Discover Hairy Legs: Andrea Dorfman’s warm and witty animated short now streaming free on NFB platforms
PRESS RELEASE
10/11/2025
November 10, 2025 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
Fresh from a celebrated festival tour with awards from Montreal to L.A., Andrea Dorfman’s National Film Board of Canada (NFB) animated short Hairy Legs is streaming free across NFB platforms in Canada and the U.S. as of today, November 10.
This stop-motion and hand-painted short delivers a hilarious, heartwarming tale of girlhood from the Emmy-nominated filmmaker. Hairy Legs delightfully documents a 13-year-old girl’s small yet life-changing act of rebellion on the road to womanhood and feminism.
About the film
Hairy Legs by Andrea Dorfman (16 min 56 s)
Produced by Liz Cowie and Rohan Fernando for the NFB
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/hairy-legs
- Deciding not to shave her legs as a girl led the Halifax filmmaker to question and ultimately defy society’s expectations.
- With charm, warmth and humour, Hairy Legs captures the universality of girls exploring gender, curiosity and freedom as they evolve from spending exuberant, carefree days on their bicycles to facing and defying stereotypes.
- Through endearing articulated 2D puppets combined with stop-motion and hand-painted animation, Dorfman depicts her own personal journey towards self-expression, non-conformity, kindness and acceptance.
Selected awards and festivals
- Guy L. Coté Grand Prize for Best Animated Film, Sommets du cinéma d’animation, Montreal (2025)
- Best of Annecy, in partnership with Women in Animation (WIA), Animation Is Film Festival, Los Angeles (2025)
- Diversity Award, SPARK Animation Festival, Vancouver (2024)
- Honourable Mention – DGC Award for Best Canadian Animation, Ottawa International Animation Festival (2024)
- Official Selection – Short Films in Official Competition, Annecy International Animation Film Festival (2025)
- Official Selection, DOC NYC, New York City (2024)
- Official Selection, Anima, the Brussels International Animation Film Festival (2025)
About Andrea Dorfman
Halifax filmmaker Andrea Dorfman has written and directed many award-winning documentaries, features and animated films, including the Emmy-nominated Flawed (2010), Big Mouth (2012) and feature doc The Girls of Meru (2018). Dorfman’s video collaborations with poet-musician Tanya Davis, How to Be Alone (2010) and How to Be at Home (2020), became YouTube sensations.
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Version française ici.
Media Relations
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About the NFB
Founded in 1939, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is a one-of-a-kind producer, co-producer and distributor of engaging, relevant and innovative documentary and animated films. As a talent incubator, it is one of the world’s leading creative centres. The NFB has enabled Canadians to tell and hear each other’s stories for over eight decades, and its films are a reliable and accessible educational resource. The NFB is also recognized around the world for its expertise in preservation and conservation, and for its rich and vibrant collection of works, which form a pillar of Canada’s cultural heritage. To date, the NFB has produced more than 14,000 works, 7,000 of which can be streamed free of charge at nfb.ca. The NFB and its productions and co-productions have earned over 7,000 awards, including 11 Oscars and an Honorary Academy Award for overall excellence in cinema.