October 25, 2021 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is celebrating International Animation Day with Get Animated!—featuring five recently released NFB animated shorts available for free online at NFB.ca, starting October 25. All the films will subsequently be available permanently in Canada for free viewing on the NFB site. Now in its 15th year, Get Animated! is an online animation celebration giving Canadian audiences the chance to discover bold and dazzling new works by animators from across Canada—films that explore the human condition through stories both personal and universal.

Highlights

• Three online premieres: 4 North A by Jordan Canning and Howie Shia, Thanadoula by Robin McKenna and The Great Malaise by Catherine Lepage.
• Two films acclaimed at the most prestigious festivals in Canada and abroad:
  • Jean-François Lévesque’s I, Barnabé;
  • Altötting by German animator Andreas Hykade, featuring design by Portugal’s Regina Pessoa.
• A masterclass by director Jean-François Lévesque will be presented in French on October 28 at 4 p.m., live on the Facebook page of Les Sommets du cinéma d’animation.

4 North A by Jordan Canning and Howie Shia (11 min)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/4-north-a

A woman sits in a hospital room, alone with her dying father. As the constant din of antiseptic hospital noises pushes her to confront her inevitable loss, she escapes into a series of lush childhood memories, in this collaboration between Toronto-based filmmakers Canning (originally from St. John’s) and Shia (from Saskatoon).

• Official Selection/World Premiere, Toronto International Film Festival

Altötting by Andreas Hykade (11 min)
Studio Film Bilder/NFB/Ciclope Filmes
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/altotting

Mesmerizing, haunting, and deeply personal, acclaimed German filmmaker Andreas Hykade’s Altötting is a coming-of-age story about love, faith, mortality and shattered illusions.

AWARDS INCLUDE:

• Grand Prize, Cinanima International Animated Film Festival, Espinho, Portugal
• Craft Award for Best Script, Ottawa International Animation Festival

I, Barnabé by Jean-François Lévesque (15 min)
NFB with the participation of ARTE France
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/i-barnabe

Saint-Gabriel-de-Rimouski-born, Montreal-based animator Jean-François Lévesque’s I, Barnabé takes a luminous look at a desperate man’s existential crisis during a night of stormy drunkenness, when he receives a visit from a mysterious bird and is forced to reconsider his life.

AWARDS INCLUDE:

• Silver Spike for Best Short Film, Valladolid International Film Festival, Spain
• Craft Award for Best Technique, Ottawa International Animation Festival

Thanadoula by Robin McKenna, with art direction by Elise Simard (6 min 38 s)
Gaudete Films/NFB
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/thanadoula

Layering real-life details with an otherworldly magic, Montreal-born, Toronto-based director Robin McKenna’s Thanadoula recounts the story of an end-of-life doula brought to her calling through the loss of her beloved sister.

AWARDS INCLUDE:

• Honourable Mention of the Canadian Film Institute, Best Canadian Animation, Ottawa International Animation Festival

The Great Malaise by Catherine Lepage (5 min 19 s)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/malaise

In Quebec City-born, Montreal-based filmmaker Catherine Lepage’s first animated film, a young woman describes herself and her life in glowing terms, but the visual narrative tells a different story. A funny and touching film that deftly shatters taboos about mental health and allows hope to bloom.

AWARDS INCLUDE:

• People’s Choice Award – International Competition & Jury’s Special Mention – Canadian Competition, Les Sommets du cinéma d’animation, Montreal
• Best Short Film, Manchester Animation Festival

– 30 –

Associated Links

Studio Film Bilder
Ciclope Filmes
ARTE France
Gaudete Films

French version here | Version française ici.