David Bairstow

David Bairstow (1921-1985) was a Canadian producer and director and one of the most prolific filmmakers at the National Film Board of Canada.

Over the course of his career, he made 200 films, notably the critically-acclaimed Morning on the Lièvre (1961) as well as Royal Journey (1951) and Grierson (1973), both of which won the BAFTA Award for Best Documentary.

Early life David Steele Bairstow was born in Toronto in 1921, the only child of William Bairstow and Florence Steele, both of whom were immigrants—William from England, Florence from the United States. Bairstow successfully competed to attend University of Toronto Schools, and then went to University College, Toronto, graduating with an Honours degree in Sociology in 1944. In university, he was a member of the Sociology Club and the Historical Club, and was keenly interested in the arts. He was the Literary Director of the University College Literary and Athletic Society, through which he wrote and produced plays and musicals. He was a member of the Glee Club, the Music Club, the Victoria College Bob Committee and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. In 1946, he moved to Ottawa and joined the National Film Board of Canada.

Career Bairstow was placed in the NFB’s storied Studio B, where his first film, Safe Clothing, was an award-winning comedic short film about the importance of wearing appropriate clothing. He moved through the 1940s with a long list of documentaries, and then spent 1951 through 1957 making scientific films, and training films and sponsored documentaries involving the Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Canadian Navy.

In the early 1960s, Bairstow became very interested in environmental issues. He believed that humans inadvertently disturb the environment when they try to control it. But as to solving the problem of pollution, he agreed with the government’s solutions; just after making Morning on the Lièvre, Bairstow made a film about the 'national disgrace' that was the heavily-polluted Ottawa River. In River with a Problem (1961), he and director Graham Parker proposed that state experts and scientists should solve the problems of the past. Their position was that government funding, specialist knowledge and waste management were vital to restoring the balance of nature, and that economic growth was not incompatible with environmental protection.

Bairstow’s views, and those of colleagues such as Parker and Larry Gosnell, though slightly different, had a tremendous impact on how nature was represented in NFB cinema. The approach became more sophisticated and journalistic, as interviews about the effects of pollution became spontaneous, and cinematographers equipped with lightweight gear could record instances of ecological destruction at a moment’s notice. In some cases, the camera mimicked the perspective of wildlife. These filmmakers often went off-script, looking at the root causes of environmental destruction without the blessing of the government or sponsors. Poison, Pests, and People (1960), illustrated that uses of nature, and solutions for pollution, had to be addressed based on individual communities, an approach that was new at the time.

In the mid-1960s, Bairstow worked with Laurence Hyde to produce a 13-film series on the traditional Inuit way of life, using footage of the Netsilik people of Pelly Bay, Nunavut to illustrate the tales told by Tuktu, a fictional elder.

In 1970, Bairstow spent a year producing films for the Australian Commonwealth Film Unit. Upon his return, now as Executive Producer of Studio B, he created the board’s Multiculturalism Program, which was seen as an innovative response to discursive racism and a way of increasing racial diversity among the NFB’s films. Some of the films to come out of this program are The People of the Book (Felix Lazarus, 1973), Kaszuby (André Herman, 1975), I've Never Walked the Steppes (Jerry Krepakevich 1975), Seven Shades of Pale (Les Rose, 1975), a 1977 trilogy from Beverly Shaffer—Gurdeep Singh Bains, Kevin Alec and Veronica, and three 1977 films from Albert Kish: Bekevar Jubilee, Our Street Was Paved with Gold, and Hold the Ketchup.

Bairstow also produced Who Were the Ones?, a Challenge for Change film directed by Mike Kanentakeron Mitchell for the NFB’s Indian Film Crew. His last two films, Tomorrow Is Too Late and the award-winning Oceans of Science were about fisheries depletion and species survival.

Bairstow retired in 1974 and died in Montreal in 1985. He was survived by his wife Frances and two sons.

