Sandra M. Macdonald is a Canadian film and television executive. She has also held important administrative positions with the

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC; french: Conseil de la radiodiffusion et des télécommunications canadiennes, links=) is a public organization in Canada with mandate as a regulatory agency for broadcasti ...

(CRTC) and the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). Macdonald was born in Prince Edward Island, and earned degrees in philosophy and communications from St. Francis Xavier University,

Prince of Wales College Prince of Wales College (PWC) is a former university college, which was located in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. PWC merged with St. Dunstan's University in 1969 to form the University of Prince Edward Island. PWC traces its hist ...

and the University of Ottawa. Following her time at university, she worked as a theatrical producer and designer. She then became a partner in an independent film and television production company. In the 1980s she worked in various capacities for the Canadian government's Department of Communications, before in 1990 she joined the CRTC as its Director-General of Television. In this position, she was responsible for licensing television stations and dealing with Canadian content regulations. In 1992 she became President of the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA), dealing with government bodies and industry regulators to represent independent production companies in Canada. In April 1995, Macdonald was appointed as the Government Film Commissioner, the Chairperson of the National Film Board. Following a report by a parliamentary committee into the role of the NFB, delivered in January 1996, Macdonald had to oversee a major restructuring of the NFB. Ancitipating a reduction in the NFB's budget of $20 million over the following three years, Macdonald oversaw the closure of the Board's own in-house sound stage and film laboratory; a move to using

freelance ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

s rather than NFB staff members; the almost-total abandonment of drama film production, and an overall loss of 180 staff positions. There were also positive artistic moments, however; in 1999 the NFB saw two of its

animation Animation is a method by which image, still figures are manipulated to appear as Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent cel, celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited ...

s, ''

My Grandmother Ironed the King's Shirts ''My Grandmother Ironed the King's Shirts'' is a 1999 animated short by Torill Kove. Co-produced by Marcy Page of the National Film Board of Canada and Lars Tømmerbakke of Studio Magica in Norway, the film humorously recounts a tall tale about ...

'' and '' When the Day Breaks'', nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. In May 2000, the Association of Professional Executives of the Public Service of Canada presented Macdonald with their Leadership Award for her "revitalization" of the NFB. Macdonald left the NFB in June 2001. At around this time, the CFTPA presented her with its Jack Chisholm Award, in recognition of her lifetime's achievements in the Canadian film and television industry. In September 2002 she became the President of the Canadian Television Fund, responsible for administering government investment in Canadian television production.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonald, Sandra M. People from Prince Edward Island St. Francis Xavier University alumni University of Ottawa alumni Government Film Commissioners and Chairpersons of the National Film Board of Canada Living people Year of birth missing (living people)