Heritage Minister Bev Oda has promoted National Film Board staffer Tom Perlmutter to the organization's top post.

Oda named Perlmutter — a filmmaker, writer and producer who has served as the NFB's director general of its English program since 2001 — the successor to Jacques Bensimon, who ended his five-year term in December.

Tom Perlmutter has been named the new head of the National Film Board of Canada and government film commissioner.
(NFB)

Perlmutter's new post as NFB chair and government film commissioner begins June 11.

"I am passionate about the National Film Board," he said Thursday in a statement, in which he described the government-funded board as "one of the most vital cultural institutions in the world today."

Perlmutter has extensive experience in the film business, with production credits that include the series Turning Points of History, The Sexual Century, The Body: Inside Stories as well as his work with award-winning documentarian John Walker.

Perlmutter was also the founding head of documentaries at independent film and TV house Barna-Alper Productions and held senior positions with Primitive Entertainment, CineNova Productions and the Alliance for Children and Television. His resume also includes work as a writer and a stint as editor of defunct trade magazine Cinema Canada.

NFB ambassador

During his past six years at the NFB, Perlmutter has represented the venerable film institution across Canada and abroad.

His projects have included boosting new documentary and animation programming, liaising with international partners, encouraging emerging filmmakers and exploring new technologies — like making movies for cellphones and other new platforms.

The NFB "has a unique role to play as a kind of cultural conscience and innovator for Canada," he said.

"I look forward to taking on the challenge and ensuring that the NFB remains a key cultural force for Canadians today and tomorrow."

Founded by an act of Parliament in 1939, the National Film Board produces and distributes documentaries, animation and digital content that tackle international subjects from a Canadian perspective.