Filmography

National Film Board of Canada

Safe Clothing - short film, 1946 - editor, director Building for Tomorrow - documentary short 1947 - director Abitibi - documentary short 1949 - director Valley of Gold - documentary short 1949 - director Gentleman Jekyll and Driver Hyde - documentary short 1950 - director Holiday at Waskesiu - documentary short 1950 - director Cadet Holiday - documentary short, 1951 - writer, co-director with Robert Humble and Douglas Wilkinson Shawinigan - documentary short 1951 - writer, director Royal Canadian Army Cadets - documentary short 1951 - co-director with Douglas Wilkinson Royal Journey - documentary 1951 - co-director with Gudrun Parker and Roger Blais Wings for N. A. T. O. - documentary short 1951 - director Powertown Story - documentary short 1952 - writer, director Horizons of Quebec - documentary short, Raymond Garceau 1952 - editor Eye Witness No. 40: Port of Flowing Grain, Surgery Is Safe, Home-Made Community, 1952 - producer, director Eye Witness No. 41: Sabres at the Ready, Midnight Sculptors, Montreal Crime Lab, 1952 - writer, producer, co-director with Thomas Farley Eye Witness No. 42: Royal Canadian 27th Infantry Brigade in Germany - documentary short, 1952 - writer, producer, director Eye Witness No. 43: School Safety Patrol, Gil Netters, Canadien in Paris, 1952 - writer, producer, director Eye Witness No. 44: Whittlers' Village, Flying Farmer, Children’s Hospital, 1952 - writer, producer, director Eye Witness No. 45: Laval Keeps Up, Northern Lakes Luxury Crop, Allied Airmen, 1952 - writer, producer, director Eye Witness No. 46: Gadget Ship, Canadian Soldiers See Normandy, Maple Leaf Gardens, 1952 - producer, director Eye Witness No. 47: WHO Clinic, Campus Home, Bush Plane, 1952 - producer, director Eye Witness No. 48: Mail Order, Sentinel in the Gulf, School for Test Pilots 1953 - director Eye Witness No. 49: Backstage Artists, Bird Man, Looms That Crossed the Sea, 1953 - producer, director Eye Witness No. 50: Glass Makers, Return of the Beaver, Uranium City, 1953 - producer, director Eye Witness No. 51: Royal Ontario Museum, R.C.A.F. Wilderness Survival, Overseas Friends, 1953 - writer, producer, director Eye Witness No. 52: Next Year's Newsprint, Moppet Models, Jean Palardy and Hector Lemieux 1953 - writer, producer Eye Witness No. 53: Immigrants from Holland, Grant McLean 1953 - producer Eye Witness No. 54: Little League, An Auto a Minute, A Railroad Goes to Sea, Daryl Duke, Felix Lazarus and Jack Long 1953 - producer Eye Witness No. 55: Indian Canoe Experts, Low-Cost College, Five-Pin Grey Cup, Stephen Greenlees, Gordon Burwash and John Foster 1953 - writer, producer Eye Witness No. 56: Scottish Shepherd, Outdoor Classrooms, Canadians Help Arab Farmers, Hector Lemieux, Ron Weyman and Grant McLean 1953 - producer Eye Witness No. 57: Light Plane Armada, Canada's Vegetable Garden, Julian Biggs and Grant McLean 1953 - producer Eye Witness No. 58: U.N.'s Problem Refugees, Tractor Train Through Northern Wilderness, Ron Weyman and Grant McLean 1953 - writer, producer Eye Witness No. 59: Bridging the Gap, Ancient Art; Modern Sport, Northern Wilderness, V.O.N., 1953 - producer, director Eye Witness No. 60: Tomorrow's Officers, This Unseen World, Prehistoric Alberta, 1953 - producer, director Eye Witness No. 61: R.C.A.F. on the Mosell, New NATO Brigade, 1954 - writer, producer, director Eye Witness No. 62: All-Girl Chorus, New Supply Ship d'Iberville, 1954 - writer, producer, co-director with Hector Lemieux Eye Witness No. 63: Veteran Steamer, Inside Story of a Lady's Mink Coat, Jack Long and Walford Hewitson 1954 - producer Dues and the Union - documentary short 1953 - director Highlights from Royal Journey - documentary short 1953 - co-director