David Bairstow (1921–1985) was a Canadian producer and director and one of the most prolific filmmakers at the National Film Board of Canada.

Over the course of his career, he made 200 films, notably the critically-acclaimed Morning on the Lièvre (1961) as well as Royal Journey (1951) and Grierson (1973), both of which won the BAFTA Award for Best Documentary.

Early life David Steele Bairstow was born in Toronto in 1921, the only child of William Bairstow and Florence Steele, both of whom were immigrants—William from England, Florence from the United States. Bairstow successfully competed to attend University of Toronto Schools, and then went to University College, Toronto, graduating with an Honours degree in Sociology in 1944. In university, he was a member of the Sociology Club and the Historical Club, and was keenly interested in the arts. He was the Literary Director of the University College Literary and Athletic Society, through which he wrote and produced plays and musicals. He was a member of the Glee Club, the Music Club, the Victoria College Bob Committee and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. In 1946, he moved to Ottawa and joined the National Film Board of Canada.

Career Bairstow was placed in the NFB’s storied Studio B, where his first film, Safe Clothing, was an award-winning comedic short film about the importance of wearing appropriate clothing. He moved through the 1940s with a long list of documentaries, and then spent 1951 through 1957 making scientific films, and training films and sponsored documentaries involving the Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Canadian Navy.

In the early 1960s, Bairstow became very interested in environmental issues. He believed that humans inadvertently disturb the environment when they try to control it. But as to solving the problem of pollution, he agreed with the government’s solutions; just after making Morning on the Lièvre, Bairstow made a film about the 'national disgrace' that was the heavily-polluted Ottawa River. In River with a Problem (1961), he and director Graham Parker proposed that state experts and scientists should solve the problems of the past. Their position was that government funding, specialist knowledge and waste management were vital to restoring the balance of nature, and that economic growth was not incompatible with environmental protection.

Bairstow’s views, and those of colleagues such as Parker and Larry Gosnell, though slightly different, had a tremendous impact on how nature was represented in NFB cinema. The approach became more sophisticated and journalistic, as interviews about the effects of pollution became spontaneous, and cinematographers equipped with lightweight gear could record instances of ecological destruction at a moment’s notice. In some cases, the camera mimicked the perspective of wildlife. These filmmakers often went off-script, looking at the root causes of environmental destruction without the blessing of the government or sponsors. Poison, Pests, and People (1960), illustrated that uses of nature, and solutions for pollution, had to be addressed based on individual communities, an approach that was new at the time.

In the mid-1960s, Bairstow worked with Laurence Hyde to produce a 13-film series on the traditional Inuit way of life, using footage of the Netsilik people of Pelly Bay, Nunavut to illustrate the tales told by Tuktu, a fictional elder.

In 1970, Bairstow spent a year producing films for the Australian Commonwealth Film Unit. Upon his return, now as Executive Producer of Studio B, he created the board’s Multiculturalism Program, which was seen as an innovative response to discursive racism and a way of increasing racial diversity among the NFB’s films. Some of the films to come out of this program are The People of the Book (Felix Lazarus, 1973), Kaszuby (André Herman, 1975), I've Never Walked the Steppes (Jerry Krepakevich 1975), Seven Shades of Pale (Les Rose, 1975), a 1977 trilogy from Beverly Shaffer—Gurdeep Singh Bains, Kevin Alec and Veronica, and three 1977 films from Albert Kish: Bekevar Jubilee, Our Street Was Paved with Gold, and Hold the Ketchup.

Bairstow also produced Who Were the Ones?, a Challenge for Change film directed by Mike Kanentakeron Mitchell for the NFB’s Indian Film Crew. His last two films, Tomorrow Is Too Late and the award-winning Oceans of Science were about fisheries depletion and species survival.

Bairstow retired in 1974 and died in Montreal in 1985. He was survived by his wife Frances and two sons.

