TORONTO — The National Film Board of Canada on Friday said it has hired Alliance Atlantis Communications executive Cindy Witten as its new head of English-language production.
Witten, most recently vp of content at Alliance-owned-and-operated History Television, will take up her new post as director general, English program on Feb. 25.
She replaces Tom Perlmutter, who in May 2007 was promoted by the NFB to be its chair and government film commissioner.
Witten had held the vp of content post at History Television since 2005. Before that, she completed executive stints at Alliance Atlantis channels including BBC Canada, National Geographic Channel, HGTV Canada and Life Network.
“I’m excited by current directions at the NFB. It’s an incredible opportunity to work in one of the world’s great cultural institutions at a moment when it is clearly setting the pace for innovation in socially relevant documentary, animation and digital content,” Witten said in a statement.
Before joining Alliance Atlantis, Witten worked at the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. as a journalist and producer from 1987 to 1998.
She comes to the NFB after it last week received an Oscar nomination — its 70th — for the animated short “Madame Tutli-Putli,” which was directed by Montreal-based Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski.