with Gudrun Parker and Roger Blais Aircrew - documentary short, Thomas Farley 1954 - executive producer Aviation Fuel Handling - documentary short 1954 - producer, director Basic Rescue No. 1 - Five Basic Knots - training film 1954 - co-producer and -director with Julian Biggs Basic Rescue No. 2 - The Use of Levers - training film 1954 - co-producer and -director with Julian Biggs Basic Rescue No. 3 - The Use of Jacks - training film 1954 - co-producer and -director with Julian Biggs Basic Rescue No. 4 - The Single Ladder - training film 1954 - co-producer and -director with Julian Biggs Basic Rescue No. 5 - The Extension Ladder - training film 1954 - co-producer and -director with Julian Biggs Flying Instruction Technique - training film, Thomas Farley 1954 - executive producer More Dollars in the Pasture - documentary short 1954 - producer, director Harvest in the Valley - documentary short, Larry Gosnell 1955 - executive producer Hybrid Corn - documentary short, Larry Gosnell 1955 - executive producer Raising the Hogs the Market Wants - documentary short, Julian Biggs 1955 - executive producer Anti-submarine Mortar Mark 10 - documentary short, Don Mulholland 1955 - producer The Automatic Radio Compass, Part I - documentary short, Frank Spiller 1955 - executive producer Daily Inspection Procedures for the T33 - documentary short 1955 - producer, director Early Handling of Spinal Injuries - documentary short, Walford Hewitson 1955 - producer First Aid for Aircrew - training film, Walford Hewitson 1955 - producer Navy Goes North - documentary short 1955 - producer, director Operation Eclipse II - documentary short 1955 - producer Road of Iron - documentary short, Walford Hewitson 1955 - producer Supply Depot to Flight Line - training film, Alvin Goldman 1955 - executive producer Prepare for Advancement - training film, William Davidson 1955 - executive producer Air Survey - documentary short 1956 - producer, director Chemical Conquest - documentary short, Larry Gosnell 1956 - executive producer The Flight Commander - training film, Thomas Farley 1956 - executive producer Crash Rescue and Fire Fighting - training film, Fergus McDonell 1956 - producer Emergency Rescue - T33 Jet Aircraft - training film, Terence Macartney-Filgate 1956 - producer Fish Spoilage Control - animated short 1956 - producer Gyro Steering - training film 1956 - producer H Bomb - documentary short 1956 - producer, director An Introduction to the Radio Range - training film, Frank Spiller 1956 - executive producer Methods of Instruction - training film Fergus McDonell 1956 - producer Arrival - short film, Donald Ginsberg 1957 - producer Aural Null - documentary short, Michael Birch and René Jodoin 1957 - producer The Automatic Radio Compass, Part II - training film, Michael Birch and René Jodoin 1957 - executive producer Battalion Intelligence Section - documentary short, Walford Hewitson 1957 - executive producer Mapping for Defence - documentary short, Lawrence Cherry and Michael Birch 1957 - executive producer The Standard Range Approach - training film, Michael Birch and René Jodoin 1957 - executive producer Coming to Single Anchor - training film 1957 - producer, director Aye Follow Your Own - short film, Julian Biggs 1957 - producer Birth of a Giant - documentary short Hugh O'Connor 1957 - producer Call it ... Rehabilitation - documentary short, Ernest Reid 1957 - producer First Adventure - documentary short 1957 - producer, director Flagged for Action - documentary short, Fergus McDonell 1957 - producer Flash Up - St. Laurent Class Ships: Parts 1 and 2 - documentary short 1957 - producer, director Honey Bees and Pollination - documentary short, Larry Gosnell and J.V. Durden 1957 - co-producer with Larry Gosnell and J.V. Durden