Filmography

National Film Board of Canada

Safe Clothing - short film, 1946 - editor, director Building for Tomorrow - documentary short 1947 - director Abitibi - documentary short 1949 - director Valley of Gold - documentary short 1949 - director Gentleman Jekyll and Driver Hyde - documentary short 1950 - director Holiday at Waskesiu - documentary short 1950 - director Cadet Holiday - documentary short, 1951 - writer, co-director with Robert Humble and Douglas Wilkinson Shawinigan - documentary short 1951 - writer, director Royal Canadian Army Cadets - documentary short 1951 - co-director with Douglas Wilkinson Royal Journey - documentary 1951 - co-director with Gudrun Parker and Roger Blais Wings for N. A. T. O. - documentary short 1951 - director Powertown Story - documentary short 1952 - writer, director Horizons of Quebec - documentary short, Raymond Garceau 1952 - editor Eye Witness No. 40: Port of Flowing Grain, Surgery Is Safe, Home-Made Community, 1952 - producer, director Eye Witness No. 41: Sabres at the Ready, Midnight Sculptors, Montreal Crime Lab, 1952 - writer, producer, co-director with Thomas Farley Eye Witness No. 42: Royal Canadian 27th Infantry Brigade in Germany - documentary short, 1952 - writer, producer, director Eye Witness No. 43: School Safety Patrol, Gil Netters, Canadien in Paris, 1952 - writer, producer, director Eye Witness No. 44: Whittlers' Village, Flying Farmer, Children’s Hospital, 1952 - writer, producer, director Eye Witness No. 45: Laval Keeps Up, Northern Lakes Luxury Crop, Allied Airmen, 1952 - writer, producer, director Eye Witness No. 46: Gadget Ship, Canadian Soldiers See Normandy, Maple Leaf Gardens, 1952 - producer, director Eye Witness No. 47: WHO Clinic, Campus Home, Bush Plane, 1952 - producer, director Eye Witness No. 48: Mail Order, Sentinel in the Gulf, School for Test Pilots 1953 - director Eye Witness No. 49: Backstage Artists, Bird Man, Looms That Crossed the Sea, 1953 - producer, director Eye Witness No. 50: Glass Makers, Return of the Beaver, Uranium City, 1953 - producer, director Eye Witness No. 51: Royal Ontario Museum, R.C.A.F. Wilderness Survival, Overseas Friends, 1953 - writer, producer, director Eye Witness No. 52: Next Year's Newsprint, Moppet Models, Jean Palardy and Hector Lemieux 1953 - writer, producer Eye Witness No. 53: Immigrants from Holland, Grant McLean 1953 - producer Eye Witness No. 54: Little League, An Auto a Minute, A Railroad Goes to Sea, Daryl Duke, Felix Lazarus and Jack Long 1953 - producer Eye Witness No. 55: Indian Canoe Experts, Low-Cost College, Five-Pin Grey Cup, Stephen Greenlees, Gordon Burwash and John Foster 1953 - writer, producer Eye Witness No. 56: Scottish Shepherd, Outdoor Classrooms, Canadians Help Arab Farmers, Hector Lemieux, Ron Weyman and Grant McLean 1953 - producer Eye Witness No. 57: Light Plane Armada, Canada's Vegetable Garden, Julian Biggs and Grant McLean 1953 - producer Eye Witness No. 58: U.N.'s Problem Refugees, Tractor Train Through Northern Wilderness, Ron Weyman and Grant McLean 1953 - writer, producer Eye Witness No. 59: Bridging the Gap, Ancient Art; Modern Sport, Northern Wilderness, V.O.N., 1953 - producer, director Eye Witness No. 60: Tomorrow's Officers, This Unseen World, Prehistoric Alberta, 1953 - producer, director Eye Witness No. 61: R.C.A.F. on the Mosell, New NATO Brigade, 1954 - writer, producer, director Eye Witness No. 62: All-Girl Chorus, New Supply Ship d'Iberville, 1954 - writer, producer, co-director with Hector Lemieux Eye Witness No. 63: Veteran Steamer, Inside Story of a Lady's Mink Coat, Jack Long and Walford Hewitson 1954 - producer Dues and the Union - documentary short 1953 - director Highlights from Royal Journey - documentary short 1953 - co-director with Gudrun Parker and Roger Blais Aircrew - documentary short, Thomas Farley 1954 - executive producer Aviation Fuel Handling - documentary short 1954 - producer, director Basic Rescue No. 1 - Five Basic Knots - training film 1954 - co-producer and -director with Julian Biggs Basic Rescue No. 2 - The Use of Levers - training film 1954 - co-producer and -director with Julian Biggs Basic Rescue No. 3 - The Use of Jacks - training film 1954 - co-producer and -director with Julian Biggs Basic Rescue No. 4 - The Single Ladder - training film 1954 - co-producer and -director with Julian Biggs Basic Rescue No. 5 - The Extension Ladder - training film 1954 - co-producer and -director with Julian Biggs Flying Instruction Technique - training film, Thomas Farley 1954 - executive producer More Dollars in the Pasture - documentary short 1954 - producer, director Harvest in the Valley - documentary short, Larry Gosnell 1955 - executive producer Hybrid Corn - documentary short, Larry Gosnell 1955 - executive producer Raising the Hogs the Market Wants - documentary short, Julian Biggs 1955 - executive producer Anti-submarine Mortar Mark 10 - documentary short, Don Mulholland 1955 - producer The Automatic Radio Compass, Part I - documentary short, Frank Spiller 1955 - executive producer Daily Inspection Procedures for the T33 - documentary short 1955 - producer, director Early Handling of Spinal Injuries - documentary short, Walford Hewitson 1955 - producer First Aid for Aircrew - training film, Walford Hewitson 1955 - producer Navy Goes North - documentary short 1955 - producer, director Operation Eclipse II - documentary short 1955 - producer Road of Iron - documentary short, Walford Hewitson 1955 - producer Supply Depot to Flight Line - training film, Alvin Goldman 1955 - executive producer Prepare for Advancement - training film, William Davidson 1955 - executive producer Air Survey - documentary short 1956 - producer, director Chemical Conquest - documentary short, Larry Gosnell 1956 - executive producer The Flight Commander - training film, Thomas Farley 1956 - executive producer Crash Rescue and Fire Fighting - training film, Fergus McDonell 1956 - producer Emergency Rescue - T33 Jet Aircraft - training film, Terence Macartney-Filgate 1956 - producer Fish Spoilage Control - animated short 1956 - producer Gyro Steering - training film 1956 - producer H Bomb - documentary short 1956 - producer, director An Introduction to the Radio Range - training film, Frank Spiller 1956 - executive producer Methods of Instruction - training film Fergus McDonell 1956 - producer Arrival - short film, Donald Ginsberg 1957 - producer Aural Null - documentary short, Michael Birch and René Jodoin 1957 - producer The Automatic Radio Compass, Part II - training film, Michael Birch and René Jodoin 1957 - executive producer Battalion Intelligence Section - documentary short, Walford Hewitson 1957 - executive producer Mapping for Defence - documentary short, Lawrence Cherry and Michael Birch 1957 - executive producer The Standard Range Approach - training film, Michael Birch and René Jodoin 1957 - executive producer Coming to Single Anchor - training film 1957 - producer, director Aye Follow Your Own - short film, Julian Biggs 1957 - producer Birth of a Giant - documentary short Hugh O'Connor 1957 - producer Call it ... Rehabilitation - documentary short, Ernest Reid 1957 - producer First Adventure - documentary short 1957 - producer, director Flagged for Action - documentary short, Fergus McDonell 1957 - producer