October 11, 2023 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
This fall, HARVEY, directed by Janice Nadeau and co-produced by the NFB and Folimage, is continuing its successful journey on the United States festival circuit: the New York City Short Film Festival, the Newport Beach Film Festival and the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival have all included the animated short in their official selections. The film is a luminous look at loss and bereavement, seen through the eyes of a child with an overflowing imagination.
HARVEY will be screened on Saturday, October 14, at 1 p.m. in the Big Newport 4 theatre as part of the Newport Beach Film Festival’s Teens & Short Tweens program, before being shown on Saturday, October 21, at 7:30 p.m. at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre (New York premiere) during the 19th New York City Short Film Festival. It will then be presented online from November 3 to 19 at the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival.
The film embarked on its US festival tour after a world premiere at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in France, which was followed by more than 60 selections at festivals all over the world, among them REGARD, Stuttgart, Annecy, Animafest Zagreb and Ottawa.
Awards and mentions to date
First Prize – Best Short Animation
Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival, USA (2023)
Award for Best Short Film – International Competition
Buenos Aires International Independent Film Festival (BAFICI), Argentina (2023)
Award for Best International Animated Short Film
Cortocircuiti Short Film Festival, Bari, Italy (2023)
Jury Special Mention – Childrens’ jury
Countryside Animafest Cyprus, Salamiou, Cyprus (2023)
Prize: Prix Jeune Public ● Cinéphiles en herbe
Festival Silhouette, Paris, France (2023)
HARVEY by Janice Nadeau (9 min)
Co-produced by the NFB (Marc Bertrand) and Folimage (Reginald de Guillebon), with the support of the Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée. Head of Development: Corinne Destombes (Folimage).
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/harvey
- An animated short film adapted from the graphic novel of the same name, written by Hervé Bouchard and illustrated by Janice Nadeau (éditions de La Pastèque), HARVEY depicts a young boy who candidly recalls the spring day when his world turned upside down. Filled with original little touches and told through the eyes of a child with an overflowing imagination, this luminous work poetically examines bereavement and coping with the loss of a parent.
- The film had a standout creative team that included seasoned filmmakers Claude Cloutier and Marc Robinet (lead animators), as well as Olivier Calvert (sound design).
- Janice Nadeau has illustrated numerous books and is a three-time recipient of Canada’s prestigious Governor General’s Literary Award. She also directed the animated films No Fish Where to Go (NFB, 2014, with Nicola Lemay) and Mamie (NFB/Folimage, 2016), which were shown at more than 50 international festivals and won several awards.
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French version here | Version française ici.