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
Founded in 1939, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is a one-of-a-kind producer, co-producer and distributor of 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, 7,000 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.