John Grierson

John Grierson (1898–1972) was a pioneering Scottish filmmaker and producer who shaped the documentary film movement, earning recognition as the father of British and Canadian documentary cinema. He famously coined the term "documentary" in 1926 and championed the idea that film should serve as a tool for social education and reform. As the driving force behind the British documentary movement, he founded the GPO Film Unit, which produced groundbreaking works like Night Mail (1936), and later played a key role in establishing the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) in 1939, turning it into one of the world's most influential documentary institutions. Grierson’s vision and advocacy for documentary as a vehicle for public service and civic engagement left a lasting legacy on global nonfiction filmmaking.

Known For: Production

Born: Kilmadock, Stirlingshire, Scotland, UK, 1898-04-26

Died: 1972-02-19

No.	Year	Title	Role	Vote Average
1	1935	On the Fishing Banks of Skye	Narrator	0
2	1936	Night Mail	Commentary	61
3	1938	The Face of Scotland	John Knox (voice)	70
4	1958	Rivers at Work	Narrator	0
5	1959	John Grierson	Himself	0
6	1973	Grierson	Self (archive footage)	65
7	1990	Creative Process: Norman McLaren	Self	60
8	2014	Documenting John Grierson		0
9		Hitchcock on Grierson	Self	0
10	1968	I Remember, I Remember		60
11	2024	A Return to Memory	Self (archive sound)	0

John Grierson

Film

Television