The founding philosophy is alive and well at NIFCO - in fact original members still actively participate in guiding the organization and the spirit of mentorship is integrated into all of its programs.

The Newfoundland Independent Filmmakers Co-operative [NIFCO] is an artist-run centre whose core mandate is to ensure that the means of media arts production are available to both established and developing media artists working in the province. Traditionally this mandate has included artists working in other disciplines who wish to incorporate media arts into their current practice.

 

​NIFCO was formed in 1975 by a group of filmmakers with the founding philosophy of providing the means of creation and providing a gathering space where artists can share experiences and inspire new work.

 

They incorporated as a co-operative and started begging and borrowing basic 16mm production and editing equipment - basically, other people's cast-off's. By 1980 they scraped together a down payment on a three-story attached house and NIFCO moved downtown to its present location.

 

The co-op now houses a post-production facility and production equipment for its programs.  NIFCO members have now produced over 300 films, ranging from short animations to feature length dramas, television series and documentaries.

 

The success of NIFCO has ensured that Newfoundlanders & Labradorians have full access to the tools and expertise needed to produce independent media art.