Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 13, 2026

Derek May

Derek May (1932–1992) was a Canadian animation, dramatic and documentary film director who worked primarily for the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). Originally a painter, his first film with the NFB was the 1966 experimental short, Angel. His documentary work often focused on the role of the artist in society. His other credits include collaborating the Donald Brittain on the narration for Helicopter Canada.

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Jun 13, 2026
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Derek May (1932–1992) was a Canadian animation, dramatic and documentary film director who worked primarily for the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). Originally a painter, his first film with the NFB was the 1966 experimental short, Angel. His documentary work often focused on the role of the artist in society.1234 His other credits include collaborating the Donald Brittain on the narration for Helicopter Canada.5

Partial filmography

  • Angel (1966)
  • Helicopter Canada (1966) (narration)
  • Niagara Falls (1967)
  • McBus (1969)
  • Sananguagat: Inuit Masterworks (1974), a documentary on Inuit artworks that coincided with a national exhibition of the Canadian Eskimo Arts Council.
  • Pandora (1971)
  • Off the Wall (1981), a 55-minute documentary on the Toronto art scene
  • Krzysztof Wodiczkoi: Projections (1991), on the artist of the same name
References

References

  1. Rist, Peter (2001). Guide to the Cinema(s) of Canada. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 142. ISBN 978-0-313-29931-5. Retrieved 25 February 2017. DEREK MAY. Born 1932, London, England; died 1992. Director, editor, art director, painter. Though not as prolific a filmmaker as many NFB directors, Derek May produced a body of work that garnered wide respect. [...] and the lifestyle of the artists in relationship to their work and society, in Off the Wall and Knysztof Wodiczko: Projections
  2. Ryan, Terry (27 September 1969). "Derek May: a cosmic weatherman". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  3. Evans, Gary (1991). "André Lamy: Controlled by Events". In the national interest : a chronicle of the National Film Board of Canada from 1949 to 1989 (Repr. ed.). Toronto: University of Toronto Press. pp. 233. ISBN 0802068332.
  4. Daudelin, Robert (October 1986). "Derek May : L'École de Brighton". Copie Zéro (in French). 30 (Le documentaire : vers de nouvelles voies).
  5. Evans, Gary. p. 122
External links