Lori Malépart-Traversy’s Magical Caresses series available across Canada on nfb.ca as of October 17
PRESS RELEASE
17/10/2022
October 17, 2022 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
The Magical Caresses animated documentary series by Lori Malépart-Traversy, produced by the NFB, will be available free of charge across Canada on nfb.ca starting October 17. Consisting of five animated shorts that take a playful and uninhibited look at solo sexuality, the series has screened to acclaim on the national and international festival circuit.
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“The topic of women and masturbation remains taboo in our society, so we’ve tried to demystify it in a way that’s healthy, uninhibited and funny. This series and Lori’s approach fully embody the values we seek at the French Program Animation Studio: namely, auteur films with a strong, personal visual look and a distinctive narrative style.” – Christine Noël, Executive Producer, NFB French Program Animation Studio
Awards and festival selections
- Fonds Bell prize at the 2022 Festival du cinéma international en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (FCIAT).
- Award for Best Educational Film at the 2022 Sommets du cinéma d’animation in Montreal (Masturbation: A Short History of a Great Taboo).
- Selected to screen in competition at the 2022 Annecy International Animation Film Festival (Sweet Jesus).
- Selected to screen in competition at the Ottawa International Animation Festival (Masturbation: A Short History of a Great Taboo).
- Selected at the Animator International Animation Festival in Poznan, Poland (Turquoise Fish).
Quick Facts
Magical Caresses by Lori Malépart-Traversy (5 × 4 min)
Produced by Julie Roy and Christine Noël for the NFB’s French Program Animation Studio
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/magical-caresses
A skillful blend of humour and confession, these five shorts provide a range of female perspectives to demystify masturbation. The films’ source material is adapted from intimate accounts published in the Caresses magiques book series written and edited by Sarah Gagnon-Piché and Sara Hébert.
The short films
- Turquoise Fish
In this candid and introspective short film, a young woman recalls a kooky ritual involving masturbation that she’d invented as a child.
- Big Bang
This animated short film recounts a 23-year-old woman’s quest to achieve her first orgasm. Along the way, it takes a sensitive and humorous look at the little-known phenomenon of vaginismus.
- Sweet Jesus
What happens when masturbation has its “come to Jesus” moment? This animated short takes a light and humorous approach to examining religion’s moral taboos around the female body and desires.
- Playhouse
How does porn fuel sexual fantasies? This animated short with a magic touch relates one woman’s confessions about her favourite erotic scenarios.
About the filmmaker
Born in Montreal in 1991, animation filmmaker Lori Malépart-Traversy studied visual arts and animation at Concordia University. Her graduation film, Le clitoris, was an international hit both on the festival circuit and online. With Magical Caresses, she continues her exploration of the wide-ranging topic of female sexuality.
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French version here | Version française ici.
Media Relations
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About the NFB
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is a leader in exploring animation as an artform, a storytelling medium and innovative content for emerging platforms. It produces trailblazing animated works both in its Montreal studios and across the country, and it works with many of the world’s leading creators on international co-productions. NFB productions have won more than 7,000 awards, including seven Oscars for NFB animation and seven grand prizes at the Annecy festival. To access this unique content, visit NFB.ca.