Lunchtime Film Series: Shameless Propaganda (2014)

(72 min | Distributed by the National Film Board of Canada )

What happens when film is used not just to document history—but to shape it?

Shameless Propaganda takes a fascinating look at Canada’s documentary tradition, often considered a defining national art form. Created in celebration of the NFB’s 75th anniversary, filmmaker Robert Lower explores one of the most ambitious propaganda efforts in Canadian history, spanning the years 1939 to 1945.

During this time, founding NFB Commissioner John Grierson viewed documentary film as a powerful tool—a “hammer to shape society.” Drawing exclusively from over 500 films and archival images produced by the NFB during this era, Lower pieces together a portrait of the Canada these films aimed to create.

The result is a thought-provoking journey that reflects not only how Canadians once saw themselves, but how those images continue to influence the country we know today. By turns insightful, entertaining, and unexpectedly unsettling, Shameless Propaganda challenges viewers to reconsider the power of storytelling and media.

The screening takes place in the main gallery at Eptek Art & Culture Centre, located at 130 Heather Moyse Drive on the Summerside waterfront, next to the Harbourfront Theatre.

Film admission is free
Gallery admission by donation (suggested $5)