Island Romance - short film, Donald Ginsberg 1957 - producer A Letter from Oxford - documentary short, Julian Biggs 1957 - producer Log Drive - documentary short, Raymond Garceau 1957 - producer Pierrot in Montreal - documentary short, Donald Ginsberg 1957 - producer The Salmon's Struggle for Survival - documentary short Walford Hewitson 1957 - producer Staff of Life - documentary short, Donald Ginsberg 1957 - producer The Two Kingstons - documentary short, Fergus McDonell 1957 - producer Conquest of Cold - documentary, Walford Hewitson 1958 - producer Evidence for the Crown - documentary short, Hugh O'Connor 1958 - producer First Novel - short film, Donald Wilder 1958 - producer The Golden Age - documentary short, Gordon Burwash 1958 - producer Home Landscaping - documentary short, Larry Gosnell 1958 - producer, director Journey from Etsa - documentary short, Julian Biggs 1958 - producer The Legendary Judge - documentary short, Donald Wilder 1958 - producer Men and Automation - documentary short, Donald Fraser 1958 - producer Men and Mechanization - documentary short, Donald Fraser 1958 - producer Neptune Mission - documentary short, Walford Hewitson 1958 - producer Northwest Neighbours - documentary short, Julian Biggs 1958 - producer One Day's Poison - documentary short, Donald Wilder 1958 - producer Ottawa, Canada's Capital - documentary short 1958 - producer, director People of the Peace - documentary short, Julian Biggs 1958 - producer River of Wood - documentary short, Raymond Garceau 1958 - producer School for the Stage - documentary short, Julian Biggs 1958 - producer The Story of H. M. S. Shannon - animated short 1958 - producer, director Student Nurse - documentary short, Donald Ginsberg 1958 - producer Tales out of School - animated short, Hugh O'Connor 1958 - producer The Ticket - documentary short Fergus McDonell 1958 - producer The Editor - short film, Donald Wilder 1958 - producer Train 406 - documentary short, Fergus McDonell 1958 - producer Western Brigade - documentary short, Fergus McDonell 1958 - producer 1,500,000 of Us - documentary short, Julian Biggs 1959 - producer Bacon - documentary short, Grant Crabtree 1959 - producer Canada - World Citizen - documentary short, Julian Biggs 1959 - producer Dykes for Dry Land - documentary short, Donald Wilder 1959 - producer Eternal Children - documentary short, Don Haldane 1959 - producer The Gifted Ones - documentary short, Don Haldane 1959 - producer Grassland Farming - documentary short, Donald Wilder 1959 - executive producer The Inquiring Mind - documentary short 1959 - producer, director The Mine Makers - documentary short, George Bloomfield 1959 - producer The Performer - documentary, Donald Ginsberg 1959 - producer Prairie Bonanza - documentary short, Julian Biggs 1959 - producer Report on Cancer - documentary short, Julian Biggs 1959 - producer Teamwork in Farm Research - documentary short, George Bloomfield 1959 - executive producer U. N. in the Classroom - documentary short Don Haldane 1959 - executive producer Automation - documentary short, Clifford Brown 1960 - producer Life and Radiation - documentary short, Hugh O'Connor 1960 - executive producer Men Against the Ice - documentary short 1960 - producer, director On Prescription Only - documentary short, Julian Biggs 1960 - producer Poisons, Pests and People - documentary short, Larry Gosnell 1960 - producer The Power of Matter - documentary, Graham Parker 1960 - producer Steering North - documentary short 1960 - producer, director This Electronic World - documentary short, Julian Biggs 1960 - producer The First Mile Up - documentary short, 1961 - writer, producer, director A Lake for the Prairie - documentary short, 1961 - writer, producer, director Morning on the