April 21, 2026 — Montreal — National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
Fresh off The Girl Who Cried Pearls’ Oscar win for Best Animated Short, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) arrives at the Sommets du cinéma d’animation (May 11–16) in Montreal with a strong showing, including seven shorts in the Canadian Competition and five world premieres across all sections of the program.
The powerful NFB lineup showcases films that blur the boundaries between animation and documentary, delving into deeply personal stories that open conversations around social issues such as mental health, identity and the inner worlds that shape us. World premieres include Ultra forte by Catherine Lepage and Je m’appelle Daniel by Daniel Léger, along with three shorts developed through the French Animation Unit’s Alambic creative lab for emerging filmmakers.
The NFB will also take part in a range of festival events, including an artist’s talk by Andrea Dorfman and a special evening with Oscar winners Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski.
Canadian Competition lineup
Tuesday, May 12, at 6:30 p.m.
Ultra forte (Ultra Strong) by Catherine Lepage (9 min 35 s) | WORLD PREMIERE
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/ultra-strong
- This candid and self-deprecating autofictional story by Catherine Lepage invites us to reexamine our youthful ideals—from Cinderella to Iron Maiden.
- With the special participation of Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) and narration and original music by Régine Chassagne (Arcade Fire).
Good Luck to You All (Bonne chance à vous tous) by Cordell Barker (8 min 15 s)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/good-luck-to-you-all
- A child’s innocent play takes an odd turn in an animated short about our all-too-fast approaching future with—or against—AI. The latest from two-time Oscar nominee Cordell Barker (The Cat Came Back, Strange Invaders).
Wednesday, May 13, at 6 p.m.
Je m’appelle Daniel (The Flames of Me) by Daniel Léger (10 min 2 s) | WORLD PREMIERE
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/the-flames-of-me
- With courage and vulnerability, Acadian filmmaker Daniel Léger recounts how his bipolar diagnosis shook his identity to the core. Through striking images created with fire and soot by visual artist Steven Spazuk, the film depicts Léger’s personality in rich nuances of shadow and light.
Bisou Sauvage by Bahij Jaroudi (2 min 50 s)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/bisou-sauvage
- 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.
Thursday, May 14, at 6 p.m.
Bread Will Walk (Le pain se lève) by Alex Boya (11 min 18 s)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/bread-will-walk
- Actor Jay Baruchel voices all the characters in the original English version of this frenetic, surrealist satire of our dehumanizing society, designed as a continuous shot. The film has been selected for more than 35 festivals worldwide—including the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight and Annecy—and has earned a Canadian Screen Award nomination.
Friday, May 15, at 6 p.m.
Matrescence by Elizabeth Laferrière (3 min 18 s) | Alambic creative lab | WORLD PREMIERE
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/matrescence
- A captivating short film about the neurological, identity and cellular upheavals of motherhood. A visual and aural dive into the science of becoming a mother.
Paradaïz by Matea Radic (9 min 28 s)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/paradaiz
- In Paradaïz, winner of six awards to date, Matea Radic weaves absurdist animation, family photos, wry humour and her own slippery memories as she revisits Sarajevo, the war‑torn city she fled as a child in the 1990s.
Wide-Angle
Tuesday, May 12, at 7 p.m.
Wednesday, May 13, at 6:30 p.m.
Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski: des Oscars aux Sommets!
Friday, May 15, at 9 p.m. | Terrasse du Café-Bar de la Cinémathèque québécoise
An evening tribute to Montreal’s acclaimed animation duo Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski. This outdoor presentation features their Academy Award–winning NFB animated short The Girl Who Cried Pearls—also part of the Best of Annecy 2025 program—alongside their 2007 Oscar‑nominated Madame Tutli‑Putli and Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More to Life (NFB/Warner Bros., 2010), a Maurice Sendak adaptation starring Meryl Streep.
Artist’s talks, a work-in-progress and more
This year’s festival will offer Leçon de cinéma Sommets X ONF: Andrea Dorfman, a talk by Halifax animator Andrea Dorfman, whose NFB short Hairy Legs received the Guy L. Coté Grand Prize for Best Animated Film at last year’s Sommets. Brigitte Henry, artistic director of the Oscar‑winning The Girl Who Cried Pearls, will also be featured in an artist’s talk entitled Leçon de cinéma: Brigitte Henry.
The Embuscade/NFB work-in-progress Le projet Shiatsung, directed by Brigitte Archambault and Eva Cvijanović, will be featured as part of Les WIP des Sommets. The NFB’s French Animation Unit is also offering a roundtable on documentary animation with the 2025 Alambic cohort, Carine Khalifé, Fanny Lord-Bourcier and Elizabeth Laferrière.
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Version française ici.