In Official Short Film Competition at CINEMANIA. Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski’s animated short The Girl Who Cried Pearls (NFB) screening in Montreal for the first time.
PRESS RELEASE
17/10/2025
October 17, 2025 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
CINEMANIA will be showing the Montreal premiere of The Girl Who Cried Pearls (NFB) in the festival’s Official Short Film Competition. Directed by Oscar-nominated duo Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski (Madame Tutli-Putli), the film brings together an exceptional creative team: Polaris Music Prize winner Patrick Watson (music), Olivier Calvert (sound design), Brigitte Henry (artistic director) and James Hyndman, who voices the French version of this true tribute to Montreal. The festival takes place November 4 to 16, 2025.
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“We wanted to create a story that contributed to the mythology of the place where we’re raising our kids. If you live in New York, every street has been mythologized—we wanted to do that for Montreal. We wanted to do what Pink Floyd did for London with the floating pig over the Battersea. It matters to us that our kids walk around these streets and know that this is a place that lives in your imagination.” – Maciek Szczerbowski and Chris Lavis
The Girl Who Cried Pearls by Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski (17 min 28 s)
Produced for the NFB by Julie Roy, Marc Bertrand and Christine Noël
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/the-girl-who-cried-pearls
Screening: Grande soirée des courts métrages québécois (Quebec Short Film Showcase), Tuesday, November 11, Studio-Cabaret de l’Espace St-Denis
- In Montreal, at the dawn of the 20th century, a poor boy falls in love with a girl whose sorrow turns into pearls. He sells them to a ruthless pawnbroker, who hungers for more. Tempted by greed, the boy must choose between love and fortune. The choice could damn his soul.
- Since its debut in June 2025 at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, where it was featured as an opening film and in official competition, The Girl Who Cried Pearls has screened at 23 festivals and won 6 awards and mentions:
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- Benshi Prize – Short Films in Official Competition at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival;
- Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Short Film at TIFF;
- Canadian Film Institute Award for Best Canadian Animation at the Ottawa International Animation Festival;
- Maribor Audience Grand Prix – Stop-Motion Animation at the StopTrik Festival in Slovenia;
- Special Jury Mention for Best Quebec Short Film at the Quebec City Film Festival;
- Special Mention – Short Film at the Taichung International Animation Festival in Taiwan.
About the filmmakers
- Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski (Clyde Henry Productions) are award-winning writers, directors and animators. Rich in surreal detail, dark humour and evocative artistry, their work explores the mystery and strange beauty of life.
- Their first film, Madame Tutli-Putli (NFB, 2007), received an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Short along with 45 awards and mentions.
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Version française ici.
Media Relations
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About the NFB
For more than 80 years, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) has produced, distributed and preserved those stories, which now form a vast audiovisual collection—an important part of our cultural heritage that represents all Canadians.
To tell these stories, the NFB works with filmmakers of all ages and backgrounds, from across the country. It harnesses their creativity to produce relevant and groundbreaking content for curious, engaged and diverse audiences. The NFB also collaborates with industry experts to foster innovation in every aspect of storytelling, from formats to distribution models.
Every year, another 50 or so powerful new animated and documentary films are added to the NFB’s extensive collection of more than 14,000 titles, half of which are available to watch for free on nfb.ca.
Through its mandate, its stature and its productions, the NFB contributes to Canada’s cultural identity and is helping to build the Canada of tomorrow.