John Grierson
Biography
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.
Personal Details
Also Known As
Movies (49)
The New Generation
Producer (Production)
2025
A Return to Memory
as Self (archive sound)
2024
Documenting John Grierson
2014
Creative Process: Norman McLaren
as Self
1990
Grierson
as Self (archive footage)
1973
I Remember, I Remember
1968
Health of a City
Associate Producer (Production)
1965
Heart of Scotland
Treatment (Crew)
1962
Seawards the Great Ships
Screenplay (Writing)
1960
John Grierson
as Himself
1959
Rivers at Work
as Narrator
1958
Devil on Horseback
Producer (Production)
1954
The Oracle
Executive Producer (Production)
1953
Man of Africa
Producer (Production)
1953
Miss Robin Hood
Executive Producer (Production)
1952
The Brave Don't Cry
Executive Producer (Production)
1952
You're Only Young Twice!
Executive Producer (Production)
1952
Four Men in Prison
Producer (Production)
1950
The Face of Scotland
as John Knox (voice)
1938
North Sea
Executive Producer (Production)
1938
The Smoke Menace
Producer (Production)
1937
Trade Tattoo
Producer (Production)
1937
A Job in a Million
Producer (Production)
1937
Daily Round
Producer (Production)
1937
Children at School
Producer (Production)
1937
Night Mail
as Commentary
1936
On the Fishing Banks of Skye
as Narrator
1935
A Colour Box
Producer (Production)
1935
BBC: The Voice of Britain
Producer (Production)
1935
Coal Face
Producer (Production)
1935
Droitwich: The World's Most Modern Long Wave Transmitter
Producer (Production)
1935
The Song of Ceylon
Producer (Production)
1934
Granton Trawler
Director of Photography (Camera)
1934
Weather Forecast
Producer (Production)
1934
6.30 Collection
Producer (Production)
1934
Post-Haste
Producer (Production)
1934
Cable Ship
Producer (Production)
1933
The Coming of the Dial
Producer (Production)
1933
Spring on the Farm
Producer (Production)
1933
O'er Hill and Dale
Producer (Production)
1932
Upstream
Producer (Production)
1932
Industrial Britain
Producer (Production)
1931
Herlock Sholmes in Be-a-Live-Crook
Director (Directing)
1930
Tom Mixup
Director (Directing)
1930
Kuster Beaton
Director (Directing)
1930
Kerri Cheertum in Jungle-Tungle
Director (Directing)
1930
Our Dumb Friend
Director (Directing)
1930
Conquest
Producer (Production)
1930
Drifters
Editor (Editing)
1929