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Strong presence for the NFB at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival

PRESS RELEASE
28/05/2024

11 films, including four in competition and a world premiere

Shorts by Torill Kove, Michèle Lemieux, Ryo Orikasa and Jo Roy

May 28, 2024 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

The National Film Board of Canada will take part in this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival (June 9–15) with a strong, diverse lineup of 11 productions and co-productions, screening across a wide range of sections at the event. Four films have been selected for various competitions, including Torill Kove’s Maybe Elephants (Mikrofilm/NFB), which will be having its world premiere. In addition, Michèle Lemieux, a virtuoso with the Alexeïeff-Parker pinscreen, will present her latest short, Le tableau (The Painting).

The festival will also be presenting an Honorary Cristal award to filmmaker Pierre Hébert to mark his 60-year career.

The NFB at the 2024 Annecy Festival

SHORT FILMS – OFFICIAL COMPETITION

Maybe Elephants by Torill Kove (Mikrofilm/NFB, 16 min 43 s) – WORLD PREMIERE
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/maybe-elephants

  • A playful and loving autobiographical film created by Oscar-winning animator Torill Kove.

Le tableau (The Painting) by Michèle Lemieux (NFB, 11 min 56 s)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/the-painting

  • Animated on the Alexeïeff-Parker pinscreen, this film revisits the tragic fate of Queen Mariana of Austria and her 1652 portrait by painter Velázquez.

Miserable Miracle by Ryo Orikasa (Miyu Productions/NFB/New Deer, 8 min)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/miserable-miracle

  • A breathtaking film, inspired by Henri Michaux’s book of poetry and drawings of the same name.

SHORT FILMS – OFF-LIMITS COMPETITION

Corpus and the Wandering by Jo Roy (NFB, 7 min 13 s)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/corpusandthewandering

  • One dancer, one body, one phone… a short experimental self-portrait composed of 100 video screens.

ANNECY CLASSICS SECTION

Graver l’homme: arrêt sur Pierre Hébert (Scratches of Life: The Art of Pierre Hébert) by Loïc Darses (NFB, 75 min)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/scratchesoflife

  • This feature-length documentary guides us through the inspiring labyrinth of the celebrated animator’s life and work.

The Annecy Festival will present an Honorary Cristal to Pierre Hébert in recognition of the innovative nature of his work, which has spanned 60 years, including 35 at the NFB.

SPECIAL PROGRAMS

Choreographies: Animation and Dance 3

LOCA by Véronique Paquette (NFB, 5 min 19 s)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/loca

  • A woman finds a path to freedom through the energy of tango.

NFB COLLECTION

A Tribute to Portuguese Animation

Regina Pessoa

Jury Award for a Short Film and Best Original Music Award for a Short Film (Normand Roger) – Annecy 2019

Choreographies: Animation and Dance

  • Pas de deux by Norman McLaren (NFB, 13 min, 1968)
  • Carface by Claude Cloutier (NFB, 4 min, 2015)

– 30 –

Press kit: NFB @ Annecy 2024

French version here | Version française ici.

Media Relations

  • Nadine Viau
    NFB Publicist – Montreal
    C.: 514-458-9745
    n.viau@nfb.ca

  • Lily Robert
    Director, Communications and Public Affairs, NFB
    C.: 514-296-8261
    l.robert@nfb.ca

  • 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 distinctive, 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, 6,500 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.