Lièvre – short film, 1961 - editor, producer, director On Their Merit - documentary short, Donald Wilder 1961 - writer River with a Problem - documentary short, Graham Parker 1961 - writer, producer Henry Larsen's Northwest Passages - documentary short 1962 - producer, director The Early Journeys of Vilhjalmur Stefansson - documentary short 1963 - producer, director The Later Journeys of Vilhjalmur Stefansson - documentary short 1963 - producer, director Music from Montreal - documentary short 1963 - director Memories and Predictions - documentary short 1963 - producer, director Along Uncharted Shores - documentary short 1964 - producer, director Selections from the Christmas Oratorio by J. S. Bach - documentary short 1964 - director Alexander Mackenzie: The Lord of the North - documentary short 1964 - writer, director Autobiographical by A.M. Klein - documentary short, Richard Notkin 1965 - producer Instant French - short film, 1965 - writer, producer, director Judoka - documentary short, Josef Reeve 1965 - co-producer with Bernard Devlin Max in the Morning - documentary short 1965 - producer, director Long Ways to Go - short film, John Howe 1966 - producer Once upon a Prime Time - short film, Bernard Devlin 1966 - producer The Accessible Arctic - documentary short 1967 - producer, director The North Has Changed - documentary short 1967 - producer, director Tuktu and His Eskimo Dogs - documentary short, Laurence Hyde 1967 - producer Tuktu and His Animal Friends - documentary short, Laurence Hyde 1967 - producer Tuktu and the Big Kayak - documentary short, Laurence Hyde 1967 - producer Tuktu and the Big Seal - documentary short, Laurence Hyde 1967 - producer Tuktu and the Caribou Hunt - documentary short, Laurence Hyde 1967 - producer Tuktu and the Indoor Games - documentary short, Laurence Hyde 1967 - producer Tuktu and the Magic Spear - documentary short, Laurence Hyde 1967 - producer Tuktu and the Snow Palace - documentary short, Laurence Hyde 1967 - producer Tuktu and the Ten Thousand Fishes - documentary short, Laurence Hyde 1967 - producer Tuktu and the Trials of Strength - documentary short, Laurence Hyde 1967 - producer Tuktu and the Clever Hands - documentary short, Laurence Hyde 1967 - producer Tuktu and the Magic Bow - documentary short, Laurence Hyde 1967 - producer Tuktu and His Nice New Clothes - documentary short, Laurence Hyde 1967 - producer Twenty-four Hours in Czechoslovakia - documentary short 1968 - director City Limits - documentary short, Laurence Hyde 1971 - executive producer Total Approach - documentary short, Roger Blais 1971 - executive producer A Little Summermusik - documentary short, Bill Davies 1972 - executive producer Script to Screen - documentary short, Claude Delorme 1972 - co-producer with Daisy De Bellefeuille The Second Arctic Winter Games - documentary short, Dennis Sawyer 1972 - executive producer The Sunny Munchy Crunchy Natural Food Shop - documentary short, Richard Todd 1973 - producer Who Were the Ones? - documentary short, Mike Kanentakeron Mitchell 1972 - executive producer 28° Above Below - documentary short, Bané Jovanovic and Ken Page 1973 - executive producer A Great Little Artist - short film, Martin Defalco 1973 - producer Duty Free - short film, F. Whitman Trecartin 1973 - executive producer Grierson - documentary, Roger Blais 1973 - executive producer Our Street Was Paved with Gold - documentary short, Albert Kish 1973 - producer The People of the Book - documentary short Felix Lazarus 1973 - executive producer Oceans of Science - documentary short, Bané Jovanovic, Douglas Kiefer and Jean-Pierre Lachapelle 1974 - writer, producer Tomorrow Is Too Late - documentary short, Bané Jovanovic, Douglas Kiefer and Don Virgo 1974 - writer, producer

