The Moving Past website creates the opportunity to see what was being seen in the 1920s, with a focus on work and industry. The fifteen films available on the website are from 4 to 15 minutes long and present varying types of workplaces and industry. They were made by two government sponsored institutions, the Ontario Motion Picture Bureau, which operated from 1917 to 1934 and the Canadian Government Motion Picture Bureau, was which was created in 1918 and operated until the late 1930s. Several are documentaries about industries such logging, mining and fishing. Others are more didactic, providing guidance on appropriate workplace behaviour, workplace safety, looking for employment and the marvels of emerging technologies in the 1920s.
These films will be of interest to labour historians and students. The website includes a bibliography and description for each of the films.