September 23, 2026 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

Two National Film Board of Canada (NFB) animated shorts by acclaimed Canadian women directors will make their Los Angeles premieres this fall at Animation Is Film (October 16–19): Matea Radic’s Paradaïz, selected for the Short Films Program, and Catherine Lepage’s Ultra Strong, selected for Best of Annecy, in partnership with WIA. 

Animation Is Film is a highly selective annual showcase of the best new works of animation from around the world, taking place at the historic TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood. Both NFB films are eligible for the Shorts Grand Jury Prize.

Short Films Program 

Paradaïz by Matea Radic (9 min 28)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/paradaiz

• Welcome to a place where the houses have holes, tomatoes are ticking time bombs and snails wander the streets in search of a safe space.
• In her short-film debut, Winnipeg-based artist Matea Radic uses hand-drawn animation, family photos, a wry sense of humour and her own slippery memories to return to the war-torn city of Sarajevo she fled as a child in the ’90s. Along the way, she subverts expectations about what healing looks like, engaging in a surreal game of hide-and-seek with her surroundings.

• The film has been selected by more than 45 festivals worldwide and garnered 11 honours to date, including two Oscar-qualifying awards.
• Paradaïz is produced for the NFB by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences member Jelena Popović. 

Best of Annecy, in partnership with WIA 

Ultra Strong by Catherine Lepage (9 min 35 s)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/ultra-strong

• In Ultra Strong, a candid and self-deprecating autofictional story by Catherine Lepage, we’re invited to reexamine our youthful ideals—from Cinderella to Iron Maiden.
• Special appearance by Bruce Dickinson, legendary singer, songwriter and frontman of Iron Maiden, who plays an idealized version of himself in both the English and French versions of the film.

• Original music by Régine, a founding member of Arcade Fire, marking her solo debut as a film-score composer; she also voices the narration in English and French.

• Since its world premiere at the Sommets du cinéma d’animation in Montreal, Ultra Strong has been selected for more than 20 festivals, winning four awards to date.
• The film is produced for the NFB by Christine Noël, producer and executive producer of Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski’s Academy Award-winning animated short The Girl Who Cried Pearls. 

More about Best of Annecy, in partnership with WIA 

• A selection of highlights from the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, curated by Bringing together distinctive work from people of underrepresented gender identities, the program celebrates the voices shaping animation today—and WIA’s work to amplify those voices and create greater opportunity across the industry.

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Press release –  PDF here.

version française ici.