Australian Commonwealth Film Unit Better Pastures, Better Beef - documentary short, Alan Anderson 1970 -producer Paddington Lace - documentary short, Chris McCullough 1970 - producer Marsupials, Naturally - The Numbat - documentary short, John Shaw 1970 - producer Kangaroos - documentary short, John Shaw 1970 - co-producer with Joe Scully Kangaroos - Biography - documentary short, John Shaw 1970 - co-producer with Joe Scully Kangaroos - Varieties - documentary short, John Shaw 1970 - co-producer with Joe Scully Sheltered Workshops - documentary short, Kit Guyatt 1970 - producer Desert Landforms - documentary short, Keith Gow 1970 - producer Australian Geography: Faces of the City - documentary short, Malcolm Smith 1970 - producer Australian Geography: Urban Patterns - documentary short, Arch Nicholson 1970 - producer Australian Geography: Man in the Desert - documentary short, Edwin Moses and Keith Gow 1970 - producer

Awards

Safe Clothing (1946) National Committee on Films for Safety, Chicago: Outstanding Non-Theatrical Motion Picture, 1949

Royal Journey (1951) 6th British Academy Film Awards, London: BAFTA Award for Best Documentary, 1953 4th Canadian Film Awards, Toronto: Best Theatrical Feature, Documentary, 1952

Aircrew (1954) International Sports Film Festival, Cortina d'Ampezzo: Diploma of Honour, 1956

Early Handling of Spinal Injuries (1955) Cleveland International Film Festival, Cleveland, Ohio: Certificate of Merit, Safety, Industrial and General, 1956

First Aid for Aircrew (1955) 8th Canadian Film Awards, Stratford, Ontario: Best Non-Theatrical Film, Government-Sponsored, 1956 National Committee on Films for Safety, Chicago: Bronze Plaque/First Award, Institutional and Occupational, 1957

Road of Iron (1955) Kootenay Film Festival, Nelson, British Columbia: First Prize for Achievement, 1956

Harvest in the Valley (1955) 8th Canadian Film Awards, Stratford, Ontario: Honourable Mention, Non-Theatrical Film, Government-Sponsored, 1956

Fish Spoilage Control (1956) Golden Reel International Film Festival, Film Council of America, New York: Golden Reel, 1957

Log Drive (1957) Rapallo International Film Festival, Rapallo, Italy: Fourth Prize, Art Film, 1958

Flagged for Action (1957) National Committee on Films for Safety, Chicago: Bronze Plaque/First Prize, 1958

The Salmon's Struggle for Survival (1957) Okanagan Film Film Festival, Kelowna: First Prize, Science: 1958

One Day's Poison (1958) 11th Canadian Film Awards, Toronto: Award of Merit, TV Information, 1959

Eternal Children (1959) American Film and Video Festival, New York: Blue Ribbon, 1960 Columbus International Film & Animation Festival, Columbus, Ohio - Chris Statuette, 1960

Morning on the Lièvre (1961) Berlin International Film Festival, Berlin: Silver Bear, 1961 Edinburgh International Film Festival, Edinburgh, Scotland: Diploma of Merit, 1961 14th Canadian Film Awards, Toronto: Best Theatrical Short, 1962 Boston Film Festival, Boston: Award of the Jury "For excellence in successful creative exploration of the film medium", 1962 Columbus International Film & Animation Festival, Columbus, Ohio - Chris Statuette, 1962 Festival of Tourist and Folklore Films, Brussels: Prize of the General Commission of France, 1963

Music from Montreal (1963) Columbus International Film & Animation Festival, Columbus, Ohio - Chris Certificate, Music, 1963

Autobiographical by A.M. Klein (1965) HEMISFILM, San Antonio TX: Honourable Mention - Bronze Plaque, 1968

Tuktu and the Indoor Games (1967) International Children's Film Exhibition, Venice: Silver Medal, 1969

Total Approach (1971) U.S. Industrial Film Festival, Chicago: Certificate of Creative Excellence, 1972

28° Above Below (1973) MIFED , Milan: Diploma and Trophy, 1974

Grierson (1973) 27th British Academy Film Awards, London: BAFTA/Robert Flaherty Award for Best Documentary, 1974 25th Canadian Film Awards, Montreal: Best Documentary (tied), 1973 Festival of World Television, Los Angeles: Best Profile Documentary, 1973 Golden Gate International Film Festival, San Francisco: First Prize, Personality, 1973 Golden Gate International Film Festival, San Francisco: Bronze Reel Award for Third Best Film, 1973 Melbourne Film Festival, Melbourne: Diploma of Merit, 1974

The Sunny Munchy Crunchy Natural Food Shop (1973) International Green Film Week, Berlin, Germany: Diploma of Merit, 1974

Tomorrow Is Too Late (1974) International Professional Fishing Film Festival, Marseille: Silver Fish, 1974

Oceans of Science (1974) International Documentary Film Days on the Environment, Ouistreham Riva-Bella: Honorable Mention, 1976 International Science and Technology Film Contest, Tokyo: Bronze Prize, Higher Education, 1976