began working as a production coordinator, learning the ropes on many of the Ontario Studio’s most critically acclaimed films, such as Sarah Polley’s Stories We Tell, Charles Officer’s Unarmed Verses and Chelsea McMullan’s My Prairie Home.

As Associate Producer with the Ontario Studio, Kate worked on many innovative projects, including Kat Cizek’s Highrise; Souvenir, a collection directed by Indigenous filmmakers; and the series Otherly, created for Instagram Stories and co-produced with POV Spark.

Most recently, Kate co-produced Ever Deadly, an experimental documentary collaboration between filmmaker Chelsea McMullan and artist/activist Tanya Tagaq, which premiered at TIFF.

As a producer, Kate’s focus and passion is to champion emerging filmmakers, with an eye on films that push form and amplify underrepresented voices.

“I’m thrilled to welcome Kate Vollum as the Ontario Studio’s newest producer. Kate has been a valued member of the NFB team for 16 years, during which time she has contributed to many of the Studio’s most acclaimed and innovative projects. Kate’s vision for her project slate demonstrates her deep commitment to the NFB’s mandate and the Ontario Studio’s priorities. Her passion for championing filmmakers’ voices and her deeply collaborative approach will benefit both the NFB and the wider documentary community. I am grateful to have the opportunity to work alongside Kate in her new role as Producer at the Ontario Studio,” said Chanda Chevannes.

“I am also grateful for the NFB’s producer hiring process, into which a member of the independent film community is invited,” continued Chevannes. “I would like to thank filmmaker Yung Chang for his commitment to this months-long process and for the high level of care and discernment that he brought to it.”

The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is one of the foremost creative centres in the world. As a public producer and distributor of Canadian content, a talent incubator and a lever for Canada’s creative sector, the NFB produces nearly one hundred titles every year—from socially engaged documentaries and auteur animation to groundbreaking interactive works and participatory experiences. It was among the first cultural organizations to make clear commitments to gender parity; to launch an action plan with the goal of supporting Indigenous perspectives; and to establish concrete actions and targets that promote diversity, equity and inclusion. In addition to serving as a reference point around the world for digitization and preservation practices, the NFB ensures the long-term conservation of its works as part of the audiovisual heritage of all Canadians.