August 26, 2026 – Vancouver – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

From intimate personal stories to powerful artistic collaborations, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) will have four animated short films featured at the 2026 Edmonton International Film Festival (EIFF), running September 24 to October 3.

The festival’s selection includes Bahij Jaroudi’s Bisou sauvage, Dylan Glynn’s Knowing Gaze, Elisapie Isaac and Marc Séguin’s Piluk and Catherine Lepage’s award-winning Ultra Strong, recipient of the People’s Choice Award at Montreal’s Sommets du cinéma d’animation.

Quick facts and schedule

Bisou sauvage by Bahij Jaroudi (2 min 50 s) | Edmonton Premiere
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/bisou-sauvage
Thursday, October 1, 12:10 PM | Lunchbox Shorts 4.0 | Landmark Cinemas 9 City Centre (Theatre 1)

• As world tragedies pile up, a bored couple is looking for their next distraction. This explosive dark comedy is a blunt take on the privilege of boredom and the dissonance that is needed to pretend everything is okay. Lebanese-Canadian illustrator and animator Bahij Jaroudi compels us to recognize our own apathy in this relatable black-and-white animated short.
• Born in 1981 in Lebanon and recently relocated to Toronto, Bahij Jaroudi has collaborated with major clients like Netflix, Cartoon Network Arabia and The New York Times. After earning an MA in Animation from Kingston University (UK), he built a prolific career spanning animated ads, short films and children’s books, and has taught animation at the Lebanese American University. 

Knowing Gaze by Dylan Glynn (9 min 40 s) | Western Canadian Premiere
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/knowing-gaze
Saturday, October 3, 12:00 PM | Short Stop 7.0 |  Landmark Cinemas 9 City Centre (Theatre 8)

• In a loving roast of gay culture, this animated short moves fluidly through a series of interconnected vignettes—from online personas to offline hookups, from the thrift store to the dance floor to the bathhouse. Rendered in expressive brush strokes, the story unfolds as candid conversations carried by acidic dialogue and vulnerable interior monologues. At its core, the film probes the tenderness and tension of modern gay identity. Beneath a million witty one-liners, the soul cries out.
• Dylan Glynn is a Toronto-based painter, author and animator who employs an expressive, poetic and satirical approach in his multidisciplinary practice. Regardless of the medium, his works have garnered critical acclaim: his children’s book Rain Boy has been translated into Chinese and Korean, he has won three gold medals from the Society of Illustrators and his film Thot or Not won Best Canadian Short at the 2022 Inside Out Toronto 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival.

Piluk by Elisapie Isaac and Marc Séguin (10 min 30 s) | Western Canadian Premiere
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/piluk
Wednesday, September 30, 2:00 PM | Short Stop 5.0 | Landmark Cinemas 9 City Centre (Theatre 8)

• Born from a single feather, young Piluk walks on, just as her mother did before her. Throughout her journey, she offers feathers from her thinning wings to passersby and wounded animals. From the raw landscapes of the tundra to a city of concrete, will she still be able to hear the breath of the wind that witnessed her birth? World-renowned artists Elisapie Isaac and Marc Séguin have spent more than a decade cultivating a friendship rooted in freedom, creativity and a profound bond with the land.

• Elisapie Isaac is an Inuk author, singer, songwriter, documentary filmmaker and activist whose work has brought Inuit culture to audiences across borders. Born in Salluit, Nunavik, she is an artist with a deep attachment to her land and language, celebrating her heritage through albums, documentaries and television productions—including Le grand solstice. Her most recent album, the critically acclaimed Inuktitut (2023), cemented her status as a major Canadian artist, earning several honours, including two Junos and five Félix awards. In 2024, Canada Post created a stamp honouring Elisapie.
• Marc Séguin is a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores beauty, fragility and violence in the world. A painter, engraver, sculptor, novelist and filmmaker, he takes a sensitive approach to the great challenges facing humanity and the environment. His work can be found in many major collections, including the Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec. Marc is also the author of seven novels and two poetry collections and has directed two films. 

Ultra Strong by Catherine Lepage (9 min 35 s) | Western Canadian Premiere
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/ultra-strong
Saturday, September 26, 12:30 PM | Short Stop 3.0 | Landmark Cinemas 9 City Centre (Theatre 8)

• Catherine tries to toughen herself to impress the “princes” in her circle, who turn out to be more off-putting than charming. When all her dubious strategies fail, she must face the ultimate test: learning how to embrace her true nature. This candid and self-deprecating autofictional story features the special participation of Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) and narration and original music by Régine (Arcade Fire).
• Montreal-based animation filmmaker, graphic novel writer and illustrator Catherine Lepage is known for her distinctive visual style and the self-deprecating humour she uses to broach sensitive topics, such as mental health, social pressure and self-affirmation. Ultra Strong is her second film with the NFB, following The Great Malaise (2019), which was screened at over 50 festivals and won 7 awards, in addition to being named a Vimeo Staff Pick.

– 30 –

Press release – PDF here.

Version française ici.