The fonds contains materials relating to Beverly Shaffer's filmmaking career spanning from her earlier education through to her retirement, the bulk of which reflect her time as a salaried director with the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), where Shaffer directed documentary films tackling issues like family relationships, women's rights, disability, and abuse.
The bulk of the fonds comprises research, correspondence, and other materials like scripts and budgets for potential film projects. Materials from shoots underway--including correspondence, schedules, and other related records--as well as post-production records including press releases and educational materials, can also be found in the fonds.
Numerous awards within the fonds, including certificates (textual) and physical awards (objects), reflect Shaffer's successes in film festivals around the world from the 1970s through the 2000s. Notably, a subseries is dedicated to her Oscar win at the 1978 Academy Awards for the Children of Canada series instalment "I'll Find a Way"--including many photographs, newspaper articles, letters of congratulations, and even sound recordings of coworkers' reactions to the win.
The fonds contains copies of most of Shaffer's films, mostly as reels and videotapes but including several DVDs. This includes the Children of Jerusalem and Children of Canada series, as well as many other documentary short films directed by Shaffer and footage of several interviews. Numerous photographs of cast and crew during and after filming--in the form of prints, slides, and negatives--can also be found in the fonds.
